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Tanjong Pagar Railway Station – Malaysian Food in Singapore

Rating:

By Veron Ang

As sinful as it is, satay (meat skewers) is one type of food I can never resist. I get my regular fix of chicken satay from the best satay stall at Lau Pa Sat. Besides the fact that it serves the best satay I’ve ever had in Singapore, the open-air dining also keeps me coming back for more.

Do you know that there’s another satay place in town that shares a very similar open-air dining concept? In fact it’s very near Lau Pa Sat, at the aged but still functioning Malaysia-owned Tanjong Pagar Railway Station!

How often do I ride the railway? Almost never! Only very recently have I heard of the dining area within the railway station. This part of the station is not exactly visible from the main road. If someone hadn’t told me about it, I would never have known that it existed!

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
Photo by scyll24

There are a few canteens and food courts within the station with mostly Muslim stalls. After all, this whole place, as well as the land it sits on, is owned by Malaysia.

Outdoor dining at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Like Lau Pa Sat, a street by the side of the station is catered for outdoor dining. Indoor seating is available too, but personally I find greater enjoyment in dining under the stars!

Satay seller at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

I spot the lone satay man plying his trade in one corner, and excitedly order a few sticks from him (a few just in case the food isn’t too yummy). I don’t have to wait long.

Satay (meat skewers)

Satay (meat skewers)
S$0.50 per stick
Rating:

The food sure seems promising! The glazed chicken meat looks extra juicy, too! But alas, both the meat and peanut gravy turn out to be really bland! You can probably tell from the picture that the gravy is extremely watered down. Argh!

What a shame. After hearing a couple of people proclaiming this to be the best satay in town, I am rather disappointed!

In the end, I got my yummy satay after all — back at Lau Pa Sat!

Nonetheless, I must say that dining in such a casual alfresco setting is pretty cool. It makes you feel like you’re right in Malaysia (without having to actually be there)!

(Update on September 4, 2009: after paying another visit to this railway station, it seems that the outdoor seating is no longer available!)

Satay stall (no name) (

)
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
30 Keppel Road
Singapore 089059

Bus services: 10, 30, 57, 80, 97, 100, 131, 145, 97E
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

Tags: dinner, Halal, hawker centre, lunch, Malay, satay, Singaporean, Tanjong Pagar

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

yanni
4 comments

can i link you up? actually i visited your blog quite often.. until one day at home, my ip address was block.. no idea why.. i can only visit your blog at work.
btw, good malay stalls most of the time slack…
Reply
Posted October 10, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Putera Emas
2 comments

Been there once. I don’t really like the place.
Reply
Posted October 10, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Josh Lim
2 comments

You should venture a little further…go past the train station and come up to Malaysia and try the real thing – Kajang Satay! :) You won’t be dissapointed – I’ll take you there personally if you drop by. Hehe!
Reply
Posted October 10, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Uncle Killer Killer
3 comments

I see me!
Reply
Posted October 10, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Veron
3439 comments

yanni: Oh no. The IP address may have gotten caught in my banned list. Let me see what I can do. I have sent you an email already. Anyway, do feel free to link up! Thanks so much!
Putera Emas: I may still give it a try. I really like the laid back feel of eating there.
Josh Lim: Ah! That sounds like a long way to travel for satay! Tempting offer though.
Uncle Killer Killer: Congrats! You win… nothing. *screams at your nick*
Reply
Posted October 10, 2007 at 11:03 pm
yanni
4 comments

i can view your blog from home already!!! :) i have replied your email and i linked u up u know. can right? :) gd night!
Reply
Posted October 10, 2007 at 11:45 pm
CJ CamPO™
5 comments

moral of the story: if u really wanna enjoy real savoury satay in town, head nowhere else except for lau pa sat haha
Reply
Posted October 11, 2007 at 11:28 am
Kimmie
1 comment

Hi there :p heard about your blog thur the bilingual 88.3radio station sometime back… i must say it’s really a good recommendation!
i just read about your Dallas trip… abt u starting a smile campaign… cool! we really need it!
lastly, do u work out at vivo city’s planet fitness? coz i saw a gal who was really smiley a couple of weeks back.. and she looked like u!
Reply
Posted October 13, 2007 at 1:14 am
merv
38 comments

There’s a stall at east coast that serves really good satay. I’d say that would be the best in Singapore hehe =P
Never knew there was things to eat in that old shabby station =P
Reply
Posted October 13, 2007 at 2:17 am
J
7 comments

mic test.. i mean PC test.. (hope this get thru..)
satay bk in my place is really good too.. 1 of the key element is in the dip.. the peanut sauce thingy.. Nice..
Reply
Posted October 15, 2007 at 7:55 pm