Those who work in the Tanjong Pagar district will soon need to scour for a new lunchtime go-to. For the next two months from October 14, Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market and Food Centre will see a temporary closure for repairs and redecoration works by the National Environment Agency. That means you’ll only have until the end of this week to savour your favourite eats at this popular CBD haunt. Having been built in 1977, the food centre’s facelift comes as a welcomed upgrade, since such works are typically conducted every six to eight years.
Photograph: Traditional Hakka Rice / Facebook
If you’re undecided on your last meal from this beloved food haven, we’re here to offer suggestions. You’ll want to savour aromatic thunder tea rice from the CBD’s favourite long-standing gem, Traditional Hakka Rice (#02-21). Be warned: you’ll have to join the queue early since they often sell out.
Another favourite is the satay bee hoon from Teochew Satay Bee Hoon (#02-46). It comes generously ladled with thick nutty gravy on a mountain of ingredients like pig liver and cuttlefish. The 50-year-old stall is only open for a couple of hours on Saturday, so make sure to get a last taste of it this weekend.
Photograph: Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puffs / Facebook
For a lighter bite, pop by family-run Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puffs (#02-15) that offers delightfully golden, spice-packed pastries stuffed with curried potatoes, chunks of chicken and egg. The humble but long-established stall, with a legacy of 60 years, has now passed into the hands of its third generation. It even won a Michelin Bib Gourmand award back in 2018, so you know you’re in for a treat.
But don’t be too upset by the food centre’s closure – there are plenty of other nearby hawker centres to satisfy your lunchtime hunger pangs without breaking the bank. Maxwell Food Centre’s just a stone’s throw away and home to the iconic Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Otherwise, there’s always Amoy Street Food Centre for some of the best Vietnamese pho and fish soup in town.
If your budget’s on the higher end that week, you might want to head to Lad and Dad for classic British pub grub, or get transported to Japan with a slurp-worthy bowl of noodles from Ikkousha Ramen. Beat those post-lunch sweet treat cravings by swinging by Dopa Dopa for rich and creamy nut-based gelato. And of course, when in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore’s unofficial K-Town, you can’t possibly forget the plenty of top-rated Korean barbecue joints along the popular stretch, like Charim Korean BBQ and O.BBA.
The next hawker centre to be shuttered for spring cleaning is Golden Mile Food Centre, so check out our guide to Golden Mile Food Centre for last-minute eats. Stay up to date on the reopening here.
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