The best of Lavender’s makanan
PUBLISHED December 18th, 2012 12:50 am | UPDATED April 1st, 2016 02:52 pm
Please note that as of January 2015, Lavender Food Centre has closed down. However the following food courts are still running:
– Foch Road Food Centre, 30 Foch Road, Stall 1, 209276
– Jalan Besar Stadium Food Court, 100 Tyrwhitt Road, 207542
People will often talk about Newton Circus, Maxwell Food Centre, Old Airport Road etc etc etc. But there’s an area of Singapore which in my opinion has some of the tastiest (and cheapest) makan treats in town… that little section around Lavender Street and Jalan Besar. If you live in this neighborhood and aren’t eating here regularly, you are seriously missing out…
With the exception of Chye Seng Huat Hardware, all of the below stalls have sadly closed or moved. For nostalgia though, here are some of our favourites. We’ll miss you guys :(.
Ju Hao – Xiao Long Bao & La Mian
I’ll never forget the first time I ate at Ju Hao’s in Lavender Street Food Centre. There is a massive landscape image of the grumpy-looking founder staring straight at the camera, arms outstretched with his seemingly endless hand-pulled noodles…..And then I looked down at the kitchen area; same guy, same facial expression…except the noodles look much better in real life!
If you’re into your Xiao Long Bao or La Mian, you need to stop by here. Everything is made from scratch and freshly prepared right before your eyes.
Taste-wise, it’s excellent, and very consistent. I probably eat here around once a month and each time, it’s spot on. You can tell the Chef has spent his entire life perfecting this recipe.
Guan Lee Sen Seafood – Beef Hor Fun
It seems like everyone always goes on about the Geylang Lor 9 Beef Hor Fun/Kway Teow, but honestly I’ve had much better elsewhere. One place which does a super job is in Lavender Street Food Centre – and no it’s not the place where there’s always a queue. But this guy’s neighbour which specializes in seafood actually makes a pretty damn good Beef Hor Fun and San Lao Hor fun (slice fish).
Thick, rich sauce, gooey noodles and very tender beef. And for $4…bring it on.
Aroy Dee Thai – Everything!
Just an FYI, the Thai place I’m talking about is NOT in Lavender Street Food Court. There is a Thai place there, but frankly it’s terrible – stale dishes and poor ingredients. Don’t eat there. The one I am talking about is just opposite at the Food Centre on Foch Rd. It’s called Aroy Dee Thai, and boy is it aroy maak maak! Two Thai Chefs slaving away from 11am to 6am. Yes 6am! What makes this place a firm favourite in Singapore? Well, for a start – it’s cheap! Most dishes are $4-10. You can eat like royalty for $15 a person. On top of that, everything is as fresh as can be. If you order Som Tam (papaya salad), they slice up a fresh papaya in front of you and make it there and then. None of this pre-made-sitting-out-all-day rubbish. And the portions are big.
To qualify how good this place is, I’ve taken over 20 friends here before and every single one has been back there since. Special recommendations – Pad Thai, Green Curry, Papaya and Mango Salad and the Pineapple Rice. Having said that, I’ve never had anything bad there, but those are definitely the faves.
Eminent Frog Porridge – Claypot Frog
Kind of obvious as this is one of Lavender Street Food Centre’s old favourites. But let’s face it, there’s a reason places like this stay open so long. Their food is great. If you stop by pretty much any night of the week, you will see dozens of patrons sitting close by getting their froggy fill.
Hougang Fishball Noodle Soup
I don’t know why, but I always seems to end up here at Jalan Besar Stadium Food Court the morning after a night of drinking. There’s just something so warming and homely about a big bowl of fishball noodle soup. This is definitely one of my favourite places to slurp it down. Order it dry, or in the soup, you can’t go wrong. And it costs around $3. Hangover begone!
Chye Seng Huat Hardware
Ok, I know what you’re thinking, the previous five places are all in food courts, and now you want to bring in artisanal coffee? Well, yes. Ok so it’s not entirely in theme, but it is a gem in the area located at Tyrwhitt Road. Their coffee is excellent, and it also isn’t a bad spot for breakfast or a good sandwich. Lavender isn’t all about local food you know!
Addresses:
Lavender Street Food Court, 195 Lavender Street, 338758
Foch Road Food Centre, 30 Foch Road, Stall 1, 209276
Jalan Besar Stadium Food Court, 100 Tyrwhitt Road, 207542
Chye Seng Huat Hardware, 150 Tyrwhitt Road, 207563
Written by The City Nomad
