Author: Amelia Lim

Old Is Gold – 12 Best Food Finds In Mature Estate Toa Payoh!

Familiar to most Singaporeans is Toa Payoh, one of the most mature heartlands you can find in Singapore. Some may equate maturity to being old and forgotten, but hidden in this estate are some delicious dishes you can’t find anywhere else.

Listed below are our top 10 food picks from Toa Payoh. We don’t know about you, but we think this mature estate has yet to lose its charms.

1.Fu Zhou Ban Mian

Credit: www.pinkypiggu.com

Not only are the stall owners generous with their ingredients, the fresh fish slices served with noodles are often accompanied by with a hearty serving of crispy anchovies and poached egg. For non-veggie fans, you will be pleased to know that you can opt to switch the veggies for extra noodles at absolutely no charge.

Do, however, expect to wait up to 20mins for a bowl of soupy goodness during lunch hours!

Fu Zhou Ban Mian
Opening hours: Daily, 10am – 9pm
Address: #01-406 J99 Eating House, Blk 186 Toa Payoh Central Singapore 310186

2. Melben Seafood 

Credit: Melben Seafood

For those craving zi-char or crab dishes, you’d want to check A stall definitely familiar to crab lovers, Melben offers a variety of crab dishes that range from Chilli Crab to its signature Crab Bee Hoon in Claypot ($60). The sweet and savoury milky buttery soup of the Crab Bee Hoon totally had us at the first sip. However, be sure to ration the soup as extra soup comes at an extra charge.

Credit: Alex Chua’s Burpple

For the K-Pop fanatics, you may have already heard of this Korean fried chicken café.

With six flavours (crispy, spicy, sweet, garlic, soy and honey soy) to choose from, the fried chicken ($16 for 8 pieces) here is juicy and flavourful. The crispy version tastes like the average fried chicken but the honey soy (our personal favourite) is a good mix of sweet and savoury; totally worth every sinful calorie!

Credit: Benvado’s Facebook

Besides fried chicken, Oppa! Choo Choo serves a variety of other Korean food such as rice burgers and bingsus. We highly recommend the rice burger with spicy pork ($6.90).

Oppa! Choo Choo
Address: 600 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 #01-05 S319515
Opening hours: Daily, 11.30am to 11pm (Last order at 10.30pm)
Contact: 6255 2023

4. RedRing Treasures

Credit: RedRing Treasures Facebook

Since we’re on the topic of fried chicken, there is another eatery in Toa Payoh that specialises in the dish.

Opened last year is , which happens to be one of our childhood chicken rice haunts.

Credit: RedRing Treasures Facebook

Their crunchy, tender and juicy cutlets are marinated for whopping 24 hours. Each bite is a step closer to food heaven.

A must-try is the RedRing Signature Chicken Cutlet Noodles ($4.90). Like the cutlet, the noodles are made in-house. Paired with two kinds of sauces, the QQ (chewy) noodles are sweet and savoury at the same time.

RedRing Treasures (Gourmet Paradise Outlet)

Opening hours: Daily, 10am to 10pm
Contact:  9489 6057
Address: 502 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, S319397

5. Hougang 6 Mile Mua Chee

Credit: eatbook.sg

Originally located at Hougang Ave 8, this childhood snack is our favourite of the lot.

Though $3.50 for a box of mixed Mua Chee (sesame and peanuts) may admittedly be a little steep, it is arguably the best Mua Chee in Singapore.

Hougang 6 Mile Mua Chee

Opening hours: Daily, 12pm to 10pm
Contact:  9862 1501
Address: 480 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 #B1-01 HDB Hub Gourmet Paradise Food Court Stall 21 Singapore 310480

6. Thunder Tea Rice (HDB Hub)

Credit: smallpotatoesmakethesteaklookbigger.blogspot.sg

For the health nuts, you’ll be glad to learn of the existence of It may look unappetizing, but the greenish soup that comes with our meal was pretty tasty. Never judge a soup by its appearance, we say.

Credit: JQ Chef Cafe

This relatively new café that opened last year has since received 

Credit: danielfooddiary.com

They do offer set lunches ($15.90) that consist of a salad, main course and ice cream. For this, we highly recommend getting the Mushroom Aglio Olio as the main course! Do note that set lunches are only available from 11.30am to 3pm.

JQ Chef Café

Address: 186 Toa Payoh Central #01-428
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12 pm to 10pm, closed on Mondays
Contact:  6354 4541

8. Creamier 

Credit: cavinteo.blogspot.com

There may be hundreds of waffle cafes in Singapore but

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If you are afraid that things may get a little too saccharine for your liking, we recommend getting the Sea Salt Gula Melaka ice cream for that savoury contrast.

Like some of the other eateries mentioned, Creamier is insanely popular, especially during the weekends. You might have to wait up to 40mins. So if you wish to get your waffle fix, be sure to head down early!

Creamier

Address: Blk 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-835, S310128
Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturdays, 12pm to 11pm
Contact:  6250 1476

9. Toa Payoh Fried Kway Teow

Credit: somewhere502.rssing.com

An old school comfort food, we’re sure many are familiar with Char Kway Teow. At Toa Payoh Fried Kway Teow, get ready to expect a slightly darker and sweeter version of the dish. The version served at this stall may be closer to Malaysia’s rendition, but we assure you that it is just as delicious.

Toa Payoh Fried Kway Teow

Address: Blk 22, Toa Payoh Lor 7 Food Centre #01-51 S 310022
Opening hours: Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm, closed on Tuesdays
Contact:  9743 1206

10. Swatow Teochew Restaurant

Credit: Swatow

Like what its name implies,

Credit: Swatow

It may not be a bakery, but Swatow’s egg tarts are hands down, one of the best we’ve had so far. Speaking of Dim Sum, Swatow offers Dim Sum buffets from 3pm to 5pm daily ($19.80++ on weekdays and $22.80++ on weekends). A little tip from us: be sure to get your hands on the egg tarts first as they tend to run out fast!

Swatow Teochew Restaurant

Address: Blk 181 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #02-602 S310181
Opening hours: Daily, 8am to 10.30pm
Contact:  6363 1717

11. Kim Keat Hokkien Mee

Credit: Kim Keat Hokkien Mee Facebook

Unlike the usual Hokkien mee, Kim Keat Hokkien Mee serves theirs in bubbling hot claypots. Claypot has been known to enhance the flavours of dishes, but we’re not too sure if the claypots or some other secret ingredient is responsible for the delicious stock of this dish.

Besides the usual prawn, sotong, and sio bak (fried pork belly), you’ll find clams in this dish, making the broth slightly sweeter than its counterparts.

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They do offer the Opeh leaf version ($8) where the Hokkien mee is served on the leaf itself, giving the dish a smoky taste. The broth is not as rich, though. So for those who prefer the slurpy type of Hokkien mee, you may want to stick to the claypot version.

Portions here run a little small so big eaters may wish to consider upsizing their meals (from $10 for 2 pax onwards). The chilli may be a little disappointing for chilli lovers but rest assured that the dish itself is tasty enough.

Kim Keat Hokkien Mee

Address: Toa Payoh Lorong 4, Blk 92 #01-264, Toa Payoh, S310092
Opening hours: Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, 11.30am to 9.30pm, closed on Tuesdays
Contact:  9456 0413

12. Ocean Curry Fish Head 

Credit: jthejon.blogspot.com

Whilst you are here for Kim Keat Hokkien Mee, be sure to also check out The dish may be relatively pricier, but that’s because stall owner Mr Tay uses only the best quality Ang Goli (Gold Band Snapper). We can definitely testify for the freshness of the fish as some of us have had it many times!

Credit: www.sgfoodonfoot.com

The curry here is a mix of Indian and Nyonya curry. The sweetness of the Nyonya curry marries perfectly with the spiciness of the Indian’s. As you dig in, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find chunks of fresh pineapple and ladies’ fingers.

Besides fish head curry, this stall also serves other zi char dishes like Har Lok ($3 per prawn). You choose such dishes ala economical rice stall style – dishes are displayed in circular tin plates behind a glass panel. Again, prices are relatively higher than your usual economic rice stall but we say it’s worth every cent.

Ocean Curry Fish Head (Toa Payoh)

Address: Blk 92, Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-264, S310092
Opening hours: Daily, 11am to 9pm, closed every alternative Tuesdays and the day after all public holidays
Contact:  6252 2168

Did we miss out any good eateries in Toa Payoh? Leave a comment and let us know your favourite eats!

Headline credit: words by writer and picture by www.cheekiemonkey.net

Also, read 8 Geylang Serai Bazaar Street Snacks Worth Braving The Heat For!

Knickers+Bockers – Create Your Very Own Pizzas And Eat Them Too!

For regular visitors to the Central Business District (CBD), you will be excited to hear that Sure, it may not the only pizza joint in town, but it is one of the few in Singapore that allows you to construct your own 10” pizza ($12.90) with unlimited topping options. Yeap, you heard that right. Toppings are infinite, limited only by your imagination. This, guys, is every pizza lover’s dream.

Non-veggie lovers, rejoice! With the option to choose your own toppings, no longer will you be judged for not wanting pineapples, capsicum, or whatever veggie there is. However, you may not want to overload your pizza with deli meat, else you’ll be struggling to finish an overly salty pizza.

Toppings aside, you get to pick your desired pizza base (NY Style, NY Herb Crusted, Cali Style and Cali Herb Crusted) as well as sauces (5 to choose from) and cheese (8 kinds of cheese in total).

For the DiscoverSG Pizza (yes, you can name your pizza!), we chose the NY Herb Crusted base. It’s a New York-style pizza with a thin base, thicker crust, and sprinkled with herbs and spices.

With 44 greens, meat and seafood toppings to choose from, the selection is almost endless. We helped ourselves and ticked 16 boxes from the toppings list.

Credit: Knickers+Bockers

The pizza crust was perfect. It’s thin in the middle and tapers out to a slightly thicker crust. The crust could be folded, making it easy for any glutton (ahem, us) to enjoy a pizza slice whole. Despite it being herb-based, the pizza, much to our delight, is void of any unpleasant herby taste that may put some off.  It may, however, be the cheese and the white cream sauce that covered it all up. Well, for lovers of herbs and spices, you get the best of both worlds!

Despite the many toppings, we’re surprised to discover that the ingredients complemented each other. Ingredients were fresh whilst the veggies had retained their juiciness. We’d recommend getting the spicy Italian sausage as it goes well with most seasonings and sauces.

Credit: Knickers+Bockers

If you are not a fan of DIYs or simply can’t decide to save your life, worry not as Knickers + Bockers offers pre-customised pizzas you can choose from, such as the Curry Lovers (pictured above).

Credit: Knickers+Bockers

Aside from pizzas, they do offer breakfast buns ($3.50/bun or $4.50 with coffee, pictured above) and DIY pasta ($8.90).

The breakfast buns are made from the pizza dough but unlike the pizzas, are not customizable. There are four flavours to choose from – Original, Asian Fusion, Curry and Otak Otak. Unless you’re not a fan of local flavours, we’d recommend you to try anything but the Original, which features your classic American breakfast ingredients, like runny eggs and bacon, which is rather boring.

To be honest, we thought the pizzas are more worthy of a try but the buns are a great option for those looking for an on-the-go breakfast option.

Credit: Knickers+Bockers

Similar to the pizzas, the pasta shares the same build-it-yourself concept with 4 kinds of pasta , 3 sauces, 9 kinds of cheese and over 20 toppings to choose from. The pasta portions are relatively small and the two breadsticks that come with it were a little tough for our liking. So if you ask us, it’s definitely back to pizzas.

Overall, Knickers+Bockers is a great dining option for those working in the CBD, especially if you’re looking for something different. They do also offer a delivery service (minimum purchase of $25 with additional $2 delivery charge or free delivery with purchase for $40 and above) through Deliveroo or Foodpanda.

Have you created your own pizza at Knicker+Bockers yet? If so, let us know your favourite way to spice up your pizza or share your creations with us!

(Header image by Daniel Food Diary, words by editor)

Knicker+Bockers (Ocean Financial Centre)

Address: Ocean Financial Centre #B1-10, 10 Collyer Quay S049315 (Raffles Place MRT)
Contact: +65 6509 9247
Opening Hours: 8.30 am – 8pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 1pm (Sat)

Knickers+Bockers (Leisure Park Kallang)
Address: Leisure Park Kallang #02-04, 5 Stadium Walk S397693
Contact: +65 6241 4480
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9.30pm (Mon – Thurs), 11am – 10pm (Fri-Sat), 11am – 9.30pm (Sun)

This was an invited food tasting session.

Also, read 8 Cool Places For An Ultimate Chill Out Weekend At Kampong Glam

7 Reasons Every Neighbourhood Deserves A Kick-Ass CC Like Ci Yuan

For those living at the North East, odds are you’ve heard of Ci Yuan Community Club (CC). Opened by our Prime Minister last September, this CC has its own food court, clinic and karaoke establishment. Did we also mention that it has a 500-seater performance theatre that is fully furnished with light and sound equipment?

The reasons every neighbourhood deserves a CC like Ci Yuan are pretty self-explanatory by now, but we thought we’ll add more to the list to prove our point.

1. Affordable food from $2.80

The cost of living in Singapore can get pretty high and sometimes, all you want to do is to tuck in a bowl of affordable and frills-free bak chor mee. For those on a tight budget, you’ll be glad to know that food at the hawker centre situated in the CC are priced as low as $2.80. From Nasi Goreng to Chicken Rice, enjoy a variety of your favourite hawker dishes without feeling the burn!

Besides the low cost, this is also a non-profit hawker centre. Half the profits earned from the relatively low stall rental prices (from $1500 to $1800 per month) go into community funding like coupons for the poor. The other half is used to help hawkers ‘upgrade’ themselves. So you are doing a good deed whenever you dine at Ci Yuan.

2. Self-payment kiosk

This hawker centre is the first and only in Singapore to go ‘cashier-less’. There’s a self-payment kiosk at every stall that accepts cash (notes and coins), and returns the exact amount to you. What a great way for stalls to increase productivity. Diners don’t have to worry about counting change; it’ll never be wrong!

It also shows how our hawker scene has caught up with times. These places are no longer the stereotypical ‘old and dirty’ food places in Singapore!

3. Great variety, good food

One dish we recommend is the Salted Egg Prawn Ball ($18) from the Hong Kong Chef’s Kitchen stall. It is run by a former Crystal Jade chef from Hong Kong. Talk about having good credentials!

Our food recommendations:

Hong Kong Chef’s Kitchen Stall

[caption id="attachment_9013" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Prawn Mee with shrimps and pork slices, $2.80. Credit: Traditional Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle
Stall number: #01-29
Operating hours: Daily, 6am – 9.30pm (usually sells out by 7pm)

[caption id="attachment_9014" align="aligncenter" width="640"] ABC Food Centre’s wildly popular Fatty Cheong Char Siew Rice has opened an outlet at Ci Yuan. Credit: ABC Fatty Cheong
Stall number: #01-22
Operating hours: 11am to 8.30pm, closed on Thursday. Usually sells out by 7pm.

[caption id="attachment_9015" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Teochew Handmade Fishball Noodle, $2.80. Credit: Since some stalls at Ci Yuan’s hawker centre, like Teochew Handmade Fishball Noodle, are opened around the clock, feel free to grab your khakis for a supper session whilst catching up on the latest gossip.

[caption id="attachment_8289" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image Credit: Straits Times. (Not pictured at Ci Yuan)[/caption]

This CC has also created more job opportunities, especially for the elderly residents living nearby.

Not only are the elderly workers at Ci Yuan given the freedom to work at their own pace, but each of them is also assigned to a specific area. They do not have to comb the entire hawker centre to clean and collect used cutlery. Also, the use of dishwashers help lessen the burden of the elderly workers. You won’t see any elderly scrubbing the dirty dishes at the back of the stalls.

Besides the elderly, more jobs are available for youngsters as well. Amongst the grey-haired hawkers, you will be able to spot some young adults. They are likely to be recent graduates from the 6. Elderly Care Services [caption id="attachment_8290" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image Credit: Onlywilliam.blogspot.com[/caption]

If you don’t already know, Ci Yuan is the first CC so far that offers a Senior Care Centre. For some, this comes as a relief as some elderly may need constant supervision. For those who are unable to afford domestic help or are from low-income families, government subsidies for the Care Centre are available as well.

To make it even more convenient, transport can be arranged at a nominal cost. For patients who are bedridden, fret not for they do offer at-home services besides day care.

7. Entertainment [caption id="attachment_8292" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image Credit: Toggle[/caption]

Yes, there is a Teo Heng tucked away in the CC. It may be no KBox, but at $18/3 hours for a small room, we think its ambience and convenience is well worth the price.

Since Teo Heng sells only beverages, feel free to da pao some food from the hawker centre below. However, do remember to clean up after yourselves and you’re good!

Besides Teo Heng, there is a Toastmasters Club as well! Interested to improve your public speaking or leadership skills? Look no further for the Toastmasters Club has got it all covered. Get your khakis (friends) to join in! Best of all? It is free, nuff said!

Address: Ci Yuan Community Club, 51 Hougang Avenue 9 Singapore, 538776 Singapore
Operating hours: Every 1st Saturday of the month at 2pm
Contact: 9847 2509