ABC Brickworks Food Centre

싱가포르에 호커 센터 중에서 에이비씨 브릭워케 호커 센터를 우리가 제일 좋아해요. 실제로 싱가포르에서 가장 크고 유명한 호커 센터 중 하나예요. 가끔 외국인 여행자들이 이 호커 센터에서 식사하고 관광도 해요. 

호커 음식은 내가 우리 나라 싱가포르에서 제일 사랑하는 것이에요. 호커 푸드는 내 컴포트 푸드여서 내 마음에 들어와요. 음식도 싸고 맛있고 종류도 많아요. 해외여행 가면 그리운 음식이 호커푸드인데 싱가포르에 돌아와서 가장 먼저 먹는 음식이 박초미예요. 

박초미은 아마도 내가 제일 좋아하는 호커푸드예요. 나는 식초맛을 좋아하고 버섯볶음이 제일 맛있고 용기가 제일 맛있어요.

 

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ABC Brickworks is one of the more well-known, and beloved, hawker centres in SG. The fact that tourists can sometimes be seen traipsing down the rows of neon-lit stalls is testament to its fame. 

We hit up ABC a couple times a month, at least; the hawker centre is central enough that satisfying a local food craving here doesn't require an hour+-long round trip (unlike with Fengshan Bedok); there's ample enough lots that parking doesn't require the patience of a saint (unlike with Serangoon Gardens); seats are plentiful enough that large groups are able to find a table fairly easily, and stalls are varied enough that multiple cravings get satisfied all at once. 

Minced Meat Noodle (Bah Chor Mee)

ABC is also our go-to whenever we want bak chor mee (bcm). Everyone has their favourite bcm and I have mine: Yong Kee. The tang of the vinegar is prominent here, the noodles are springy, not mushy, and a bonus is tt they're open for dinner. Note though, that the lady chef is relatively better (than the man who sometimes takes over during her breaks): her cooking is more deft, and she's more generous with the saucing. 

Fun fact: I've learnt, through multiple small talk, that it is indeed her son who runs the stall in Alexandra Market. 

 

Notwithstanding that Yong Kee purports to sell fishballs, or that the fishballs are purportedly famous, the star is the Minced Meat Noodle ($4 for small). I get mine dry, with mee pok and chilli, sans liver, and extra mushrooms ($1). I love mushrooms, and there was once upon a time that I was on a crazy binge to find the best bcm braised mushrooms, and the ones at Yong Kee are the very best I've ever found. Plump, earthy, umami, and juicy, I could eat the mushrooms on their own. The pork (both the minced and sliced) here is fresh and tender, with nary a pungent whiff. 

This is a recent discovery ever since the soupy noodles at Lai Heng, the Fishball Kway Teow Soup ($4), or the adult version of sick-people-food as I like to call it, jazzed up with added mushrooms ($1) and chilli padi for a spicy kick. I would have preferred the noodles thinner and silkier, but the flavoursome mushroom-infused broth more than made up for it.  

The stall facade for reference

Yong Kee Famous Fish Ball Noodle

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Open Wednesdays to Mondays 9am to 10pm; Closed on Tuesdays

Taiwanese Porridge

 

We rarely, if ever, have Taiwan porridge, preferring the Teochew version. But we honoured the unwritten "follow-the-queue" rule when we saw that they sported a long line. 

It was a slightly long wait of half an hour on a busy weekend (which was fine bc we busied ourselves ordering from other stalls), but it turns out they serve up fantastic cze char...and we are now fans of their dishes. 

4 of their must-try dishes, and a sweet potato porridge, went for a steal at about ($30). 

The No. 50 dish was Fried Pork ($9 for small), which makes for an addictive nibbler, was wonderfully crisp and tasty. 

No. 26 was Stir Fried Cabbage with Dried Shrimp ($7 for small), sweet, crunchy, and aromatic. 

No. 13 was a Taiwanese classic of Stir Fried Taiwan Pea Shoots ($7 for small), or Dou Miao, simply tossed with garlic. 

The No. 2, a Chai Po Omelette ($5 for small), dotted generously with oodles of salted radish, was thick and fluffy. 

Sweet Potato Porridge, its plainness set off the salty dishes perfectly. 

The stall facade for reference. 

Koh Za Hao Wei Taiwan Porridge 

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Open 12noon to 2pm for lunch; 5pm to 9.30pm for dinner

Tel: 98248119 / 98732527 

Satay Bee Hoon

Satay noodles are the embodiment of "ugly delicious". A fast-dying trade in local food scene, I will always make it a point to order said noodles if ever I see it sold in a hawker center. That said, Shun Fa is quite the institution, they're so popular they've capitalized with the sale of their packaged satay sauce. Great for making your own satay bee hoon, or a bastardised gado gado, at home. 

 

The Satay Bee Hoon ($4), with sliced pork, beancurd puffs, morning glory, prawns, beansprouts, and sans cockles, cuttlefish, and liver, was drenched in a smooth, creamy, peanut butter-like gravy. #smoothlikebutter #BTSfan Scrumptious. 

The stall facade for reference. 

Shun Fa Satay Bee Hoon

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Open Fridays to Wednesdays from 3pm to 10.30pm, Closed on Thursdays 

Roasted Meats and Noodles

Fatty Cheong is one of ABC Brickworks' "big wigs". Their roasted meats are apparently legendary. I've never bothered to join the queue but since there's now 2 Fatty Cheongs (still owned by the same folks of the original, but manned by various members of the fam), the queues have somewhat abated. 

I tried the stall that is noodle-focused, and found their Wanton Mee ($4) absolutely delicious. The barbecued pork, thickly sliced and glazed with a sweet sticky marinade, was phenomenal. Just like the char siew u get in KL. The noodles too, were delightfully springy, just like the wantan mien u get in Hkg. 

The stall facade for reference. 

Fatty Cheong

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Open Fridays to Wednesdays 11.30am to 7.30pm; Closed Thursdays

 

 

Fried Carrot Cake

 

An acquaintance recently did a poll to vote for "Asian carrot cake" or "Western carrot cake", and I was staggered to learn that there was a vote for "western carrot cake". Why on earth would anyone vote for vegetables masquerading as confection, when there is glorious fried radish flour cake as an option?!? I love my Asian carrot cake. It's one of those things I crave when I'm overseas. 

There's 2 carrot cake stalls at ABC Brickworks, the famous Ghim Moh branch, which shutters by 2-ish (making it a non-option for night owls like us), and the not-as-famous-but-a-little-famous Tanglin Carrot Cake. 

Helmed by an elderly couple, I love its old-school taste, and the fact that they're open only after mid-afternoon is very much appreciated. The Black-White Carrot Cake ($4 for the mixed plate) was a beautiful mess of charred bits, soft cake, egg scramble, and sweet soy. 

The stall facade for reference.

Tanglin Carrot Cake

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Open daily from 11am to 9.30pm

Penang Cuisine

Before the Covid-induced death of leisure travel, we would make yearly pilgrimages to Penang to indulge in street food. Hokkien mee was top of our to-eat list. Penang's soupy prawn noodles, I feel, are far superior to our Singaporean version. 

But bc my passport is in renewal purgatory, flying up to the Malaysian island to get my fix of Penang prawn mee is moot. The next best thing is to find the next best alternative on our sunny shores. 

And I have to say, Jason Penang Cuisine at ABC does a pretty decent rendition of Penang Prawn Noodles ($4). The broth was done just-so, sweet with the essence of shrimp, grounded with the heft of pork bones, and balanced with the heat of chilli. A fantastic bowl of soupy noodles that well satisfied cravings for Penang fare. 

The stall facade for reference.

Jason Penang Cuisine

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Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 2pm for lunch; 5.30pm to 8.30pm for dinner. 

Closed on Mondays 

Western Food

I know I've said that I would refrain from adverse blogging, but I figured, this does such a roaring business they could probably take the hit. Also, this blog's readership is limited to The Husband (whom I have to force remind, to even read it anyway), so it's highly doubtful anyone's rice bowl would be broken by a not-glowing review. 

Wow Wow West is a name almost synonymous with ABC Brickworks, and the queues sported by their blindingly fluorescent signage are possibly the longest in the hawker centre. 

But there are subtle indications that it's more than a little overhyped: like the almost untouched plate of their fried chicken cutlet left behind by a diner too lazy to return his plate to the tray-return corner (urghh the lack of manners here is a pet peeve of mine but that's another rant for another day). I'd thought that odd, "such wastefulness", but it turned out that we didn't finish any of our orders either.  

 

The Chicken Chop ($7) looked better than it tasted. Portions are huge, which is a good thing I suppose, with inflation and all these days. But it was dry and stringy, the only flavourful part of it being the battered coating. 

The Pork Chop ($7) didn't fare any better: it was so dried-up, soaking the meat in the black pepper sauce couldn't save the sapped-out meat. 

The stall facade for reference. 

Wow Wow West

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Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10.30am to 2pm for lunch; 4.30pm to 8pm for dinner

Closed Sundays and Mondays

Hokkien Prawn Mee

The other stall that draws an equally ridiculous line, as Wow Wow West, is Yi Sheng, or as some say, the best hkm in SG. In all the times we've been to ABC Brickworks, there's never not been a queue. Which is why we've never bothered to join the lot. 

But it was a mere 5 persons waiting ahead, at 5pm on a languid Sunday, and I thought, just suck it up, see if the Bib Gourmand awardee was worth the fuss. 

Notwithstanding that there were only 5 pax in front of me, it took almost a quarterthree quarters (corrected thanks to a friend, and pardon my shitty maths) of an hour to get our order. The hawkers were so slow, their movements so piddling, I did a double take watching them, unsure if they'd been put on pause by the matrix. NGL, I was sorely tempted to leave the queue, but my stubborn kiasu Singaporeaness kept me in: "I'd already invested half an hour, I can't lose all that time by leaving now"

Sooooo, was the inordinate time cost worth the reward of deliciousness? I'd say no, nada, hard pass. If it were a 15/20 minute-long wait, sure, I'd say yes. It was an awesome plate of noodles, but why would I trouble with TB Yi Sheng, when Swee Guan takes a far shorter time with a far greater hit on the yummy button?

Another bummer: it was barely dinner-time, but they'd run out of prawns (by 6pm no less which was quite wtf considering prawns is what they sell, primarily), so our large plate of Fried Prawn Noodles ($6) looked conspicuously lacking. That said, the gummy noodles were great. Robustly flavoured but well-balanced, and a lovely wok hei to boot.

The stall facade for reference. 

Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokien Prawn Mee

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Tel: 9862 9296

Open Sundays to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 3pm to 10.45pm (or when sold out around 8.30pm most nights). Closed Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

Claypot Rice

Another worthwhile gem is chicken claypot rice at Yuan Yuan Claypot. Even during peak dinner-time, they took a reasonable 27 minutes to churn out our order. No small feat considering just about every other table sported their claypot.

 

The 2-person portion ($15), loaded with tender chicken chunks, waxed meats, and salted fish, was excellent, but the cherry on the parfait was the beautifully charred rice bed. Like rice crispies, but make it Asian. And that chilli sauce wowza, its bright punchy heat rounded off the flavours brilliantly.

The stall facade for reference. 

Yuan Yuan Claypot Rice

#01-38

Tel: 6276 5259

Open Fridays to Mondays from 4pm to 9pm; Closed Tuesdays to Thursdays

ABC Brickworks Market and Food Center

6 Jalan Bukit Merah