Sparklette Magazine » ABC Market

ABC Market: Nasi Ayam Geylang Serai – Colourful Ayam Penyet & Mee Rebus

Veron Ang — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:00:04 +0000

With the amount of good food available and abundant seating since the 2006 revamp, ABC Market has remained one of the more popular hawker centres in Singapore. Just hop into a cab and tell the driver “ABC Market”. Any cab driver worth his salt would immediately know where to take you.

There are a few stalls that I highly recommend, such as the Wow Wow West western food and Gu Zao Ren Taiwan Porridge.

From the Muslim section, one stall that I frequent is Nasi Ayam Geylang Serai. Ever since my favourite ayam penyet stall closed/moved, this is where I get my fix of smashed fried chicken when a craving strikes.

Ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken)
S$~~3.50~~ 4
Rating:

Ayam penyet has gained popularity here in the past few years, thanks in part to the Indonesian stalls at Lucky Plaza. With the fried chicken deliberately smashed, the flesh comes off the bone easily. It is served with lime, tomato and an enticing pool of hot chilli sauce that possesses just enough pizzazz to intensify your palatable pleasure without sending it into a tailspin. The crispy skin, though undeniably sinful, is no doubt the best part of this dish.

Served alongside is the obligatory plate of rice, paired with a colourful array of keropok (fried crackers). They say the first bite is taken with the eye. The multitude of colours, along with the plate that is fringed with red hibiscus flowers certainly brighten up one’s day! I have had ayam penyet many times before, but it’s the first time that I’ve seen the accompanying rice presented in such a colourful way.

Mee rebus (boiled noodles in sweet potato gravy)
S$2.50
Rating:

The same stall also sells a range of other Malay dishes such as mee rebus, a satisfying noodle dish comprising of piping hot sweet potato gravy with fried bean curd, bean sprouts, green chilli and egg. It comes with pieces of beef for some added wholesomeness.

If you frequent ABC Market, do let me know if any other stall here catches your fancy!

Have Your Say!

Which hawker centres do you frequent in Singapore? What are your favourite hawker food? Share with us in the comments!

Nasi Ayam Geylang Serai ( )
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-07
Singapore 150006

Bus services: 123, 14, 147, 153, 196, 197, 198, 855, 961
Nearest MRT: Redhill

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ABC Market: Wow Wow West – Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It

Veron Ang — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:40:02 +0000

Not long ago, I had recommended Wow Wow West to a friend who intended to check out ABC Market. This is one of the best Western food hawker stalls I have ever come across, along with Botak Jones and Charco’s. At Wow Wow West, you would get your fix of Western favourites such as chicken cutlets, pork chops, wings, steaks, and cheese sausages.

The boss himself is a kind-hearted man who should be an ambassador for the Yellow Ribbon Project. He hires and trains ex-convicts exclusively as his stall assistants. You may recognise him by his frequent interviews by the press for helping these individuals get a new lease of life. Bravo!

His giving spirit also shows in his food servings — very generous! I’m not sure if they are meant to be American-sized portions but they’re all huge. I think the most important thing here is that not only do you get much bang for your buck, all the food tastes marvellous. And I mean all of it — salad, beans, fries and all.

Chicken chop
S$5 6
Rating:

Each dish comes with huge portions of crinkle-cut fries, beans and salad. The salad dressing in particular is delightfully sweet-tasting and pretty damn good. And with this coming from a vegetable hater, you know it’s really, really good.

The chicken chop consists of a cut of chicken that is so ample it almost fills up the entire plate! The meat is lightly marinated, and drenched in a tasty black pepper sauce that lends much flavour.

I also like that the stall serves chilli sauce in bottles instead of the packet kind that you get at fast-food restaurants and certain other hawker stalls. Hawker stalls tend to give just two packets per customer, which is barely enough for a heavy chilli eater like myself. And when you ask for more the hawker nags at you.

Beef steak
S$6
Rating:

Steak lovers can rejoice as a succulent slab of your favourite meat would only set you back by 6 bucks. Similarly drenched in a pepper sauce, a well done steak turns out tender and juicy.

Despite the stall occupying a remote corner unit of the food centre, business is perpetually brisk, which speaks volumes about the food. If you visit them during the evening chow hours, chances are you would be vying with dozens of other waiting customers. When I tried to order a deep-fried chicken cutlet, I was told that I would have to endure a half-hour wait. That’s why I went for the chicken chop instead, which turned out to be an excellent and slightly healthier choice.

Wow Wow West
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-133
Singapore 150006
Tel: +65 9380 8571

Bus services: 123, 14, 147, 153, 196, 197, 198, 855, 961
Nearest MRT: Redhill

Opening hours: 11am – 8pm (Closed on Sundays)

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http://sparklette.net/food/wow-wow-west/ | 7 comments

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Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice – Chickalicious!

Veron Ang — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:40:57 +0000

It’s no secret that Singaporeans love Hainanese chicken rice. In fact we love it so much, we introduce it everywhere. It’s almost impossible to go to a hawker centre or a food court and not find a chicken rice stall.

The humble plate of Hainanese chicken rice has even found its way onto the menus of luxurious hotel restaurants, Singapore airlines flights and also the Singapore food sampler given to tourists during the Singapore Food Festival. It’s, like, an unofficial national dish! Ironically it still is Hainanese chicken rice, except that overtime we’ve created our own Singaporean rendition of the dish.

With its prevalence also comes the debate on where you would find the best Hainanese chicken rice in town. A personal favourite for my Mom and I is Tong Fong Fatt. Having had my fair share of chicken rice at the well-known Boon Tong Kee chain, Tian Tian, or even the $21 chicken rice at Chatterbox of Meritus Mandarin Hotel, the only one that gives me cravings is Tong Fong Fatt. How about you?

Hainanese boneless chicken rice
Rating:

To minimise the sinfulness of eating this oily dish, we would always ask for the skinless and less fattening breast meat. In general, the flesh from the chicken breast tends to be tougher, but the one here is very tender! What you see above is $6 worth of meat. A standard plate of chicken rice here would set you back by $2.50.

The thing we love most is the flavoursome sesame oil mixture that the chicken is drenched in. For me, this is the thing that gives the chicken its golden star. It’s a very fragrant, a little salty and a little sweet mixture. Each time I order the chicken I would simply throw all caution to the wind and indulge myself in this oily, calorific, but oh-so-yummilicious soupy mixture.

One time, the chicken rice seller who was chopping his chicken saw me scooping the sesame oil mixture onto my rice greedily. Without a word, he put down his meat cleaver, came out and topped up our plate with more of the delicious sesame oil mixture! Yummy!!

The rice itself is extremely fragrant (and oily) and even the soup is tasty too. I also love having the dark soy sauce and chilli sauce — both of these — to go with my rice.

A trademark of the stall is the row of chicken carcasses that is displayed prominently in the glass cabinet, a clear testament of a good day at business.

Have Your Say!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

For you, what’s your favourite Hainanese chicken rice stall?

Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
- ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre #01-32
- Amoy Street Food Centre
- Maxwell Food Centre

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ABC Market: Yong Kee Famous Fishball Noodle – Firm, Springy Balls

Veron Ang — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:08:26 +0000

Yong kee famous fishball noodle at ABC Market is famous for a good reason. With a history stretching 24 years, the hardworking husband-and-wife team running the stall sure have perfected their recipe for their bestselling fishball noodle.

Don’t let this humble dish fool you — it packs a punch! The secret lies in the handmade fishballs. A chat with the lady boss revealed that her husband travels to a factory in old airport road everyday to make fresh batches of fishballs.

These fishballs are made from fresh fish. True to her word, you wouldn’t get the kind of flour-taste in those frozen fish or sotong (calamari) balls from the supermarket. You can really taste the freshness of the fish, without the slightest hint of the fishy stench. The texture is firm and springy too!

Fishball Noodle
S$3/4
Rating:

Each bowl comes at the price of 3 dollars, or 4 for a bigger portion. For the noodle, you have the option of thin noodles or mee pok (flat noodle), dry or soupy. My Mom and I prefer the dry version, where we can add in a lot of chilli sauce (also handmade). The process of mixing chilli sauce by tossing and turning the noodles with our chopsticks is strangely satisfying!

If the mixture gets too dry or spicy, you can seek relief from the bowl of soup that comes with the noodle! As the soup is made from the fishball stock, it is extremely flavourful and sweet with the fishball taste.

Bak Chor Mee (Minced pork noodle)
S$3/4
Rating:

Want more options? Go for the similarly-priced bak chor mee (minced pork noodle). This tastes very different from the fishball noodle. The lady boss assured us that no frozen meat is used, and even showed us the mushrooms used in the dish. They’re huge all right! So what you get here are really the top-notch ingredients!

Despite being just one of the dozen or so stalls selling noodles at ABC Market (situated right beside another fishball noodle stall, no less!), yong kee never fails to garner a steady flow of customers.

When you first visit this stall, the first thing that strikes you would be the brightly lit stall front. It’s purple, just like the bowls they use. Press clippings, media features and photos of celebrities that have previously patronised the stall are displayed prominently.

This is one stall that’s hard to miss. And there’s no reason why anyone should.

Yong Kee Famous Fishball Noodle
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-121
Singapore 150006

Bus services: 123, 14, 147, 153, 196, 197, 198, 855, 961
Nearest MRT: Redhill

Opening hours: 7am – 2am (Daily)

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http://sparklette.net/food/yong-kee-fishball-noodle/ | 6 comments

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ABC Market: Fatty Cheong – Fatty’s Got His Char Siew Right!

Veron Ang — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:53:54 +0000

It’s a great convenience to live in a place where you have regular access to cheap and good food. I am sure many of you have visited ABC Market before, and I think you would agree that it is a treasure cove of yummies! I can practically eat here everyday and not get sick of the food. There are just so many options!

Some of my personal favourites include ayam penyet, Muslim satay, Western food, Chinese rojak, Hainanese chicken rice, zi char and you tiao. But right now, I’m just going to feature one of the stalls that I frequent…

Fatty Cheong! Ain’t that a catchy name? If you love char siew (barbecued pork) or wanton mee (noodle with Chinese dumpling), you would love Fatty Cheong! He does a kickin’ rendition of the dish and tops it off with the best char siew in town!

Wanton Mee (noodle with Chinese dumpling)
S$2.50
Rating:

See how the meat glistens? Okay, I know I’ve mentioned many times before that I don’t eat pork. But I admit I do cheat on occasion when I eat wanton mee, since it tends to come with char siew. Furthermore, this is said to be the best char siew in Singapore! How can anyone say no?

Unlike many places that serve char siew in thin, skimpy slices, what you get here is the real deal — thick and generous cuts of tender char siew, roasted to perfection with the right amount of charred bits. The meat tastes marvellous after being dipped in a sweet and yummy sauce. It is the real star of this wanton mee dish.

The chilli sauce is very tasty too. I would scoop a big heap of it onto my plate each time. As for the wanton, I do prefer the deep-fried ones from Pontian Wanton Mee, although the two soupy wanton you get here are pretty good too.

Dumpling soup
S$2.50 for 5 dumplings
Rating:

If that’s not enough, there are bigger-sized dumplings that you can order as a side dish, each one containing a large chunk of juicy prawn! Yum!

Out of the half dozen or so wanton mee stalls at ABC Market, Fatty Cheong is the one that truly stands out (to me anyway). I heard he does a mean roast duck too!

Word has it that Fatty Cheong himself used to be slim when he first opened the stall 15 years ago. He named it “Fatty Cheong” anyway. But with such good food that he churns out, he did eventually live up to his own name, literally!

Fatty Cheong
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-120
Singapore 150006
Tel: +65 9882 4849 / +65 9428 1983

Bus services: 123, 14, 147, 153, 196, 197, 198, 855, 961
Nearest MRT: Redhill

Opening hours: 11am – 8pm (Closed on Thursdays)

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http://sparklette.net/food/fatty-cheong/ | 11 comments

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ABC Market: Y.R.A. Aspirasa – Awesome Ayam Penyet! [Closed]

Veron Ang — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:11:10 +0000

Ever since I’ve been back from Japan, I have been eating ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken) almost everyday! What’s even more amazing is that I’m buying it from the same stall all the time. This particular ayam penyet stall is THAT awesome.

Ayam penyet is a popular rice dish found at most hawker centres. The chicken is deliberately smashed with a wooden mallet after deep-frying, apparently to loosen the meat from the bone.

Ayam Penyet (Smashed Fried Chicken)
S$4
Rating:

After my disappointment at Ayam Penyet Ria (the Indonesian restaurant at Lucky Plaza that just about everyone is raving about), I have become rather wary about trying this dish; I am afraid the chicken would turn out to be too dry and hence inedible!

But this particular stall consistently churns out an awesome ayam penyet! Not only is the chicken tender and juicy, along with the sinfully crispy skin, it also comes with a generous amount of super tasty chilli sauce! Even as I’m perspiring from the spiciness, I would still ask for more chilli because it’s just so shiok!

You know what’s the best part?

This stall is right at my doorstep! Haha! Bet you didn’t see that coming! It’s Y.R.A. Aspirasa located at ABC Market. Aside from ayam penyet they also sell numerous other ayam dishes. I’ve tried their ayam sambal, which was almost as good.

And if you go there on an evening, there’s a good chance you would catch me there too. Lol!

Note that there are a few stalls at ABC Market selling ayam penyet. So please make sure you go to the correct stall!

Y.R.A. Aspirasa ( )
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-04
Singapore 150006

Bus services: 123, 14, 147, 153, 196, 197, 198, 855, 961
Nearest MRT: Redhill

Opening hours: 10am – 10pm daily

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/yra-aspirasa/ | 30 comments

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ABC Market: Gu Zao Ren Seafood Taiwan Porridge – Don’t Underestimate the Porridge

Veron Ang — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 04:51:05 +0000

When it comes to casual family dinners at ABC Market, one stall that always comes to mind is Gu Zao Ren Seafood Taiwan Porridge. They serve consistently good and reasonably priced dishes, which is the reason why we have been frequenting them for years!

As its name suggests, customers are offered a choice of porridge in addition to rice. The porridge is served with tapioca!

Anyway, here’s a sampling of some of our favourite dishes.

Sze-Chuan Chicken with Dry Chili
S$7 onwards
Rating:

There’s the flavourful sze-chuan chicken with dry chilli, a dish more commonly known by its Chinese name, “gong bao ji ding”.

Fried Kang Kong Belachan
S$5 onwards
Rating:

Fried kang kong belachan. I’m hardly a vegetable lover so for me to actually like a vegetable dish, it has to be really good!

Sweet & Sour Sliced Fish
S$7 onwards
Rating:

Sweet and sour sliced fish. Now, this is one dish that truly gives you value for money. For just 7 dollars (used to be 6), you are given a generous serving of fish! The lousy photo I took depicting mostly vegetables simply doesn’t do it justice.

Gu Zao Ren Seafood Taiwan Porridge
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-142/143
Singapore 150006
Tel: +65 6276 5412 / +65 9090 8655 / +65 9739 6839

Bus services: 123, 14, 147, 153, 196, 197, 198, 855, 961
Nearest MRT: Redhill

Opening hours: 5pm – 1am (Closed on alternate Tuesdays)

News updates

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Runner-up for “Best Hawker Stall”

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/gu-zao-ren/ | 10 comments

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Sparklette Magazine » ABC Market

ABC Market: Nasi Ayam Geylang Serai – Colourful Ayam Penyet & Mee Rebus

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ABC Market: Wow Wow West – Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It

Tong Fong Fatt Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice – Chickalicious!

ABC Market: Yong Kee Famous Fishball Noodle – Firm, Springy Balls

ABC Market: Fatty Cheong – Fatty’s Got His Char Siew Right!

ABC Market: Y.R.A. Aspirasa – Awesome Ayam Penyet! [Closed]

ABC Market: Gu Zao Ren Seafood Taiwan Porridge – Don’t Underestimate the Porridge