STI: Taxi drivers' guide to great makan

Dec 29, 2004
Taxi drivers' guide to great makan

For a yummy breakfast or lunch

WHERE: Block 22A Havelock Road
WHAT: hawker fare, about 25 stalls
WHY: carpark visible from hawker centre, can keep a lookout for parking warden

FAVOURITE DAY PLACE

Block 22A Havelock Road for easy parking

CABS of all colours, from the various taxi companies, greet you as you turn into the carpark at Block 22A Havelock Road at about 10.30am each weekday morning.

The hawker centre there is clearly a favourite haunt with cabbies if the close to 100 taxis parked there every mid-morning are anything to go by.

One big plus: The hawker centre overlooks the spacious carpark so drivers scrimping on parking coupons can watch out for the dreaded wardens.

The food centre, which is more than 30 years old, dishes up a wide range of fare from porridge to yong towfoo, carrot cake, nasi lemak, fish soup, desserts, and of course, coffee and canned drinks. One stall also sells turtle soup.

Most of the hawkers get an early start, opening at the crack of dawn. They pack up only at 8pm or 10pm. A few drinks stalls serve past midnight.

'The food here is quite nice and cheap,' says Mr Steven Lee, 55, who has plied the roads for more than 20 years.

'Parking here is also almost free... I don't have to display a parking coupon, as I can see the warden when she comes and I can rush to move my taxi.'

Besides easy - read 'free' - parking, meeting his pals is another reason Mr Toh Tiau Chai, 48, a taxi driver for more than 10 years, frequents this place.

Mr Toh, who has three sons and whose wife is a part-time vegetable seller, likes to tuck into yong towfoo and char kway teow whenever he comes.

'Taxi drivers love this place. See for yourself, there are about 100 taxis parked here,' he says.

OTHER NOMINEES

Bukit Timah Market hawker centre near Beauty World - chwee kueh, satay beehoon

Ghim Moh hawker centre - char kway teow, you tiao (deep-fried dough sticks)

Coffee shop at Block 40 Beo Crescent, near Tiong Bahru Plaza - curry rice

Coffee shop at Block 86 Zion Road - kway chap (pig innards soup), prawn noodles

Coffee shop in Kellock Road - coffee, toast, eggs, wonton noodles, minced meat noodles

Coffee shop at the former Rex Theatre off Selegie Road - Chinese food

 

Custom-made tastes

Adding some Indian spice to life

WHERE: Spice Central Stall, 10 Whampoa Road
WHAT: For when you want your chapati, thosai or curry
WHY: Good parking, personalised menus, and peace and quiet

IT MAY be an unassuming place, but things can get hot at this Indian food stall in Whampoa Road, thanks to its spicy fare.

Located in Whampoa Coffee Shop beside St Michael's Bus Terminal, Spice Central has, in two years, built up a devoted fan base of taxi drivers for its fish curry, masala chicken and thosai.

A carpark in front lets drivers keep an eye on their cabs.

But that's only a small part of Spice Central's charm.

Open Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 10pm, the stall offers Indian cuisine ranging from putu mayam to mutton beriani.

Owner Seghar Gopal, 37, says the menu will accommodate all customers' preferences.

'Even if they come at 10pm, they will be able to have food here. Most of the time, we will also customise the food to their tastes,' he says.

Says Mr Dennis Tan, 39, who has been driving a taxi for six years: 'The service is good. Seghar will personally cook for me, so when I order in advance, the food will be waiting for me when I get there.'

The Indian food lover especially likes the thosai, which costs from 80 cents to $1.50, $4 beriani and $2.50 mee goreng.

The stall has become so popular, Mr Gopal plans to open another stall in a different part of Singapore next year.

'Seghar goes the extra mile to make his food nice,' agrees cabby Jeffrey Tan, 40, who likes Spice Central's fried rice with extra ikan bilis. 'He knows what the customer wants and makes it accordingly.'

OTHER NOMINEES

Ali Nacha Special Beriani Dam Stall, at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Railway Food Court - as the name of the stall suggests, beriani

Blue Diamond Restaurant in Buffalo Road, Little India - for chapati, thosai and poori, plus fancier fare such as claypot beriani

Chetty Vilas restaurant, 10 Norris Road, where thosais and other affordable dishes are served

ABC Restaurant, 365 Joo Chiat Road

Railway Food Court, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, 30 Keppel Road

Jalan Kayu Roti Prata

Corner Shop coffee shop located at the corner of a row of shophouses in Norris Road

 

Yummy, clean and dirt-cheap

The cheapest hawker centre?

WHERE: Jalan Benaan Kapal, near the National Stadium
WHAT: Malay, Indian and Chinese hawker fare
WHY: Possibly the cheapest hawker food in Singapore

YOU are almost certain to miss this eating place, even if you keep your eyes peeled for it.

But the bargain basement prices make it worth sniffing out, even though it is open only during office hours.

Near the National Stadium in Kallang, the small hawker centre has just seven stalls serving Malay and Chinese food, noodles and pig's organ soup at prices ranging from $1.50 to more than $3.

The hawker centre has been around for more than 30 years, from the time when the area was a shipyard, according to coffee shop stall vendor Quek Soon Kok, 50.

Besides regular cabbies, it now serves mainly staff from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and its subcontractors working on the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and the MRT Circle Line nearby.

If you are coming from Old Airport Road or Mountbatten, turn left at the KFC restaurant and look out for a sign to Jalan Benaan Kapal.

Then follow the right bend in the road until you are flanked by the offices of the LTA and its subcontractors.

Look out on your right for an open gate that leads into a small compound.

Be warned, the hawker centre faces inwards and bears no resemblance to an eating place.

Parking is free and hassle-free.

Toilets are free and kept reasonably clean. The hawker centre itself is clean, airy and its floors are kept dry.

Stalls are open from 6am to 5pm on weekdays and most serve till noon on Saturdays.

'It's quite breezy here and it's not so stuffy, so you don't come out smelling of oil,' says cabby Steve Lee, 34.

Madam Kamisah, 53, who runs the most popular stall there - Muslim stall No. 9 - charges $2.50 for fish, vegetables, egg and rice, while Kang Siang Coffee Stall serves piping hot coffee for a mere 40 cents a cup.

Mr Mihai Chirescu, a French engineer with an LTA subcontractor, and his three French colleagues recently paid $5 for a lunch for three.

'It's one of the cheapest hawker centres around,' says Mr Chirescu's colleague, who has been working in Singapore for four years and did not want to be named.

Mr Mohd Khalid, 47, a cabby for more than 10 years who stumbled on the place while driving around, agrees: 'The food is not bad and it is very cheap.'

OTHER NOMINEES

Old coffee shop near the market in Commonwealth Drive, known to taxi drivers as Tanglin Halt 10 Storey, after the 10-storey blocks of flats in the area - chicken rice.

Coffee shop at Block 65 Tiong Poh Road: Fish porridge

Hawker centre in industrial Kallang Place, in the middle of factory blocks 16, 26 and 28 - economy rice

Hawker centre in Loyang Industrial Estate

 

Jalan Masjid for al fresco dining

For supper till the wee hours

WHERE: Row of eateries at the junction of Jalan Masjid and Changi Road, opposite Shell petrol station
WHAT:  Malay and Indian food, Chinese seafood, barbecue seafood
WHY: Good food till late. The barbecue seafood stall, Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup, closes at 4am. The Malay stall, JM Restaurant, is open 24 hours.

A ROW of taxis lines Changi Road, near Jalan Masjid, at night, with patrons dining al fresco in a closed section of the street.

Chinese seafood, halal Muslim and Cantonese cuisine, Indian food and even an Italian pizza eatery line the road. Taxi drivers on the night shift come in droves to the 24-hour Malay stall and a Chinese seafood place that stays open till 4am to serve them.

Convenience and good food are the draws. Parking along Changi Road is free after 5pm from Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays and public holidays.

Never mind that its signboard says Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup, the stall which is open from 5pm to 4am daily, is more popular for its seafood.

Mr Lee Thiam Hock, 34, the owner, says four years ago he started to sell black chicken soup, but over time customers mostly prefer his seafood.

There is no printed menu. Choice of food and cooking style are left to customers, who dine under the stars outside the stall. They can choose from a selection of fish, ranging from $6 for red snapper to $28 to $30 for threadfin, on display.

'The food is cheap and good, and the outdoor breeze is nice,' says cabby of five years Sng Bock Chong, 33, who dines there several times a month.

Those looking for something more spicy can head some 20m down the road to the 24-hour halal JM Restaurant in Kheng Nam Heng Eating House for Malay and Indian chow.

There is sambal goreng, nasi lemak and roti prata, but Thai seafood is a favourite.

'Our Thai seafood dishes are our most popular dishes,' says restaurant supervisor Mohd Rizal, 25.

Across the road is Seng Wah Eating House, which has a stall that specialises in halal Cantonese food. The bosses are Chinese Muslim chef Abdool Shakoor Razack, 50, and his Hong Kong wife. Their menu includes wonton mee, chicken char siew noodles and beef noodles.

'Parking by the roadside is quite convenient and the food is good,' says cabby of more than 10 years Ronald Chia, 45.

OTHER NOMINEES

Row of eateries along Lim Teck Kim Road, near Keppel Road - late night Chinese and 24-hour Indian food

Coffee shop at Block 29 Havelock Road - Chinese food, open till 4am

Gold Scissors coffee shop at junction of Jalan Besar and Kitchener Road - curry rice

Hawker centre at Kallang Place, between factory blocks 16 and 26 - Malay and Chinese food

Kopitiam foodcourt at corner of Bras Basah Road and Bencoolen Street

 

'The best and cheapest tea in town'

For that quick bite in between rides

When your tummy rumbles or you need a quick thirst quencher with no more than a few minutes to spare, what you need is fast food. And we're not talking Burger King or KFC.

WHERE: sarabat drink stall in Baghdad Street, Kampong Glam
WHAT: Best tea in town, samosas, malay kueh and Indian snack vadai
WHY:  Affordable prices, convenient parking and proximity to Sultan Mosque

SOMETIMES, the best places have no name.

Proof of this are taxi drivers who swear that the best tea in town isn't found at Starbucks or Coffee Bean but a non-descript sarabat stall in Baghdad Street.

Furthermore, this stall, opposite the Kampong Glam Cafe, has the best bang for your buck - or less. A teh tarik - 'pulled tea' - will set you back just 60 cents.

The stall is hidden in the maze of shophouses in the area. A few foldable tables and stools make up the seating area, with the stall itself taking up a corner of the shophouse.

Parking is quick, affordable and easy. Just slide your car right beside the stall - and don't forget your parking coupon.

'It has convenient parking, toilet facilities and the best and cheapest tea in town,' says Mr Harun Anand, 47, who has been driving a cab for 14 years.

It is especially crowded near the time for Friday prayers, as Sultan Mosque is close by. The stall opens at 6am and closes at midnight.

Besides regular and ginger teas, samosas, malay kueh and Indian snack vadai are what keep cabbies coming back.

Heavier meals such as nasi lemak and mee siam are also available, with prices ranging from $1.50 to $2.

OTHER NOMINEES

603 Tau Sar Piah in Balestier Road - bean paste biscuits

Maxwell Market Food Centre at 2 Murray Street

Old Airport Road Market at 51 Old Airport Road

 

Good food aside, it's a chummy hangout

It serves halal Chinese food too

WHERE: Mukmin Restaurant, Block 129 #01-26, Bedok North Street 2
WHAT: If Malay food or halal Chinese grub is your thing, just follow that cab to the haunt of Muslim - and non-Muslim - taxi drivers
WHY: Nice place to hang out, accessible parking, good Muslim food

FOR some good nasi padang with your kawan kawan (friends), the Mukmin restaurant with its stalls selling halal food is the place to be.

Their specialities include traditional Malay fare such as nasi padang and halal Chinese food.

The eatery in Bedok North is also well ventilated with abundant seating, making it an ideal hangout for those looking for a place to sit, eat and relax. Most of its charm stems from the sense of camaraderie among the cabbies who flock there.

Mr Osman Mohd, 61, says drivers 'come from as far as Jurong East to eat here. It's good for a friendly gathering. There's convenient parking too'.

Some, like cabby Syed Rithman, 55, go there 'almost every day'.

Says Mr Mohamed Yusoff, 58, who has been driving a taxi for 12 years: 'The location is good, there's always parking space and you can relax here.'

Mr Syed Munir, 24, who runs the drinks stall, says of Mukmin's appeal: 'They can sit there as long as they like to enjoy the ambience.'

OTHER NOMINEES

Kampong Glam Cafe, at the junction between Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street - affordable lontong, nasi jeganan and nasi rawon.

Hajah Maimunah, in Jalan Pisang, near Arab Street - the 20-year-old restaurant serves nasi padang (rice with assorted dishes). It has a new outlet at 20 Joo Chiat Road.

Banquet Food Court, 20 Cross Street, #02-09

Mckenzie Rex, 66 Prinsep Street, #01-01

Warong Nasi Pariaman, 738 Kandahar Street, near the Sultan Mosque

Pagi Sore, 88/90 Telok Ayer Street

Adam Road Food Centre, 2 Adam Road