In these Covid period where travelling is not allowed, we decided to plan a staycation at Citadines Balestier for Christmas! It is always a habit of mine to study Google Maps of the area surrounding my accommodation to scout for the highest rating food joints. Bak Kut Teh, Chicken Rice are probably what you already know of Balestier, including the traditional bakeries and biscuit shops. And embarrassing as it may be, I have to admit that I have never been to Whampoa Market..
Right after checking in at Citadines on Christmas Eve, we were hungry after a day of work and headed right for Whampoa Hawker Centre. We had not done our research for which are the recommended stalls, but that is homework that needs not to be done. The queues were plenty obvious. Easily 30 minutes wait and above if you want to get a taste of the good stuff, and so we queued.
First meal we had here:
+ Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee
+ Chong Pang Satay and BBQ Chicken Wings
+ Oyster Omelette
+ Sugar Cane!
Hokkien Mee is super flavourful with reasoning pricing and waiting time (about 20 mins). Sadly, aunty gave me wrong change (short of $8!) but she brushed me off when I informed her.. So just count your change~
Probably the longest we queued for at Whampoa was this Lor Mee stall. Close to an hour and the queue had a steady line of over 10 customers at any point in time. Choice of normal portion at $3, additional fish at $4 and add egg for $0.30. What I liked about this was that the noodles doesn't have a strong alkaline taste and the vinegar used does not have too bitter aftertaste.
We also loved this "You Tiao" very much! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and not too oily! I liked the "Butterfly" too because usually the ones I eat are pretty dense, but this is also light and crispy.
The "Tau Huay" here is superb!! I had it for 3 straight days! I am usually quite particular about "Tau Huay" because I like that traditional soft type and super dislike the cold pudding type. This is exactly the type I love, soft and fragrant~
We also became a huge fan of the hot drinks! I liked that the stall owner was making fresh batch of tea every about 5 cups or so? The tea is just the right amount of bitterness without the astringent aftertaste. Just look at that colour!
You can check out the stalls below~
Side mention:
The traditional bakery that just smells heavenly~ You can choose to have your slices of bread with peanut butter, butter or kaya if you wish, or just buy loaves of freshly baked bread home! They sell soft buns with coconut filling, red bean filling and sugar buns too.
The new age Doughnut Shack. Doughnuts come in many interesting flavours, rightfully sweet as one would expect of a doughnut. It is also super soft with a right amount of chewiness. Do take note they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and their opening hours are 11am - 5pm!
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