Food

Geylang East Market & Food Centre (Food Corner), also called Aljunied Avenue 2 Market & Food Centre, is a newly renovated hawker centre located within the Geylang East estate. Originally built in 1978 (around 2 years after nearby Sims Vista Market and Food Centre), it is located in 117 Aljunied Avenue 2 and is primarily a day time hawker centre with most stalls open for breakfast up til early afternoon only.

Notwithstanding the recent facelift, this is a very traditional hawker centre untouched by the modern fusion cuisine or rice bowl craze that one starts to see in other hawker centres. It is also primarily a neighborhood hawker centre, with most patrons coming from within the Aljunied and Macpherson area. 

The recent facelift has made Geylang East Market and Food Centre more visually appealing than other hawker centres. The floor is now anti-slip, while large ceiling fans have improved ventilation in the venue. 

Although very few stalls open at night, I have also noticed better lighting equipment after the renovation. Perhaps this may encourage more stalls to open at night.

Without further ado, here are some stalls to try at Geylang East Market and Food Corner. I will also update this article over the next few weeks and months as I try more stalls:

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The notion might be taken for granted now but it was not too long ago when the idea of opening a fine-dining restaurant in Joo Chiat was considered farfetched. With the area’s gentrification gaining quick momentum the last 3 years, the opening of Province in this rather hip area – perhaps the only fine-dining concept in the neighborhood at the moment – leads one to say “oh, finally.”

Hidden at the back of 808 Eating House, Province is an intimate 8-seater that explores the diversity of Southeast Asian ingredients and flavors. Province is the brainchild of chef Law Jia Jun, who used to come from Magic Square. The cuisine in Province is decidedly Southeast Asian but with a contemporary touch. Chef Law was inspired by his travels to nearby countries such as Thailand and Malaysia and many of the ingredients are also sourced from there, through building relationships with farmers, growers, fishermen, and producers at home and abroad.

Distinctly Southeast Asian ingredients and spices figure into Province’s prix-fixe menu priced at S$138++, which gets refreshed approximately every 3 months. Think: buah keluak, sweet potatoes and fruits. Even the meats are sourced from neighboring countries.

From the arcaded facade of the Joo Chiat shophouses, there are no signs that indicate Province’s existence inside. Diners will have to saunter in through 808 Eating House’s door. From there, a back door proudly displaying the Province name leads one in via a pebbled walkway. Customers then get seated in a slightly curved teakwood table, in a setup that’s not too different from omakase dining. The manpower setup in Province is quite modest – it’s just Chef Law and Wei Xiang who helps him in the kitchen.

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Matera, an Italian restaurant helmed by Chef Bjoern Alexander, has recently opened in the historic Fullerton Waterboat House. Named after the ancient city in Italy, Restaurant Matera offers modern Italian cuisine, interpreted thru Chef Bjoern’s fusion with Asian influences. 

Update: Restaurant Matera received a Michelin Star during the announcement in June 2024.

Chef Bjoern Alexander hails from Octavium, a 2 Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong. His culinary career has taken him to places such as the Middle East, Hong Kong and Shanghai before arriving in Singapore. He began his career in Germany, where he originally comes from.

Matera occupies the ground floor of the Fullerton Waterboat House. The dining room is a picturesque affair with floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the entire width of the dining area. There is also a private room that’s still being developed at the time of my visit. This same space was most recently occupied by Basque Kitchen by Aitor which closed sometime in the first half of 2023. Restaurant Matera has retained roughly the same interiors and even furnishings, with some re-painting and upholstering here and there.

Matera offers lunch with set menus starting from S$78. The more elaborate dinner menu starts from S$138 for 3 courses. During my visit, I tried their 6-course dinner menu which is priced at S$268++.

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Until 31st August 2023, Brasseire Les Saveurs in St. Regis Singapore is transformed into The Astor Grill; a pop-up restaurant inspired by the great chophouses of  early 20th century New York. For both lunch and dinner, The Astor Grill presents its own menu featuring steaks as well as seafood. 

Entering the restaurant, the look and feel is still the same as the Brasserie that I’ve grown quite familiar with. Given St. Regis’ New York heritage, the interiors as well as the dimly lit nature of the restaurant could very well fit nicely with a steakhouse concept.

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Ganko Sushi opened some 2 years back and remains to be one of the more popular dining establishments in the UBS building (9 Penang Road). It counts the likes of Sourbombe Bakery, Edith Patisserie and Pi Food as its neighbors.

ganko sushi

As the name suggests, Ganko is primarily known for their fresh sushi and sashimi. They serve it in various formats, from ala carte offerings to rice bowls, luxe lunch sets and omakase menus as well. Diners primarily come for their reasonably priced range of premium raw fish, although pricier and luxe omakase sets costing S$300++ are also available. 

Ganko Sushi recently introduced new robatayaki offerings. The historic Japanese restaurant has diversified into a smokier new menu under the direction of a new head chef Koichi Matsuda, who took over the helm of the kitchen in recent months.

Borrowing from his experience in various Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan, Chef Koichi adds to Ganko’s premium offerings with a robatayaki menu that will change on rotation to reflect the best of the seasons. 

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