WHERE DO OUR PROPERTY TEAMS EAT? Super-local recommendations from our neighbourhood experts
They know every nook and cranny of the estates under their care. Who better to ask if you’re looking for good eats around TPTC?
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Celebrity chefs and food influencers alike have said that if you want to find great food at reasonable prices in any city, the best people to ask are cab drivers.
That is great advice: cab drivers really are the best people to ask about where to find good food… unless you can ask Town Council Property Teams. 😉
Our hardworking Property Managers and Officers regularly survey every square inch of their neighbourhoods. They intimately know every block, street and shop – practically by heart. So it’s no surprise that they know as much as (and sometimes even more than) Our Tanjong Pagar residents about where to get great food at great value in our town.
Since we’re lucky enough to be colleagues with them, we got the TPTC Property Team to spill the tea on their top makan spots in each of our six divisions – and their go-to orders at each location. And because “good things, must share”, here’s the full list for your enjoyment!
BUONA VISTA
Shima’s Kitchen
Holland Drive Market & Food Centre
Open from : 7.00am – 2.30pm (Mon-Sat) | Closed Sun
Shima’s Kitchen specialises in homestyle Malay food. Their flavours are unpretentious yet deeply complex. Every dish is infused with the warmth, care and hospitality of a sweet Malay grandmother… one who has face-meltingly epic cooking skills.
We visited their OG hawker stall in Holland Village. For your friends who live further east, they also have a standalone air-conditioned restaurant in Joo Seng at 25 Harper Road.
The go-to order
We saw many food blogs praising Shima’s excellent nasi lemak. But our Property Team normally go for their equally excellent nasi padang. Looking at this beautiful mess, we could see why they have trouble ordering anything else when they visit.
The centrepiece of this meal was obviously the ayam goreng sambal hijau. The fresh, tangy, herbaceous flavour of the green sambal complemented the succulent fried chicken nicely – compelling us to gobble down white rice at an alarming rate. Carb-watchers beware!
Speaking of carbs, this bergedil was seasoned to absolute perfection. The potatoes were tender, almost creamy – infused with salt, spices and herbs in every tasty bite.
Lastly, big props for the care they took to ensure this simple gai lan dish was cooked and seasoned properly. Far too often, veggies were did not get treated with the respect they deserve – but this vibrant, crunchy, flavourful stir-fry was truly crave-worthy.
We also loved the gulai lemak cili padi drizzled on our rice. The coconut milk curry was creamy and savoury, and left a pleasant, tingling, spicy aftertaste on our tongues.
Shima’s has many more dishes on offer. Check them out and find your personal favourites!
HENDERSON-DAWSON
Wen Xin Fish Soup
Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre
Open from : 5.30am – 1.00pm (Wed-Sun) | Closed Mon – Tue
Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre appears to be the epicentre of great food in Henderson-Dawson. We’ve had 3 Michelin-quality hawker meals here, multiple (sometimes unsolicited, but deeply appreciated) recommendations to try shops and stalls in the vicinity, and personally know about an excellent mamak just a short stroll away.
And now, our Property Team has shared this gem with us. No prizes for guessing their favourite dish at this hawker stall.
The go-to order
Their standard bowl of fish soup is only $3.50. Our team strongly suggested that we add on extra fish, and we ended up with this set for $6.50.
From the first sip of soup, it became obvious to us that every single element in this set was deliberately designed to place the fish on centre-stage. There was no milk, no superfluous seasoning; just the fish shining through, loud and proud.
The soup was clear, light and refreshing. When we drank it, there was a strong initial hit of fish flavour, followed by a lingering aftertaste reminiscent of fish skin and fish oils.
If we were in a cooking anime, this maxed-out fish taste would have immediately transported us into a magical aquatic wonderland where we’d lounge on seaweed-draped recliners, being served bunches of sea grapes slathered in fish oil by tuxedo-clad batang fish waiters and… sorry, sorry, got a little carried away there
Back in reality, we tried one of the thick-cut fish slices and got our minds blown all over again. The super-fresh, delicately-flavoured white flesh was delightfully firm and bouncy, having been expertly cooked to perfection. The textures and flavours were extremely addictive – we could not be more grateful for the recommendation to get extra fish.
For the sake of completeness, we also added a drizzle of their chilli sauce. Though the dish did not need this extra condiment, it did add an interesting spicy-tangy dimension for a bit of flavour variety.
We greatly enjoyed this healthy, tasty meal. It made us feel light, full of energy, and quite convinced we’ll record a personal best at our next IPPT. But even if we don’t, this fin-tastic fish soup is a meal we’d happily run 2.4km to have again!
MOULMEIN-CAIRNHILL
A-One Restaurant
17 Birch Road
Open from : 10.30am – 10.45pm (Daily)
If we hadn’t been working on this article, we may never have discovered this excellent Indian restaurant. It’s especially hard to find online since there is a large Chinese restaurant group with the same name – and, we presume, a significantly bigger online marketing budget.
It also probably doesn’t help that they don’t have a standard spelling for their shop name – as you can see from this photo of their storefront.
But we apologise. We really shouldn’t be hassling the nice people at A-One about marketing and online searchability. Not when their excellent food speaks so loudly on their behalf.
The go-to order
There was considerable debate among the Property Team over which item to recommend. Everything was good and everyone had personal favourites. But they finally agreed (some a little grudgingly) on this mouth-watering briyani combo.
It’s hard to tell from the photos but the briyani rice had a glorious sheen to it. Each perfect grain was thoroughly coated with a richly complex mix of spices and flavourful oils, making the rice good enough to eat on its own.
But the set also came with this Mysore mutton with layers upon layers of strong spices caked on it. The flavour was so good, we didn’t want to stop chewing!
Someone insisted that we add on a fish cutlet, and we’re glad she did. While milder in flavour than the mutton, this protein-packed hockey puck had its own irresistible charm. The fish was firm but flaky, with a subtle herbaceous fragrance throughout.
Finally, don’t miss out on these complimentary veggies. Both were cooked well, but the standout between the two was the heavily spiced, intensely addictive potatoes.
It’s not often that we find reasonably priced Indian food of this quality. And we’re not ashamed to admit that we wolfed down this meal so quickly, any etiquette teacher who happened to be looking on would have heart palpitations!
QUEENSTOWN
Tong Kee Chicken Rice
Margaret Drive Hawker Centre
Open from : 10.30am – 7.00pm (Daily)
Our Property Team gave us a wonderfully mixed bag of food recommendations across our six divisions. Some places are undeservedly obscure, but for Queenstown, they enthusiastically – one might even say vehemently – endorsed this famous stall.
Tong Kee Chicken Rice has one of the longest queues in Queenstown’s gleaming new double-storey Margaret Drive Hawker Centre. They draw fans from everywhere – in fact, there were two French dudes queuing directly ahead of us on the day we visited. With a stall as popular as this, the biggest question usually is: does it live up to the hype?
The go-to order
Obviously, it has to be the chicken rice – starring Tong Kee’s signature ‘roast’ chicken, which was actually deep-fried. Following the team’s ordering directions exactly, we ended up with this magnificent meaty feast.
The first thing we tasted was the enticingly glistening rice, which was every bit as good as it looked. Each grain was distinct, perfectly cooked to a satisfyingly chewy al dente, and full of a deep chicken-y savouriness. This formed a core taste memory we will not soon forget.
Next: the two-meat platter. The roast pork was seasoned well and the chicken had a thoroughly enjoyable texture – a little firmer than poached chicken and packing quite a bit of extra flavour. But most delightful of all was the soy sauce pooled at the bottom of the plate – a complex, well-balanced blend that wouldn’t be out of place at a high-end Chinese banquet hall. Perfected over decades, it elevated the meats immeasurably.
Even with their small side items, Tong Kee was a level above. The soup – all too often a bland afterthought at other stalls – was surprisingly flavourful. And the chilli sauce? It was a bright, zesty, slightly citrusy saucerful of flavour with a strong spicy kick. We drizzled copious amounts of it on everything and went back for refills. Twice.
Care, pride and mastery were evident in every element of our Tong Kee chicken rice set. No wonder the queues are so long, and our team’s endorsement so passionate. We’re already making plans on when to come back, who to bring, and which book to read while we queue.
RADIN MAS
Lan Xiang Ban Mian
Bukit Merah Central Food Centre
Open from : 11.00am – 7.00pm (Mon-Fri) , 11.00am – 2.00pm (Sat-Sun)
This one is close to our hearts and our stomachs. Lan Xiang Ban Mian is located just a stone’s throw from our office and has enthusiastic fans in our Property Team, as well as every other department. In fact, at least one of our colleagues eats there religiously every week – so much that the owner has her custom order committed to memory.
Judging by their long lunchtime queues, Lan Xiang is also a favourite among those who live and work around Bukit Merah Central. If you aren’t as lucky, check out how we reward ourselves after queuing hungrily for our ban mian fix.
The go-to order
This simple, piping-hot, comforting bowl is what most of us normally order. At our Property Team’s recommendation, we also asked the boss lady to add black vinegar and a drizzle of Lan Xiang’s signature chilli sauce.
We vividly remember our first sip of this broth: an exquisitely velvety spoonful of joy that packed a heck of a lot more flavour than we ever expected. Its luxurious mouthfeel felt like a warm hug full of Grandma’s love. The only thing that felt a little strange to us was how we suddenly felt compelled to use words like ‘velvety’, ‘luxurious’ and ‘mouthfeel’ to describe the broth in a $4.50 bowl of noodles.
Oh yes, about the noodles. They are handmade, with a good amount of the chewiness we all love about ban mian. And they’re accompanied by just enough minced meat, anchovies and veggies to make this a hearty and satisfying meal.
The custom addition of vinegar and chilli sauce recommended by our Property Team added a subtle sourness and heat that balanced out the rich broth nicely. While we wouldn’t say it’s better than the original, it’s definitely just as good.
Our favourite part, however, was the decadent runny yolk that added even more unctuousness to the already thick soup, boosting our enjoyment immensely.
All in all, this is one of the best ban mian we’ve ever tried. So if you’re ever hankering for something hot, soupy and comforting – especially on a cold, rainy day – be sure to keep Lan Xiang in mind!
TANJONG PAGAR-TIONG BAHRU
Great Nanyang Heritage Café
5 Craig Road
Open from : 7.30am – 3.00pm , 5.00pm – 8.30pm (Daily)
We were a little sceptical at first when the team gushed enthusiastically about the décor of this place. They love the nostalgic 1980s kopitiam vibe, with decorative vinyl records and mooncake moulds mounted on the walls, marble-topped tables and heavy dark wood furniture everywhere, plus tableware that seems to be from our parents’ heyday.
Okay, that’s nice, but how’s the food? Our Property Team was quick to assure us that it’s every bit as good as the atmosphere – if not more so
As their name suggests, they offer classic Singaporean/Malaysian kopitiam favourites like Hainanese Chicken Chop, Moonlight Hor Fun and Curry Chee Cheong Fun. Of course, they also have the usual kopi, teh, Milo and more.
As expected, prices are a bit higher than you’d find in hawker centres (and also subject to GST) but not by a lot, and everything is made at a very, very high level. When you factor in the service, ambience and quality of food… we’d say it’s quite worth it lah.
The go-to order
The team’s favourite item on the menu is the kaya toast set. Although simple, this perfectly executed three-piece ensemble played a delicious, classic, comforting melody.
Let us break this down for you, piece by piece.
We swapped the coffee for Milo for an extra $0.50. The sugar level and gao-ness can be customised for free. This was a small cup, but it was THICK… very satisfying.
Thinly sliced, super-crispy toast, house-made kaya and butter that’s the same thickness as the bread – this was as perfect a kaya toast as any you’d find anywhere in Singapore.
But the item that had the team going ga-ga was this gorgeous soft-boiled egg. They use kampung eggs here – a rare thing in Singapore, or anywhere else for that matter. Check out the beautiful colour of the shell, those massive yolks, and that perfect doneness.
And now, the main highlight: look at that deep orange of the yolk! Rich, creamy, nourishing – it was yummy, satisfying, and hardly needed the usual condiments of soy sauce and pepper.
Taken together, this is a breakfast of champions that will get you ready, not just to take on the day, but absolutely dominate it.
After trying this supposedly simple set, we’ll definitely be back to find out how much they elevate their other dishes over the usual standards.
Thank you for joining us and our Property Teams on this tour of some of the best eats in Our Tanjong Pagar. If you’d like to see more recommendations like this, do let us know with your comments on our social media!
