City Nomads’ Dining Guide to Tanjong Katong

PUBLISHED April 13th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED June 12th, 2020 11:04 am

There’s no shortage of reasons to love the East – and Tanjong Katong is home of many of these. There’ve been many establishments popping in and out of the area recently, so enjoy the fruits of our recent recce of the neighbourhood.

The Italian Community

With three Italian restaurants along the same stretch, the popularity of the cuisine really can’t be disputed. Trattoria L’Operetta serves up hearty Italian fare in a cozy, home-like environment – while they have the usual gamut of pastas and pizzas, we like their selection of antipasti.

For more generous portions, head to the vibrant Bruno’s Pizzeria (a favourite in the area for family gatherings), which has a mix of Italian and French on its menu. Try their escargots and their lobster and crayfish pasta.

Local Eats

Punggol Nasi Lemak (238 Tanjong Katong Road, open 5.30pm-2.30am daily, except Thursday) needs no introduction, and this outlet is a popular supper spot in the neighbourhood. Then there’s huge heritage hawker, Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh, which sold out to the Jumbo Group (hence the expansion and drop in food standards), dishes out strong, peppery, pork ribs soup and popular dishes like braised duck and pork trotters.

Eng’s Noodles House

Located in the dingy-looking coffee shop called Keng Bee Restaurant is Nan Xiang Chicken Rice (271 Tanjong Katong Road), which sells out by early afternoon. It’s not the best, but still pretty good if you’re looking for a tasty, cheap, early lunch in Tanjong Katong. Alternatively, there’s the famous Eng’s Noodles House, which used to be at Dunman Food Centre. We’re not surprised that over the years, their wanton skin: filling ratio has increased disproportionately – the only thing we still like are the egg noodles and the fiery chili.

Stuffed with coarsely chopped fried fish cake, cucumber, braised egg, and fried yam, tau kwa pao (stuffed fried beancurd) is one of the hawker dishes on the cusp of disappearing. Thankfully, one of the most-talked about stalls, Sheng Cheng Tau Kwa Pau, is located at the Peranakan Food Village at 369 Tanjong Katong Road (open daily except Monday, 8am till 6pm, or until sold out). Dunk your beancurd pocket into the bowl of sweet and spicy chili for an extra burst of flavours and textures.

Sheng Cheng Tau Kwa Pau

Adding variety to the mix of local food in Tanjong Katong is Jalan Kayu The Prata Café. Service can be slow but when you want your prata fix in the East, this is a good option.

More Asian Cuisine

The neighbourhood is also home to a motley crew of Asian restaurants. Thai food? No problem, head to Maekhong Thai Cusine. In the mood for Indonesian? There’s Medan Town with its bihun bebek (Indonesian-styled beehoon topped with slow cooked duck) and a selection of kueh kueh. Vegetarian? Check. North South East West Fusion Vegetarian is quite good (according to our vegetarian friends).

On top of the ever-popular Hong Kong style Tianfu Steamboat, those who love hotpot can rely on east-side stalwart Parkway Mini Steamboat (previously at the basement of Parkway Parade). There’s also Malaysia Local Delights (224 Tanjong Katong Road, open Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun 12pm-2am) serving lok lok buffet, a Malaysian variant of hotpot where the ingredients are skewered and eaten off the sticks directly after dipping them into the broth to cook. It’s not great but at least it’s decent enough to satisfy your lok lok cravings.

Tianfu Steamboat

One buffet we’re definitely going to hit up in the area is Red Hot Chilli Buddy Mookata ($24.80 on weekdays and $26.80 on weekends, 100 minutes eating time. On top of being value for money, it’s one of the few mookatas that are still being fired by charcoal.

One of the newest kids on the block is Reservation@Vicki’s, which started out as a fusion teppanyaki and Singaporean restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Their claim to fame? Possessing the biggest teppanyaki table in Singapore. We haven’t been there yet, but we will soon.

Western

With a name like Naughty Pigs, you’d be quite right in guessing that they specialize in pork – flamed-grilled pork, to be exact. Serving different cuts like the collar, belly, and ribs, the prices start from a wallet friendly $9. The only thing we could nitpick at was the waiting time. Then again, good food is worth waiting for.

Mojo Burps

We used to go to Bar Bar Black Sheep when we wanted drinks, but we reckon they’ve got a worthy competitor in Mojo Burps. The latter has an excellent collection of well-priced craft beer and an affordable menu of Western crowd pleasers. See our full review here.

Cafes and Dessert Junkies

Ah, cafes. Love them or hate them, chances are you’ll end up at one of these places before the night is out. Those still sparkly from opening during the café boom include The Laneway Market and Wednesday Café. The former has gained a following with the hipsters with its Instagrammable interiors and dishes. Opened by two Chinese-Muslim friends, the latter is an anti-café concept, where you pay for your time instead of your food. The space has a a self-service kitchen bar, a work zone with power outlets, coffee, pastries, and the owners’ two cats to cuddle up with.

Wednesday Cafe

Good bread is hard to find in Singapore, and Do.Main Bakery makes one of the best bread in the eastern part of Singapore. With a French-inspired menu heavy on pastries and sweets, it’s not surprising this place is a mandatory pit stop for the dessert fiends. Toothsome Café, on the other hand, serves affordable (less than $10, almost unheard of for café food these days) Asian fusion dishes like Fragrant Fried Chicken Rice.

For ice cream fans, it’s always a toss up between Little Ice Cream Kafe (LICK) and Bing Bing Ice Cream Gallery. Both places make their own ice cream in-house but we have to say LICK is more kid-friendly with signature flavours like Milo Dinosaur, Gula Melaka, and Japanese Red Bean. If you like booze in our frozen dessert, try Bing Bing’s Whisky Prune or Pear Riesling Sorbet.

Bing Bing Ice Cream Gallery

The oldest store on this list is probably the award-winning Madeleine’s Portuguese Egg Tarts (198 Tanjong Katong Road). While they can’t fight those in Portugal (or even those from Macau), these egg tarts are amongst the best on our island.

Another oldie is With a Pinch of Salt – still a hot favourite for private events like birthday parties and baby showers in Tanjong Katong. The food is nothing to rave about, but consistency and good service is why people keep coming back for more.

Top Image: Trattoria L’Operetta & The Laneway Market