Chinatown Food Center

Of all the hawker centers, I grew up with Tiong Bahru and Chinatown and both hold dear memories for me. The Mom still patronizes the beef stall weekly at Chinatown market and the ladies remember me as the little girl tugging at my mom's hem strings. Oldtimers like Er Gu Tang Shui and Jia Ji Mei Shi to name a few have withstood the test of time though others like the yam cake stall that shuts by 5pm or the soup bak chor mee that I used to visit before heading downstairs for CD purchases have long disappeared with time.

Kazan Japanese Cuisine

bento

Chicken Katsu Set ($5)

chicken katsu

Previously from Tanjong Pagar Market, this stall has garnered quite a strong following judging from the food certificate and articles they display with pride. They sold out on their signature ebi fry set and we made do with the chicken. Breaded with a delicious crumb mixture and deepfried, I loved the crunch the katsu had but the lack of meat made this more flour and fats than meat.

soup

It came with their special honey mustard sauce which was a different accompanying sauce as compared to mayo. I liked the side of pickles that came with it too, whets the appetite greatly.

Issan Thai Cuisine

kailan

Stir fried kailan ($4)

The cheapest vegetable option around and it was packed with enough wok hei and flavour to put zichar hawkers to shame for overcharging. Pairing this with the thai spicy sauce, it made this simple dish shine.

Ming Fa Fishball Noodles

fishball noodles

This is another stall with franchises island wide. Famed for bak chor mee, we opted for their fishball noodles ($3) instead. I am definitely no fan of fishballs since majority ends up with too much flour or that annoying fishy aftertaste that gets to me. This however, is a class of its own. I never quite got down to thinking fishballs differently - a sweet aftertaste and addictively so. Fishcake or fishball, I enjoyed them both even in the simple mixture of mee kia, fishballs and chilli. Noodles were cooked so right - springy with a lovely bounce. 

fried chicken

A simple fried chicken chop ($2) that was so delicious! 

老火汤
#02-05/07

lotus root soup 

Lotus Root Octopus Pork Rib Soup ($3.70)

This soup franchise can be found in many hawker centers and food courts and I was actually piqued to try Buddha Jump Over The Wall ($7) but ended up with a safer lotus root soup. Being a cantonese means I know a good soup when I taste one and this fell short somehow, lacking in flavour because the ingredients were not enough or it was not boiled long enough.

There is a huge variety of food but the really good ones tend to pull their shutters by 5pm, hence dinner may not be the best showcase of this hawker center.

Chinatown Food Center

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