Food

Marine Parade Central Market & Food Centre located in 84 Marine Parade Central is one of the most visited hawker centers in Singapore’s east coast. The market itself dates back from the 1970s and serves the Joo Chiat / Katong area. Its proximity to Parkway Parade means that it also regularly gets diners from others parts of Singapore. 

The hawker centre which is widely known for char kway teow, dimsum, curry puff and chendol had undergone a major revamp in 2019. This revamp is quite evident to visitors who will find it looking much neater than most hawker centers in the island. It’s also quite spacious so one can pretty much find a seat despite visiting on weekend peak periods. 

Here, I aim to list down some of my favorite stalls at Marine Parade Central Food Centre.

Emmanuel Peranakan Cuisine

Although styled as “Peranakan,” many of the dishes at Emmanuel’s are actually similar to what you’d find in other economic rice stalls. What sets them apart is the blue pea rice that they put into their nasi lemak which comes fragrant with a tinge of coconut. The lady who mans the stall used to cook at Xing Long Cooked Food – another stall at Marine Parade Central Food Centre. 

Stall Number: #01-30

Opening Hours: Daily except Wednesday and Thursday, 9AM to 3PM

Four Seasons Chendol

Four Seasons Chendol has a number of outlets scattered all over Singapore and while they don’t sell durian chendol in the Marine Parade outlet, business is still usually brisk as their chendol comes in a relatively generous portion. While each bowl does not look particularly photogenic (the ingredients are all hidden inside the ice), one can be rest assured of attap seeds, green jelly and red bean beneath. I also liked that the chendol was not too sweet, with just the right amount of gula melaka drenched on the ice.

Stall Number: #01-31

Opening Hours: Daily except Thursday, 8AM to 5PM

Du Du Hao Hot and Cold Drinks

While there are a number of drinks stalls in Marine Parade Central Food Centre, Du Du Hao – tucked away at the end near the dry goods section of the market – is notable for its cheap but strong beverages. A coffee costs just S$1 as of this writing while their Kaya Toast Set (S$3) is of great value. The bread is sliced thinly before toasting, and possesses a highly crispy texture. 

Stall Number: #01-51

Opening Hours: Daily, 5:30AM to 7:30PM

Feng Xin Dim Sum

Feng Xin Dim Sum is a relatively newer stall in Marine Parade Central Food Centre. It is located in the same row and just a few stalls from Neptune Dimsum a few stalls down. The menu, consisting of about 20 items, is quite similar to Neptune’s. There’s a good mix of steamed and fried items. At the time of my visit, I tried their Crystal Dumplings, Siu Mai, Spareribs Rice and Chee Cheong Fun. The Crystal Dumplings were quite notable, and came with a hearty amount of vegetable fillings. The Spareribs Rice was good, too. I did not the relatively lean cut of ribs used as well as the tasty sauce used on the white rice. The Chee Cheong Fun skin was not as thin as I hoped but the prawn filling was decent in amount and the sauce was good too.

Stall Number: #01-32

Opening Hours: Daily except Thursday, 7AM to 7PM (until 7:30PM on Saturday)

Neptune Hong Kong Dimsum

Neptune is the older among the two dimsum stalls in Marine Parade Central Food Centre. Their dimsum menu consists of staples like Siu Mai, Xiao Long Bao, Chicken Feet and Spring Rolls. There are also a few notable items like Hakka Yong Tau Fu and Durian Spring Roll. The dishes are still served in the traditional way, inside round baskets. Other notable items include their Shanghai Fried Dumplings, Custard Bun and Beancurd Roll.

Stall Number: #01-26

Opening Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10:30AM to 9:30PM; Thursday 8:30AM to 9:30PM; Friday to Sunday 9:30AM to 9PM

D’Authentic Nasi Lemak

D’Authentic Nasi Lemak serves customizable nasi lemak where all the toppings can be ordered ala carte. This means you can choose to have as much (or as little) as you want with toppings such as beancurd, tempeh, four different types of eggs like sambal, achar, salted or fried as well as proteins like chicken wing or chicken rendang. 

Stall Number: #01-36

Opening Hours: Daily except Friday, 7AM to 2PM

Whampoa Soya Bean

Whampoa Soya Bean is known for its smooth beancurd desserts and drinks. Go for the Gingko Beancurd which is generously topped with gingko nuts for just S$2! You can also choose to have the beancurd plain or with other toppings such as grass jelly or red bean. They also sell other desserts such as Grass Jelly, Grass Jelly with Longan, Grass Jelly with Lychee or with Attap Seeds.

Stall Number: #01-19

Opening Hours: Daily, 6:30AM to 9:30PM

Ma Bo Lor Mee

If you’re looking to get filled with delicious food at a low price, look no further than Ma Bo Lor Mee. Their Marine Parade stall offers bowls of the starchy noodle for as low as S$3.50 (as of this writing). You can also choose to luxe it up a bit and order the most expensive bowl at S$5 with plenty of toppings to choose from such as fish cakes, fried fish, chicken cutlet and more.

Stall Number: #01-18

Opening Hours:

Hup Lee

Hup Lee serves up reliable plates of economic bee hoon and nasi lemak if you are looking at something heavy for your morning meal. Other items to add to your bee hoon include fried spring rolls and various types of vegetables. This stall did not have a queue despite my visit during peak timing and may be a stall to consider if you want to grab a bite somewhere without having to wait long. 

Stall Number: #01-53

Opening Hours: Daily, 6:30AM to 2PM

Taste of Vegetarian

Taste of Vegetarian is your quintessential hawker stall for all things plant-based in Marine Parade. Items are mostly served economic rice style so expect a rotating number of dishes each day. The exception would be their small number of staples such as Vegetarian Bee Hoon, Brown Rice Porridge, Vegetarian Chee Cheong Fun and Vegetarian Chwee Kueh.

Stall Number: #01-50

Opening Hours: Daily except Thursday, 6AM to 2PM

Jian Bo Tiong Bahru Shui Kueh

A branch of the popular stall in Tiong Bahru, Jian Bo dishes out local breakfast staples such as Chwee Kueh with delectable portions of chye poh or preserved radish. Although they’re more well known for the steamed rice cakes, Jian Bo also sells bak chang and various types of Nyonya Kueh.

Stall Number: #01-44

Opening Hours: Daily, 6AM to 4:30PM

Fukudon

Fukudon is the type of stall that one wouldn’t expect to find in a neighborhood hawker but I suppose its proximity to Parkway Parade attracts a more “sophisticated” crowd than other food courts. Fukudon is opened by young hawkers and they serve Japanese-style rice bowls at an affordable price. Popular items in their menu include Shoyu Glazed Salmon Don, Pork Belly Katsu Don, Spicy Garlic Pork Collar Don and for the health conscious – Chicken Breast Oyako Don. All their rice bowls are priced well below S$10. 

Stall Number: #01-48

Opening Hours: Daily, 11AM to 8PM

Zengji Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice

While there is quite a wide variety of hawker cuisine in Marine Parade Central Food Centre, there seems to be a dearth of chicken rice stalls. Zengji fills that gap with its selection of Hainanese Chicken and Roast Chicken. The former is especially popular with its juicy and plump meat and fragrant rice. 

Stall Number: #01-28

Opening Hours: Daily except Monday, 10AM to 6PM

Tip Top Western Food

There are two Tip Top stalls in Marine Parade Central Food Centre – one specializes in curry puffs while this one serves reliable Western fare. Choose among their bestsellers such as the Chicken Bolognese Spaghetti, Half Spring Chicken, Grilled Fish or Chicken Alfredo. If you are feeling fancy, try their Beef Steak which comes with coleslaw and fries. 

Stall Number: #01-22

Opening Hours: Daily except Monday, 1PM to 9PM

Entering the space occupied by Yue Bai in Duxton Road, one would be forgiven for mistaking the establishment as a spa. The beautiful wooden lattices and use of neutral colors exude a calming vibe to the space.

Yue Bai opened in December 2022 offering Chinese cuisine prepared using the principles of traditional Chinese dietary therapy (shi liao) so one can expect a number of highly nourishing dishes here. The kitchen is helmed by Chef Lee Hongwei, who previously came from Telok Ayer Arts Club.

Diners can choose from a variety of seating options at Yue Bai, from booth seats near the entrance to traditional round tables or even a private room for bigger groups. 

I had a quartet of light bites for appetizers. This included the Crispy Burdock, Sesame, Spice Powder (S$14),  Roselle Flower-infused Winter Melon (S$12), Australian Lamb Jelly, Black Bean, Passionfruit-infused Pumpkin (S$22) and Deep-fried Organic Purple Rice Cake, XO Sauce, Rice Puff, Spring Onion (S$16). Among these starters, I found the Deep-fried Organic Purple Rice Cake and Roselle Flower-infused Winter Melon to be the most notable, the former possessing a glutinous texture not too dissimilar to mochi and the latter delightfully crunchy with a sour note.

As mentioned previously, there is no shortage of nourishing dishes at Yue Bai and one highlight is the Double-boiled Silkie Chicken Soup, Jasmine Flower, Dried Longan, Wolfberries (S$22). The chicken broth notably includes actual jasmine flower buds which gives a perceptible floral dimension to the soup. 

Departing from the sequence of healthy and nourishing dishes, the Crisp-fried Pork Cartilage, Xin Hui Orange Sauce, Crispy Tofu Ring (S$38) comes with an almost glutinous textured pork cartilage coupled with smaller layers of lean meat and glazed skin. The tofu ring that it sits on can easily be mistaken for a yam ring, especially as the texture is similar to one rather than the soft and wobbly bean curd that one would come to expect.

 Nestled in a ball that I mistook for a pinata, the Braised Duck, Sea Cucumber, Hawthorn, Korean Snow Pear (S$58) can easily be mistaken for braised pork once it enters the mouth. One can expect all the good stuff here, including spiky sea cucumber that’s been prepared for 3 days as well as Korean snow pear.

My favorite dish at Yue Bai has got to be the Deep-fried Granola Prawn, Beetroot (S$36). Instead of the usual cereal, the plump ball-shaped prawns were coated in granola consisting of rolled oats, pecans and wolfberries. The result was something highly crunchy and more reminiscent of a whole grain taste, reminding one of actual breakfast fare as compared to the typical cereal in the prawn.

The Herbal Poached Rice, Atlantic Cod, Black Fungus (S$38) is Yue Bai’s take on the poached rice craze sans the ubiquitous rice crisps. The soup here is more herbal than in other places that serve poached rice, as ingredients such as dang shen, angelica sinensis root and wolfberry are thrown into the mix. The highlight for me was the relatively large portion of slippery and smooth cod, a departure from the usual thinly sliced fish that comes with the poached rice.

For desserts, we had the House-made Beancurd with Hashima (S$38) and Crispy Black Sesame Mochi (S$12). While the former was notable for using diluted “pi pa gao” syrup (yes, the type used for coughs), I thought S$38 for an individual beancurd dish was extremely steep. In contrast, I found the mochi more to my liking (although still quite pricey for a small piece) with its chewy texture. It is served with osmanthus syrup on the side.

With the exception of the pork cartilage and perhaps the granola prawns, most dishes I had at Yue Bai were of a lighter profile. Price-wise, it’s close to what Chinese restaurants in hotels are charging but what I like about Yue Bai is that they’re doling out Chinese food with a healthier slant while still being tasty.

Yue Bai 
33 Duxton Road 
Singapore 089497 
Tel: +65 9721 8055 

Opening Hours 
Tuesdays to Sundays 
Lunch: 11.45am to 3.00pm (last order 2.15pm) 
Dinner: 5.45pm to 10.00pm (last order 9.15pm) 

Nestled in a quiet spot in the middle of Ngee Ann City’s 5th floor is Mizuki, a Japanese restaurant that has been known among its regulars for its excellent tempura since it opened in 2017. 

While sushi and sashimi has been part of Mizuki’s repertoire since opening as well, it is perhaps their tempura that got more attention over the years. That is set to change however, as the restaurant brought in Chef Kawakami Hiroaki in early 2022. The Osaka-born chef has had a career in a number of fine-dining Japanese restaurants including the Bulgari Resort in Dubai prior to moving to Singapore.

Entering the restaurant, one sees the clear divide between the tempura and sushi sections – separated through wooden Japanese wooden lattice screens featuring cloud-like motifs. To the left, the darke marble counters are where tempura dishes are served. To the right, the oak-colored counters are where the sushi dishes are prepared.

While Mizuki still offers their standalone tempura and sashimi course menus, their new combined sushi and tempura (S$268++) gives diners the best of both worlds. The combined menu requires a balancing act from both chefs as the fried items need to be freshly cooked to be delivered to the table hot and crispy while the sushi needs to be cut and pressed exactly when needed. 

Appetizer

We had a trio of ark shell with miso and mustard, gingko nuts and yellowtail that’s lightly torched for appetizers. I enjoyed the miso and mustard combo. This humble prelude was rather unrepresentative of the decadent courses that were to follow later that evening.

Sashimi (3 kinds)

The sashimi course consisted of a nicely plated assortment of golden eye snapper (kinmedai), bluefin tuna (otoro) and prawn (botan ebi). The prawn was notable for its unparalleled sweetness while the tuna possessed a wonderful slippery and melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Tempura (5 kinds) 

The tempura course was perhaps the longest course for the evening. Timing plays a big factor here as each piece needs to be served hot and crispy. The wait time between pieces was a bit long here but well worth it! 

We were served 5 pieces of tempura, with the highlight undeniably being the seaweed tempura topped with a glorious serving of fresh and creamy Hokkaido bafun uni and caviar. I absolutely loved the juxtaposition of the creamy and crispy textures here. 

The other pieces that came in the tempura course were conger eel (anago), shark fin, prawn (ebi) and mushrooms. Each piece was served piping hot with crispy breading on the outside. The conger eel was especially meaty while the shark fin possessed a texture similar to crackers with its thin strands fried to a crisp.

Seasonal Cooked Dish – Seiko Kani

As I visited in December, we had the snow crab for the cooked dish. The Seiko kani comprises of a steamed and deshelled Hokkaido female snow crab with roe, eggs as well as meat that’s already separated from the bones. The flesh was sweet and was naturally savory even without any condiments.

Premium Nigiri Sushi (4 kinds)

The nigiri course consisted of 4 types of sushi including bluefin tuna (toro), sea perch (nodoguro), sea bream (shiromi) and sea urchin (uni). The sea urchin was served as a gunkan and placed atop a bed of sushi rice wrapped with seaweed. Chef Hiroaki used short-spined sea urchin for the roll which rendered it creamy and smooth in terms of taste profile.

Carbohydrate Course – Kakiage Don / Soba OR Mini Negitoro Uni Don

For the carbohydrate course, diners have the option of having the standard dish which is Kakiage Don or Soba. They could also opt to upgrade to a Mini Negitoro Uni Don for a supplement of S$40. 

While the Mini Negitoro Uni Don is the undeniable choice for sushi and sea urchin lovers, I felt the Kakiage Don was the more flavorful option and held pretty well on its own. The seafood came with thinly coated batter so it wasn’t cloying at all. It felt like something one could have as an every day type of meal – delicious and comforting.  

For the Mini Negitoro Uni Don, Chef Hiroaki used two types of uni as topping. The first is the short-spined sea urchin which was similarly used in the preceding courses while the other type of uni consisted of long-spined sea urchin. The long-spined one was duller in color and brinier in terms of taste profile. It was explained to me that the long-spined sea urchin is actually more premium especially now that it’s off-season. 

Dessert

We ended the meal with a selection of fruits from Japan. For this round, it consisted of a sliced pear, strawberry and persimmons. 

I personally feel that Mizuki’s new combined tempura and sushi course menus suits those who are not particularly inclined to either. Both are equally good with the sequence giving diners enough of an introduction to the restaurant’s expertise and capabilities to fit either styles. 

Mizuki
391 Orchard Rd
Ngee Ann City
#05 – 32
Singapore 238872

+65 6734 6308

Opening Hours:

Daily except Monday, 11:30AM to 3PM, 6PM to 10:30PM

La D’Oro is a new Japanese-Italian restaurant in Mandarin Gallery, an area that has traditionally been occupied by retail. The venue was opened by chef-owner Yohhei Sasaki who was classically trained in Italian cuisine in top restaurants in Japan as well as in Tuscany and Lombardy in Italy. In Singapore, he previously helmed the kitchens at Forlino and Il Cielo – the latter which I absolutely loved. When I heard that he set up his own restaurant, I knew I had to try it out!

La D’Oro offers a number of dining formats, from seasonal omakase sets to dishes that can be ordered at any time of the day. One of my fond memories about Chef Sasaki’s time at Il Cielo was how perfectly executed the pasta dishes always were so for this particular occasion, it was just apt that I check out their all-day dining menu.

The all-day dining menu can be segregated into three parts. The small plates are tapas-sized light bites designed to whet the appetite. Sharing plates consist of Chef Sasaki’s pasta and pizza dishes while desserts are those who would like to end their meal on a sweet note.

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Sushi Sei is a new intimate Japanese restaurant located at the grounds of the Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre. With its name alluding to a bright light, Sushi Sei brings Japan’s haute cuisine to Singapore in the form of a kaiseki meal. The restaurant is helmed by Master Kaiseki Chef Manabu Saitoh who has over 30+ years of culinary experience.

The space is quite a refined one, with an elegant wooden counter, textured satin walls and minimalistic decor such as a bonsai tree and an alluring and darkly lit private space near the entrance. The counter seats can fit up to 10 persons and the private room up to 6 persons. 

Chef Saitoh regularly flies in ingredients from various parts of Japan, mostly from Toyosu Market in Tokyo and Hokkaido. 

The restaurant serves omakase sushi kaiseki for dinner, priced at $400, $500 and $600 and comprising of up to six dishes followed by nigiri (sushi), dessert and freshly whisked matcha (green tea) to end. Lunch courses are available from $200 with a different set of dishes. At the time of launch, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner with just one seating per session. Currently, the restaurant is offering a 30% discount for all Citibank and UOB cardholders.

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The newest concept to open from the Les Amis Group is elan – an outlet serving modern French cuisine with a touch of Asian influence. Located in the same row as Les Amis, Mui Kee and other Les Amis concepts; the 48-seater restaurant is led by Philippe Pau who acts as the Restaurant Director as well as Chef de Cuisine Peter Teo. Chef Peter has had a colorful career with the group, having worked at the flagship Les Amis Restaurant and Bistro du Vin previously. 

elan offers a set menu for lunch and an ala carte and tasting menu for dinner. The tasting menu consists of 5 courses and is priced at S$135++. During this particular occasion, I tried highlights from elan’s ala carte menu.

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