What I Eat In My Hood: Long-Time Tampines Resident
“We are rather lazy eaters,” says Jo Henson, one half of home-based business Fork It, which sells delicious cakes and food boxes that might include old-school and unique bakes like chocolate sprinkle-covered rum balls and lemon chocolate tarts. “The eateries we frequent are usually within walking distance of our home, so yay for delivery apps because we sure use them often!” She gives us the lowdown on her go-to spots.
Xing Ji Wanton Noodle
Location: 137 Tampines Street 11, Round Market Food Centre, #01-35
When I say the char siew here sells out fast, I mean you can sometimes get here at 11am and find that there’s no more. When that happens I agree to have shredded chicken in my wantan mee instead. The noodles are nice and QQ, and the wantan skins are thin, smooth and filled with well-seasoned pork. Essentially, this stall sells comfort on a plate, dressed in a well-balanced chilli sauce.
Lau Li Pig’s Viscera Soup Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle Soup
Location: 137 Tampines Street 11, Round Market Food Centre, #01-43
I always order the dry prawn mee here. The vendor is so generous with the sliced pork and prawns that you can hardly see the noodles buried beneath the sheer amount of ingredients. I love the shallot oil and lard that are mixed into the noodles giving them a tasty depth. The soup is also rich and almost bisque-like; apparently, it gets it richness from simmering overnight.
Nimman Soi 9
Location: 21 Street Eating House, 201 Tampines Street 21
Opened by the lady boss behind the now defunct Jane Thai Kitchen at Orchard Towers, this stall is a quick, transportive escape to Thailand by way of some killer Thai basil pork with rice, and tom yam chicken wings. While the wings do look rather scrawny, they are always juicy and pack a tasty punch. It’s the kind of food you’ll want to sit down to with a few beers on the couch to watch Netflix all day.
Fu Li Seafood Zi Char
Location: 138 Tampines Street 11 #01-116
On any given day, when we can’t decide what to eat, our default is the white bee hoon from this stall, which we usually da bao home. Somehow, the noodles and gravy never get claggy even after the dish has sat out for a while. The flavours and textures are just clean and comforting. When we dine at the eatery, we typically order the sweet and sour fish (rather than pork) because we like how the batter is thin and crisp while the fish remains silky within. They also do a good Nonya prawn and sotong curry, which tastes like laksa spiked with a lot of lemongrass. Of course, when there’s a crowd, you have to order the yam ring. So good.
I Am Lemak
Location: 201 Tampines Street 21, Chang Cheng Food Court
I’ve never eaten at the stall itself because it’s always crowded, but we order this for delivery often. The nasi lemak is simple and serviceable, but the magic is in the sambal. It has a homestyle feel to it, so you know it wasn’t made in a factory, with plenty of kick and not sweet. The menu offers some novel accompaniments like cheesy lobster, but we prefer the simple fried chicken or butterfly kuning fish.
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