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Far-flung foodie fun

SINGAPORE – How far would you travel for your favourite meal? For some Singaporeans, it means traversing the island’s length and breadth to get to their favourite eats.

SINGAPORE – How far would you travel for your favourite meal? For some Singaporeans, it means traversing the island’s length and breadth to get to their favourite eats.

“I don’t mind going all the way to Changi Village to eat at Charlie’s Corner,” said Clementi-resident Mary Lee. “I like sitting in that open area, watching the planes fly above as we eat.”

“My husband and I are foodies and we will travel every part of Singapore to look for food that is interesting,” said Eileen Chua, who lives in Bedok. “We start off by researching places on the Internet and from there, we’ll decide where to go. We live in the east side of Singapore, but we often travel to the west to look for interesting food.”

Admittedly, Singapore isn’t so large that you’ll spend more than an hour travelling, but there are some gems that are located in the far ends of the island that, seemingly, only the immediate residents know about. In this list, we look at some of our favourites which are not universally well-known, but are still worth the effort getting there.

YOU HUAK SEMBAWANG WHITE BEE HOON (22 Jalan Tampang)

Judging by the crowd at meal times, we would say this is pretty popular. But getting here might be a tad tedious as the nearest MRT station is Yishun, and drivers, too, might find it troublesome to get a parking space in the immediate vicinity (most park at Sembawang Shopping Centre across the road).

But the food more than makes up for it. There are only two stalls here: The zhi char stall that sells the famous white bee hoon (among other dishes) and the drinks stall. The dish actually reminded us of Hokkien fried prawn noodles, but it’s actually quite light, so you won’t feel jelak after a few bites.

BEAULIEU HOUSE (Sembawang Park, http://www.beaulieuhouse.com.sg, Tel: 6257 9234)

Beaulieu House was leased out as a restaurant in 1981 and has since been dishing out zhi char favourites such as fried rice, crispy chicken with marmite sauce and steamed cod, as well as Western dishes (grilled chicken, rack of lamb, fish and chips). But its location and history are what interested us more. Nestled within Sembawang Park, it is an ideal venue to chow down after spending a day at the park with the family. The house was built sometime in the 1910s. Originally owned by a prominent businessman, the building later became the residence of senior engineering staff involved in the building of the Sembawang Naval Base. (While there is a popular theory that Beaulieu House is named after an Admiral Beaulieu who lived there in the post-World War II period, this remains unsubstantiated.) It received conservation status on April 8, 2005.

JUBILEE (580 Netheravon Road)

Just down the road from The Coastal Settlement is this, its sister outlet. Like TCS, it offers a similar retro vibe with its decor. Food-wise, it has more local flavour, with dishes such as the ter kah bee hoon, a lovely rice vermicelli dish with pig’s trotter that is moist with a nice whiff of rice wine. Other dishes include the pork cutlet rice with curry, the assam fish with rice and the Jubilee’s Hor Fun. While some say the prices are a bit steep, the portions are actually quite generous (the bee hoon, for example, costs S$15, but can easily feed three, if you’re ordering other dishes).

CHANGI COASTAL WALK

Located on the same premises as Constant Wind sailing centre (just before the National Service Resort and Country Club) are three eateries: Indonesian restaurant Gurame; bistro Stella and zhi char specialist Belly View.

Gurame is well-known for its fried “dancing fish” and beef rendang, while Stella’s western dishes are competently done. But menu-wise, Belly View, in our opinion, offers the best value-for-money (we spent about S$40 for a medium fried rice and two dishes, and drinks). The Special Kai Lan, for example, isn’t your standard stir-fried-with-garlic offering, but comes topped with deep fried silver fish and flash-fried kailan leaves for a lovely crunch. Ask nicely and the server will also offer some off-the-menu specials: For example, she recommended the roast chicken, “done just like in the Chinese Restaurant, but our own recipe” and a special fish head claypot (“it’s a bit spicy but not like the assam version”) when we visited.

But what really sells this place is the ambience. Located next to the water, you get a cool sea breeze (even in the day) and the trees and tentage provide enough cover. Go during sunset and you can get some lovely Instagram moments.

BOON LAY PLACE MARKET AND FOOD VILLAGE (221 Boon Lay Place)

You could consider this the west’s equivalent of Changi Village, and the crown jewel here is also the nasi lemak stall. It’s known as Boon Lay “power nasi lemak” (#01-06, although it’s signboard reads Haji Marsah Berkat Chahya Food). Just look for the snaking queue and you won’t go far wrong. The rice is fragrant, though the chilli is a little sweet. It is popular with the late night crowd (the stall opens until 4am), so arguably, the best time to head there is actually during “normal” meal times. A bonus is that the queue moves quite fast. Another gem here is Xin Sheng Gor Hiong Prawn Crackers (#01-164). While the stall now has outlets at Vivo City and Orchard Road, nothing beats the original, say fans. The service is quick and efficient. Order the bee hoon; its moist texture adds a nice counterpoint to the deep fried offerings, which, surprisingly, are not as oily as at some other places.

POISON IVY BISTRO (100 Neo Tiew Road, Tel: 6898 5001)

Located at the Bollywood Veggies farm, Poison Ivy was opened in 2005 and is named after the farm’s co-owner, Ivy Singh-Lim, the former President of Netball Singapore who opened the farm with her husband Lim Ho Seng. Unlike its name, the food served here is delightfully tasty. It’s mostly familiar fare but with the ingredients are mostly sourced from the farm. It also offers a slight twist to the dishes and it’s not just because they have been given colourful names, such as the Best Blue Nasi Lemak — the rice really is blue, or bluish, coloured with a natural dye obtained from flowers). It may be a tad inconvenient to get to, especially if you don’t drive, but it’s a great way to spend the day: Explore the farm and have a meal at the end of it.

ON THE TABLE (118 Pasir Panjang Road, Tel: 6750 4740)

Located in a shophouse just a stone’s throw from the Pasir Panjang MRT, this serves Western-style bistro food and is mostly noted for its brunch offerings. However, fans are also raving about its pasta dishes, its coffee and its craft beer selection.

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