My Dad and I decided that we will spend every Sunday exercising in parks and piggin’ out at the neighbouring hawker centres. At the same time, I could also look out for hawkers who whipped out great food for all Singaporeans (and foreigners) to enjoy and savour. This will be my very first food review featuring hawker food. Previously, my food reviews were mainly targeted at smaller cafes and popular restaurants. However, these days, I was a little tight on budget so I had to go easy with my spendings. So, what is it that turned the tides? You guessed it right! I’ve just spent a bomb on a new Canon DSLR( Yes! I finally bought a DSLR!) so I’m feeling totally broke and penniless. In the upcoming months, I will be flocking from one hawker centre to the next, in style!
Since I will be trying out hawker food every now and then, I thought maybe I could embark on a new series of blog post under the food category. So, ladies and gentlemen, I am hereby introducing a brand blog segment: Glitz goes hawker – How to eat hawker food in a glitzy and glamorous way. It’s all about eating hawker food in style.
Whenever one talks about hawker food, these words ” oily”, “fatty”, “fred Char Kway Teow” and “unhealthy” would instantly come up to my mind. Look, my image of a hawker is an uncle, with a towel thrown around his neck, one hand holding the handle of a wok and the other holding on to the frying ladle and frying for his life under the sweltering heat. But these days, the new generation of hawkers are different. A handful of them are young and bright entrepreneurs who wants to venture in the food business. Setting up a restaurant, to them, might be a dream that is too big and risky so they venture in small start-ups, like renting a stall in a hawker centre.
The food served in hawker centres now is no longer limited to local food like Rojak or Roti Prata. You’ve got Bibimbap, Vietnamese Spring Roll, Tom Yam Soup, Foie Gras and food from other international cuisines these days. Even more so, these days, Singaporeans hunt for food that not only fill their hungry stomachs but it also must appeal to their senses. Today, we are talking about ambience, presentation and style. The cold, plain-looking round table and chairs at hawker centres may look nothing like the ones found in posh restaurants where the chairs were beautifully made for the Prince and Princesses. But at the very least, I can confidently say some hawker food can whey your appetite, appeal to five senses all at once and touches your heart and soul. People are getting more health conscious and the food with less salt and oil are usually preferred. Because nothing taste as authentic and flavourful when the food is cooked right infront of you and served warm as you are seated in one of Singapore’s heartland, waiting patiently for a plate of the famous Char Kway Teow. Singaporeans who travel overseas for a long period of time knows it best.
Today, I’m gonna present to you, JJ Thai Cuisine, which serve piping hot Thai food that appeals to any tastebuds. It isn’t too hot or spicy for those who are afraid to take Chilli. But you love to spice up your life, you can always scoop up more chilli flakes or red chilli and toss it onto your plate. This is one of the better hawker stalls, managed and prepared by local Thais, which can serve reasonably priced and delicious authenthic Thai food, almost comparable to the street food found in Bangkok. It may not be one of the best Thai food offered in Singapore but it’s pretty good to the extent that my family members who love to come back to the same stall for more Thai food.
It’s a newly opened stall at Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre. This is my third visit to this stall that opened only a couple of months ago.
Pad Thai ($4)
Everything was gobbled and swept away within 2 minutes by my Dad, brother and I.
Thai Green Curry Chicken with Rice ($5)
These are chunks of Brinjal, long beans and some pieces of chicken along with some herbs. The curry was thick and rich in flavours. The only dissapointment is the meagre chicken chunks in the curry. Isn’t the main ingredient chicken?
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| Sadly, I don’t think they use Thai fragrant rice. |
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| Dishes are sold at affordable prices. |
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| The stall is run by Thai people. It was nice talking to the uncle who also help to run the stall. I told him about my blog and my intention of writing a food review for his stall. Uncle, if you are reading this, do leave a comment to say Hi! |
Besides ordering Thai food, we also had Lor mee and Hor fun which are pretty yummy too. The Lor Mee and Hor Fun stall has a substantial long queue during the lunch hour too.
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| Hor Fun To me, this is a little too watery but some love it watery. Like my mom. |
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| Lor Mee. |
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| Sugarcane Juice |
