What it’s like: Reopened after a ten-month, $5.2 million upgrade courtesy of the National Environment Agency, this food centre largely still looks the same: the original blue metal roof façade has remained intact throughout the renovation, with many of the enhancements done internally, with features such as better ventilation for stalls, more efficient seating (the rectangular seating plan offers double the amount of seats compared with the previous round tables) and improved toilet facilities. Located close to Changi Point Ferry Terminal (the main transfer point to Pulau Ubin), it’s convenient for weekend fishermen and residents living in nearby HDB estates like Pasir Ris and Tampines looking for supper. Most stalls operate until midnight – if you’re there after dark, don’t be surprised to see some ‘ladies’ of the night in the parking lot.
What to eat: There’s a higher proportion of Malay-cuisine stalls here than at most other hawker centres, and Changi Village is hailed as a nasi lemak haven by most locals. Of the more famous stalls in the centre, we recommend International Nasi Lemak (#01- 57) for their crispy and juicy fried chicken, lemongrass-tinged pandan rice and chunky otah; the chicken at Mizzy’s Corner (#01-26), on the other hand, is a little more lacklustre, with somewhat powdery otah, though we can see ourselves having platefuls of their grainier pandan rice and fragrant sambal. Note, however, that service at the two stalls is particularly slow – perhaps a tactic to keep a queue and buzz around each – it took over 20 minutes to get our food at both places, even with just five people ahead of us at 2pm. Serving sizes are a little lacking for the $3.50 price tag; otah is an additional $1.
If you come in a group, supplement the nasi with a plate of the Malaysian-style Ipoh hor fun ($3.50) from Weng Kee (#01-19), which comes out much faster. The narrow and flat rice noodle come in a thick gravy, topped with steamed chicken and red-roasted char siew. At the other end of the hawker centre in Block 3 (away from the parking lot and bus terminal; we recommend a seat here as it’s a bit more breezy), there’s western stall Charlie’s Corner (#01-08) with a rowdier atmosphere, decent steaks, fish and chips, plus an impressive list of craft beers in bottles and on taps. Natasha Hong
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