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What I Eat In My Hood: Long-Time Ghim Moh Resident
From 13 Oct 2021, only fully vaccinated persons will be allowed to dine-in alone or as a pair at hawker centres, coffee shops, and F&B establishments.
The information in this article is correct at the time of publishing.
“Even by Singapore standards, Ghim Moh is a small ‘hood,” says Jamie Toh, who’s lived in the enclave for the past 30 years. But small packs a proper wallop when it comes to good food since much of it is located within the confines of the popular Ghim Moh Market.
“The best part of living here is that you don’t have to walk very far to eat well and cheaply,” she adds. “Ghim Moh’s not the hippest neighbourhood – and, don’t get me wrong, no one is complaining about that – but if we want hip, Holland Village is down the road.” These are among her favourite places to eat near home.
Yuan Hokkien Fried Prawn Mee
Location: 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-07 Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
“I like to think of this Hokkien mee as a Chinese-style carbonara since it’s kinda creamy, but it has nothing to do with the addition of cream. It’s just bursting with umami from the use of a rich seafood stock and lard, lots of it. I also like that there’s a garlicky kick to the dish and that the sambal it is served with has a pronounced belacan flavour. I literally have to stop myself from coming here more than once a month.”
House Downstairs
Location: 170 Ghim Moh Road, #01-03 Ulu Pandan Community Centre
“So this isn’t located at my house downstairs nor anyone else’s, for that matter. Rather, it’s in the Ulu Pandan Community Club. This Scandinavian-style café is a breath of hipster air in this decidedly heartland-ish hub. Expect to find simple things like sandwiches and croissant sandwiches with fillings like bacon, egg and cheese, as well as pretty good coffee, which is kinda rare for this ‘hood.”
Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh
Location: 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-54 Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
“This is supposedly the last stall in Singapore that makes its chwee kueh from scratch; everyone else apparently buys the kueh part of the dish from a central kitchen. You can totally tell the difference. The chwee kueh here is smoother and softer than at other stalls I’ve tried. The chai por (preserved radish) topping is stewed in lard so it’s very rich and is kept simmering over charcoal. I’m assuming this is why it is pretty salty. This saltiness makes up for the rather small amount of chai por that you get with each chwee kueh ‘cos a little goes a long way.”
Heavens Indian Curry
Location: 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-26 Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
“We totally lucked out when these guys moved here. The appam is damn shiok, with a mild sourness from the fermented milk they use to make the fluffy batter, which is laced with crisp edges. I can’t get enough of it. They also sell made-from-scratch putu mayam which is hard to find these days and thosai with egg and ghee. So good, lah.”
Mun’s Seafood Pao Fan
Location: 25 Ghim Moh Link, #01-01
“Made by a Malaysian chef who used to work at high-end Cantonese restaurants, which means that the broth here is everything. It’s both clean tasting and flavourful. I like the seafood pao fan cos it gives me a bit of everything in it, like scallop, lala, slices of fish and prawns. There’s something about the sound of the fried rice popping in the soup that’s just music to my ears. The other thing that’s really good here is the Ipoh mixed pork noodles. The noodles are tossed in lard and dark soy sauce and served with a mixed pork soup sprinkled with lard. So simple, so good!”
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