Traditional meets hipster at new Pasir Ris hawker centre

SINGAPORE— Hipster hawkers serving food with a creative spin to patrons could be part of the scene at the new Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre when it opens in November.

The first floor of the hawker centre will host 20 stalls serving traditional cooked food, while the second storey with 22 stalls aims to have hawkers offering more innovative concepts, said NTUC Foodfare yesterday in its call for applications to operate the stalls.

Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre will be the third new centre managed by the social enterprise, after Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market and Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre.

NTUC Foodfare, which has dubbed the second floor Fareground, said it would have a “hipster food market vibe”. It will be a place where “new food concepts are incubated” and will host events such as art markets, craft fairs and gigs.

The hawker centre will have about 770 seats and be open daily from 7am to 10.30pm.

Cashless payments via Plus! cards or Plus! Pay and DBS PayLah! will be encouraged at the new hawker centre.

NTUC Foodfare said every stall will offer at least two “budget meals” to provide affordable options for diners. For stalls on the first floor, such budget meals cannot cost more than S$2.80. On the second floor, the prices of budget meals will be benchmarked against average prices of similar food items sold in the area.

Each stall must provide at least one Healthier Choice meal that is below 500 calories, as certified by the Health Promotion Board. All hawkers are required to use healthier oil when preparing their food.

Diners will have to return their trays and crockery after use, and NTUC Foodfare will offer hawkers a bulk purchase programme, centralised dishwashing and a common crockery system to boost operational efficiency and hygiene.

Potential stall holders, who must be Singaporeans or permanent residents, can apply from Sept 11 to 22 and submit their completed forms at Foodfare@Downtown East. Application forms cost S$10 and are available at Foodfare@Downtown East, Pasir Ris Elias Community Club and Pasir Ris East Community Club.

Applicants will be assessed on the quality of food, selling price, food concept and experience. Shortlisted applicants may also be required to participate in a food tasting exercise.

As stall operators will have to operate at least six days a week and eight hours daily, interested applicants may partner a joint operator to meet this requirement without incurring additional rent or charges, said NTUC Foodfare.