Singapore has gone through plenty of changes over the years and we have evolved from a humble little fishing village to a bustling economic hub. As we continue to progress and grow, it is inevitable that we leave behind certain parts of our culture and roots.

One area that has certainly gone through plenty of changes is our food scene. Over the years, with new food fads popping up all over the place, old school snacks and eats have been pushed aside and forgotten, especially by the new generation of youths. We bet that if you approach any teenager now and ask them if they want to follow you to get some bo bo cha cha, they would respond with a blank stare and a confused “huh?”.

For those of you who are sick of the salted egg and mala trends and believe that old is gold, here is our guide to 10 old-school places in Singapore that sell nostalgic foods from your childhood. For the people who don’t know anything about traditional Singapore food, educate yourselves by reading this list.

75 AH BALLING PEANUT SOUP 

Tang Yuan—also known as Glutinous Rice Dumplings—is a Chinese dessert traditionally eaten during the Winter Solstice. It is made from glutinous rice flour shaped into balls that encase different types of fillings such as peanut and sesame paste, which are then served in a sweetened soup.

75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup is one of our favourite places that serves up comforting bowls of this classic dessert. They originally started out as a simple pushcart stall along Jalan Sultan but ever since they’ve gained popularity, they now have multiple outlets islandwide.

Blk 85 Bedok North Street 4, #01-25
85 Fengshan Centre
Singapore 460085
Sun to Thu: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Fri & Sat: 11.30am – 11.30pm
Nearest Station: Bedok

**Multiple outlets islandwide

BISCUIT KING 

If you happen to be an avid fan of nostalgia and all things authentically Singaporean, then Biscuit King is a place you definitely have to check out. Stepping into this humble snack shop will transport you back to the heydays where these treats used to be more readily available.

From iconic games such as Old Maid and Happy Family to childhood snack time favourites such as iced gems, this is a place worth checking out no matter which generation you belong to. They also make an effort to retain their goodies in their original packaging so it looks and feels like the real deal.

130 Casuarina Road
Singapore 579518
Tel: +65 6458 0925
Tue to Sun: 11am – 10pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Yio Chu Kang

CHA DIAN 

Tucked away at Amoy Street Food Centre is Cha Dian, a humble stall that anyone with a sheer love for traditional hand-made Teochew kueh should patronise. They specialise in a whole range of savoury, vegetable-stuffed kueh that come either steamed or fried.

If you’re spoilt for choice, we recommend that you try their classic Peng Kueh as well as the fried Pumpkin Cake. You can also ask the stall owner for an extra dollop of dark sweet sauce and chilli to enhance the experience!

7 Maxwell Road, #02-135
Singapore 069111
Tel: +65 9799 2003
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 2.30pm
(Closed on Weekends)
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

Photo Credit: Fatt Soon Kueh 

FATT SOON KUEH 

Fatt Soon Kueh specialises in all sorts of traditional Teochew kueh and is easily one of our favourite Teochew Kueh spots to patronise in Singapore. Their savoury snacks are all wrapped and steamed in-house to ensure utmost freshness.

Their best-sellers include their Soon Kueh and Png Kueh. Topped with a sweet black sauce and a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, this is a solid snack to have in between meals. We recommend paying the stall a visit during off-peak hours to avoid having a long wait.

208B New Upper Changi Road, 01-18
Singapore 460208
Mon to Sat: 9am – 7.30pm
(Closed on Sundays)
Nearest Station: Bedok

GRANNY’S PANCAKE 

Love peanut pancakes? So do we. There is something oh-so-nostalgic about chomping down on these peanut-laden goodies and we absolutely love that satisfying crunch from the granules of sugar and nuts.

Stalls that specialise in peanut cakes are a dime in a dozen nowadays and it’s the folks like the ones who run Granny’s Pancake that make us all the more thankful that this childhood favourite hasn’t completely disappeared from the face of the earth. Serving up the classic peanut cake as well as others with different fillings, this humble stall is definitely a must-visit!

20 Ghim Moh Road
#01-52, Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre
Singapore 270020
Daily: 5am – 2pm
Nearest Station: Buona Vista

**Multiple outlets islandwide

JIE BAKERY 

When we crave for bread, several big names will immediately spring to mind. There are the more commercialised brands such as BreadTalk and Four Leaves, convenience stores, franchise bakeries or even petrol kiosks.

However, when it comes to freshly baked bread, nothing beats a traditional bakery. Trumping regular store-bought loaves any day, Jie Bakery is one of the few surviving traditional bakeries in Singapore that pushes out authentic, nostalgic bakes. Baked without preservatives using a recipe that has been perfected for the past 30 years, their bread is wholesome, fluffier than most and excellent with kaya slapped on.

123 Upper Paya Lebar Road
Singapore 534837
Tel: +65 9818 8386
Mon to Sat: 7am – 11pm
Sun: 10am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Tai Seng

LEK LIM NONYA CAKE CONFECTIONERY 

Lek Lim Nonya Cake Confectionery is a Halal-certified bakery that has been around since the 1960s and they specialise in producing traditional nonya snacks. All these snacks are laboriously made by hand daily, which is what makes them so authentic. Their kuehs also have no preservatives in them to ensure that the quality and taste remains consistent and on point.

Some of the snacks that you can expect to indulge in are Ang Ku Kueh, Soon Kueh, Peng Kueh and Gu Chai Kueh. Beside kueh, they also have snacks like Curry Puffs, Sardine Puffs, Spring Rolls and Yam Cake.

84 Bedok North Street 4, #01-21
Singapore 460084
Tel: +65 6449 0815
Mon to Sat: 6am — 6pm
Sun: 6am – 2pm
Nearest Station: Bedok Reservoir

LIT LIT XIN 

Located just beside Northpoint City is Nice Snack Corner, a coffee shop that is home to a plethora of cheap and good eats. One of the stalls here that is worth mentioning is Lit Lit Xin, which specialises in Popiah and old school desserts such as Ice Kachang, Red Bean Soup and Bo Bo Cha Cha.

Our favourite is the classic Ice Kachang and we like how they allow diners to customise them however they please. This icy treat is perfect for combatting Singapore’s sweltering hot weather!

NO NAME CHENG TNG 

The solution to Singapore’s merciless weather is a refreshing bowl of cheng tng, which is essentially a clear, cooling soup that was drunk by coolies in the heydays. Each bowl of cheng tng is typically filled with gingko nuts, dried longan, red dates, candied winter melons and white fungus.

No Name Cheng Tng serves up some of the best Cheng Tng around and their thirst-quenching bowls of goodness are a lifesaver when the weather gets too unbearable. We also like how the Cheng Tng here has a much sweeter flavour as compared to most places.

69 #01-490 Bedok South Avenue
Block 69
Singapore 460069
Tue to Sun: 12.30pm – 8.15pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Tanah Merah

PING KEE POPIAH 

Ping Kee Popiah is one of the biggest mainstays at Sembawang Hills Food Centre and they have been consistently pushing out homely popiahs and kueh pie tees. Helmed by an amiable couple, they’ve been serving the same great popiahs for many years.

The ingredients used to make their popiahs are extremely fresh. Filled with crunchy bean sprouts, eggs, grounded peanut and plenty of braised turnip, it made for a myriad of textures playing on the tongue and created a familiar and satisfying mouthful. Despite such a generous serving of filling, the skin was surprisingly sturdy and held all the sauces and ingredients well without turning soggy or tearing apart.

590 Upper Thomson Road
#01-32 Sembawang Hill Food Centre
Singapore 574419
Tue to Sat: 11.15am – 8pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Ang Mo Kio

Before the salted egg and mala trends kicked in, Singaporeans used to be obsessed with something else that was just as addictive.

Fluffy, savoury and extremely fragrant, chicken floss was and still is until today, something that is loved by Singaporeans. We love our chicken floss with buns, as a topping for our porridge or even as a snack on its own. It was especially popular during festive occasions like Chinese New Year, where jars of these used to be given away as gifts.

Just in time for Singapore’s 55th National Day, KFC has released a new chicken flavour featuring—you guessed it—chicken floss! It will be available in all KFC restaurants from 21 July 2020 onwards excluding KFC Singapore Zoo.

The new KFC Flossy Crunch Chicken is essentially KFC’s Hot & Crispy Fried Chicken seasoned in a medley of fragrant curry and local spices that is generously coated in a layer of addictive spicy-sweet chicken floss.

We love how the aromatic chicken floss is infused with spicy dried shrimp, giving it a sweet yet mouth-burning kick that enhances the flavours of the chicken. It also provides our favourite chicken with a unique texture that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Every umami-filled bite of the KFC Flossy Crunch Chicken promises to evoke a sense of nostalgia within you, reminding you of the good old days where we used to enjoy adding chicken floss to everything. When you’re done chowing down on all that chicken, chances are you’ll be snacking on the chicken floss bits and licking the remnants off your fingers; it is that addictive.

The KFC Flossy Crunch Chicken is available in different meal bundles at all KFC restaurants except KFC Singapore Zoo.

A single Flossy Crunch Chicken costs just S$3.65, while a 2 pieces Flossy Crunch Chicken Meal (S$8.95) comes with 2 pieces of Flossy Crunch Chicken, 1 regular Whipped Potato, 1 regular Coleslaw and 1 regular SJORA® Mango Peach.

If you’re feeling a little more peckish, you can also opt to get the Flossy Crunch Chicken Box (S$10.95) which comes with 2 pieces of Flossy Crunch Chicken, 2 pieces of Hot & Crispy Tenders,1 regular Whipped Potato, 1 regular fries and 1 regular SJORA® Mango Peach.

For those of you who want to share this with a friend, get the 5 pieces Flossy Crunch Chicken Meal (S$19.55) which comes with 5 pieces Flossy Crunch Chicken, 2 regular Whipped Potato, 2 regular Coleslaw and 2 regular SJORA® Mango Peach. There is also the Flossy Crunch Family Feast (S$36.95) which comes with 8 pieces Flossy Crunch Chicken, 9 pieces of Nuggets, 2 medium Whipped Potato and 2 medium Coleslaw.

The KFC Flossy Crunch Chicken is available on KFC Delivery, dine-in and takeaway from 21 July 2020. Want to see what the floss is all about? Try it for yourself!

This post was brought to you by KFC Singapore. 

Carrot cakes and char kway teow are a dime a dozen in hawker centres. But, hidden from the spotlight are a few hawker foods that are slowly losing recognition among Singaporeans today.

Some of these hawker foods used to be thriving in our grandparents’ or parents’ generation but have gradually become endangered as more stalls give up passing on their legacies. But, we’re not going to just let them pass us by.

From rare Teochew kuehs to traditional Malay pancakes, we’ve dug up 8 vanishing hawker foods in Singapore you have to try before they’re gone forever and where to find them. Get a taste of your grandparents’ favourite dessert or your parent’s after-school snack!

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/chianghongkeat/

#1 BUBUR TERIGU

Resembling a paler-looking bubur hitam, the bubur terigu is a sweet wheat porridge. Boiled for at least an hour, the white wheat transforms into a sticky, gooey stew. It is usually sweetened with fragrant gula melaka and coconut milk to give it that extra oomph.

This traditional treat can be found stewing at a small handful of stalls such as Gong He Guan and Hua Jie Traditional Desserts.

Gong He Guan
28 Upper Cross St
Singapore 058337
Tel +65 6223 0562
Daily: 10.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

Hua Jie Traditional Desserts
17 Upper Boon Keng Rd, #01-70
Singapore 380017
Nearest Station: Boon Keng

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/pohcheukitchen/

#2 CHI KAK KUEH

Black sesame? Charcoal? Nope, it’s mugwort. Known as “chi kak kueh” or “shu ke kueh”, this Teochew snack features mugwort-infused skin stuffed with sweetened green bean paste. Similar to the more familiar ang ku kueh, it’s delightfully chewy on the outside.

Only a few stalls in Singapore make this rare type of kueh, such as Yan Seng Cooked Food and Poh Cheu Soon Kueh & Ang Ku Kueh.

Yan Seng Cooked Food
#01-313, Tekka Centre, 665 Buffalo Road
Singapore 210665
Tel +65 6314 0630
Daily: 6am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Little India

Poh Cheu Soon Kueh & Ang Ku Kueh
127 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-222
Singapore 150127
Tel +65 6276 2287
Mon – Sat: 8am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Queenstown

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/tonguedynasty/

#3 FUZHOU OYSTER CAKE

Resembling golden-brown UFOs, these Fuzhou oyster cakes are the perfect snack for when you’re craving a deep-fried indulgence. These flat discs are usually stuffed with oysters, minced pork, coriander and roasted peanuts. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these babies are super addictive.

You can find them at Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake and Fuzhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake.

Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake
1 Kadayanallur St, #01-05, Maxwell Food Centre
Singapore 069184
Mon – Sat: 9am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

Fuzhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake
166 Jln Besar, #02-34
Singapore 208877
Tel +65 8112 5286
Daily: 10am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Lavender

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/lee.belinda.98/

#4 NOI JI SUAN

The lotus seed version of tau suan, this traditional dessert is basically a sweet lotus seed porridge. The lotus seeds are cooked till soft and crumbly, but with slightly more bite as compared to that of mung beans. Cooking this dish involves a pretty laborious process of removing the pith of each seed, which is probably why it’s getting harder to find.

Thankfully, House of Dessert in Tampines Round Market and Food Centre are still dedicating themselves to whipping up a solid bowl of noi ji suan.

House of Dessert
137A Tampines Street 11, Tampines Round Market and Food Centre, #01-02
Singapore 522137
Tues – Wed: 7am – 3pm
Fri – Sun: 7am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Tampines West

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/chianghongkeat/

#5 PIG TROTTER JELLY

Maybe the name of this dish alone is enough to make some of you gag. We’re not gonna lie, pig trotter jelly definitely has an acquired taste. For those of you who have never tried it, expect chilled gelatinous pork trotter stew cut into bite-sized strips. It is usually dipped in vinegary chili sauce to balance out the heavy, meaty flavour.

This Teochew delicacy can be found at Lao Liang Pig Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat in Jalan Berseh Food Centre.

Lao Liang Pig Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat
166 Jalan Besar, Jalan Berseh Food Centre, #02-37
Singapore 208877
Tues – Sun: 11am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Jalan Besar

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/theburpcouple/

#6 ROTI KIRAI

Roti kirai translates into “net bread”, which is pretty self-explanatory when you look at the snack. It is traditionally served on special occasions such as birthdays and weddings.

Shaped like a tightly-woven lattice, this Malay dessert is made from flour, eggs, water and turmeric powder. It pairs wonderfully with curry but is delicious on its own too.

Get a taste of this delicacy at Roti Kirai Delights or Alimah’s Kitchen!

Roti Kirai Delights
851 Jurong West Street 81, #06-291
Singapore 640851
Tel +65 8498 5459
Mon – Fri: 12pm – 8pm
Sat – Sun: 12pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Pioneer

Alimah’s Kitchen
Block 2A Commonwealth Drive, Tanglin Halt Food Centre, #01-23
Singapore 141003
Nearest Station: Queenstown

#7 SWEET AND SALTY GLUTINOUS RICE

Most of us are probably familiar with lor mai kai and lotus leaf glutinous rice. But how about sweet and savoury glutinous rice? This type of glutinous rice was a breakfast staple in Singapore during the 1950s and 1960s, but has gradually lost its prominence in the hawker scene.

Loaded with stewed peanuts and fried shallots, the dish is irresistibly fragrant. The rice itself is chewy and sticky, with a good bite to it.

Millennium Glutinous Rice at Chinatown Complex Food Centre is the only one hawker stall which is known to be churning out this dish in Singapore.

Millennium Glutinous Rice
335 Smith St, #02-092, Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Singapore 050335
Mon – Sat: 7am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/goawaylobster/

#8 TAU KWA PAU

Char siew paus and tau sar paus have got nothing on the tau kwa pau. This rare gem sees deep fried tau kwa stuffed to the brim with a variety of ingredients — chopped fish cake, fried yam bits, hard-boiled egg and cucumber. Finished off with some thick savoury gravy, it makes for a really hearty meal.

Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau is the only stall left in Singapore that makes this delicious combo. Hurry down now to try this traditional delicacy before it goes extinct!

Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau
271 Onan Rd, Dunman Food Centre, #01-05
Singapore 424768
Tel +65 9488 7736
Tues – Sun: 8am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Eunos

Gluttons, prepare your stomachs for an intense feasting session as Twilight: Flea & Feast will be back again this year with a smorgasbord of scrumptious grub. Inspired by the weekend food markets in Australia, this much-anticipated event will house a tantalising array of street food from all around the world.

This year, you can look forward to stuffing your faces silly with goodies from over 50 Muslim-friendly stalls that will be selling an exciting selection of foods that include the likes of beef cubes, poke bowls and takoyaki.

After filling your bellies, take a break and head on over to the arcade zone and retail booths to take part in the many exciting activities available. You can also support some of our local talents who will be performing during the event.

Here is a peek of what you can expect this weekend!

FOOD 

There were a plethora of different food stalls here and we were completely spoilt for choice. We tried a few different items and here is what we thought about them.

MEAT MY MEAT 

Meat My Meat specialises in western grub such as Philly Cheesesteak (S$6) Cheezy Popcorn (S$5.50 and Poppy Cheezy Sandwich (S$6). We tried the Cheesesteak Fries (S$6.50) which featured tender beef chunks draped across a bed of golden brown fries and smothered in a generous amount of cheese. Each mouthful was packed full of umami and cheesy goodness and for the price point, it was really worth it.

THE FAB FIVE 

This simple, unassuming bowl of Classic Mac & Cheese (S$8) stole the show and was easily our favourite food item here. Each serving features spiral pasta drenched in a thick, cheesy sauce that managed to be flavourful yet not cloying at the same time.

Though S$8 may seem a little steep for Mac & Cheese, trust us when we say that it is worth every cent.

ODDBALLS  

Out of the 6 stalls we tried, this was an utter disappointment and a massive waste of money. The photos plastered across the storefront depicts a picture of a generous scoop of ice cream perched atop a crisp golden brown cone and topped with a creamy dollop of nicely scorched meringue.

In reality, we were served a sad scoop of ice cream that was so small that it could barely be seen from the top of the cone. We were hoping that the meringue would make up for the ice cream’s lack of size but instead were shocked and disappointed to see them squirt out a deflated, watery layer of meringue onto the top of our ice cream before carelessly torching it.

We tried the Lavender Honey flavour (S$8) and the ice cream itself was light and creamy with subtle hints of lavender and honey. It was honestly a huge shame because this stall had so much potential but it was completely wasted. We do hope that they buck up a little and start serving their customers proper, well-presented food before they disappoint more people.

SATAY UMMI BY LYDIA IZZATI

The queues for this stall were long and intense but we assure you that it is well worth it!

Lydia Izzati serves her satay without sticks in a brown paper box and each one is generously stuffed with chunks of succulent grilled meat that were well-marinated in a nutty, savoury suace. We ordered the chicken satay (S$7) and while the price point is a little steep, every cent is worth it and we can understand why people were willing to wait almost 20-minutes for a box of these ambrosial meats.

BROTI 

Broti specialises in massive drinks that can easily be shared amongst a group of 2 to 3 people. We got ourselves a Charcoal Matcha (S$4) that came in a gargantuan cup that was filled to the brim. The drink managed to be sweet without being too cloying and the earthy flavours of the matcha and charcoal thoroughly complemented each other.

JP KITCHEN 

JP Kitchen specialises in scrumptious takoyaki and Japanese oden. We had a go at their takoyaki and were not disappointed at all. You can order a box of either 5 or 10 takoyaki and we love how each takoyaki was plump and satisfyingly chewy. The dish was also enhanced by the spicy sauce that she doused the takoyaki in which provided the dish with a subtle amount of heat.

GAMES

Arcade-lovers will be thrilled to know that there are a whole array of games to partake in here at Twilight: Flea & Feast. You can look forward to classics such as Mario Kart, claw machines and Retrocade.

Kids will also enjoy the massive bouncy castle next to the arcade section!

SHOPPING 

Make sure that you have enough money in your pockets to check out some of the retail booths here. All booths are owned by local businesses, so support a homeboy out by purchasing a little something from these stalls! You can look forward to brands such as Soul Singapore, Knick Knack, Dainty Dangles and Twokitz.

LIVE MOVIE SCREENING

Tired after a hectic day of eating and shopping? Sit back, relax and watch one of the movies that they will be screening. You can look forward to popular shows such as Kung Fu Panda 3, Star Trek and Bumblebee.

Twilight: Flea & Feast
Suntec Convention Centre Hall 401 – 402
1 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore 039593
30 August to 1 September 2019
Nearest Station: Esplanade

Good food is what it is, but throw a few fancy words and overly exaggerated expressions into the mix and what do you get? Food that automatically sounds luxurious, extravagant and expensive.

Just for giggles, here are 8 local dishes that you would think costed a bomb if you didn’t know what they were before, based on corny expressions, overly pretentious descriptions and bombastic words.

PORRIDGE

Chinese risotto using short-grain Jasmine rice. Served with pickled vegetables, foraged nuts, cured hen’s egg and crispy, hand-rolled dough fritters.

SATAY

Skewers spice-marinated bovine, seared over roaring hot coals and accompanied with a viscous, tangy sauce of foraged nuts, garden-grown aromatics, spices and tropical pineapple.

BAK KUT TEH

Pork Rib, White Pepper & Pork Bone Consommé, Whole Garlic.

(Because nowadays it’s cooler to list down the ingredients of a dish rather than to give it a name.)

CHWEE KUEH

Upside-down, savoury pannacotta made of rice served with a dollop of braised radish, chilli paste and artfully stacked on wax paper.

CHAR KWAY TEOW

Smoky and savoury wok-fried flat rice noodles with sweetened dark sauce, hand-cracked farmed eggs, bean sprouts and sweet Chinese sausages.

ROTI JOHN

Seared French baguette topped with your choice of mutton or chicken, farmed eggs and delicately diced onions, served meat-side up and finished elegantly with lashings of artisanal tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

Gloriously robust slivers of free-range chickens, topped with a savoury sesame-accented brown sauce. Served with a trifecta of sauces and a bowl of fragrant steamed rice imbued with chicken fat and aromatics.

ROJAK

Handcrafted salad of cut-up fried dough fritters, prematurely-foraged mango, lashings of ginger flower, young turnip, green cucumber, pungent prawn paste and granulated peanuts.