Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre : time to say Goodbye

The decades-old Woodlands Town Centre is a border town for people passing through to Malaysia or to Singapore, though it may have lost its appeal after the relocation of Woodlands Bus Interchange in 1996. The sleepy Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre is still serving as a pit stop for travellers on both sides of causeway who yearns for a good value meal but it is going to be gone soon as the site has been acquired for the expansion of the Woodlands Checkpoint.

Now, it is time to rediscover this once bustling Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre to uncover those hidden gems before its relocation to Woodlands Street 12, which is about 10 minutes away, next to Woodlands Swimming Complex and beside the Woodlands Sports Hall.

NOVENA FISH SOUP  (#02-22)
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Saturdays)

This stall is manned by a friendly Uncle and is serving the Double Fish Bee Hoon Soup ($4/$5) which I ordered, it consists of boiled and fried fish with thick been hoon. You have the option to choose whether to add milk to your soup. There is also Sliced Fish Porridge ($3/$4), Seafood Soup ($4/$5), Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup ($4/$5) and Sesame Oil Chicken ($4) on their menu.

YAN JI SEAFOOD SOUP (#02-11)

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Yan Ji Seafood Soup has been around for more than 30 years. Their main outlet is at this food centre with a branch at Marsiling Lane. The prices for the seafood soup range from the normal one at $6 and $8 to those with crayfish or fish maw at $10 and $12, they also serve Braised Pork's Trotter at $7.00. Rice is available at 0.50 cents per bowl. The outlet is usually crowded during lunch and weekends, the waiting time could be as long as 45 minutes or even longer.

XIA MAN HERBAL SOUP (#02-26)

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Alternate Fridays)

This Herbal Duck Soup for just $5, is the popular item on their menu. It consists of a whole duck drumstick served in a bowl of intensified herbal soup. It has a distinctive taste of Chinese Angelica Root that is also known as Dang Gui. It must have been boiled for many hours for that intensive flavour and also for that perfectly cooked meat that was tender and not oily. Their Braised Pork Trotter ($4.50) is equally popular and sold out fast too.

MEI HANDMADE HAKKA YONG TAU FOO (#02-29)
Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 8.30 pm (Daily)

The stall owner if an elderly Uncle in his 60s and he is running this stall with his wife for the past 8 years in this food centre. Though no queue but there is always a constant flow of customers. It is not difficult to tell from those odd and uneven shapes that most of the items are handmade daily as early as 3.00 am before they start. Their steamed and fried meatballs are the must-try items there. 

HUA LI FRIED CARROT CAKE (#02-34)

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

This stall serves the white and the black fried carrot cake at $2.50, $3 and $4 and there is also fried oyster at $4, $6 and $8. Most of their customers will go for their fried carrot cake, both the white and the black version are equally popular. I have tried both and I would prefer the black carrot cake a bit more, particularly with extra chilli and preserved radish added. 

YE LAI XIANG LAKSA (#02-36)

Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Their Laksa is the popular item on their menu. It has an intense flavour of coconut milk that brought forth its creaminess and with the addition of dried shrimps to enhance its taste. It was served with slices of fishcake and tau pok together with a few cockles and a handful of bean sprouts. Though added with sambal chilli but its level of spiciness was still rather mild. Other than Laksa, they do serve Lor Mee, Prawn Mee and Fish Ball Mee too. The smaller portion for Laksa and Lor Mee is $3.00 and $3.50, the Lor Mee and Fish Ball Mee is $2.50 and $3.00.

AHSIA FOOD STALL (#02-76)
Operating Hours: 4.00 am to 10.00 am (Daily)

This is one of the stalls that are strongly recommended in this food centre. They are also likely to be the only stall that is serving their prata with special sardine gravy. When I was there for the first time at about 10.30 am, they have already sold out. Their plain prata costs 0.90 cents per piece and their sardine gravy is 0.60 cents. The sardine gravy has got a small chunk of sardine in it, it was a little spicy and slightly sweet likely from the tomato puree added. It tasted quite special though not particularly memorable.

LIAN XIANG SHU SHI (#02-38A)

Operating Hours: 5.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

This stall has a rather old signboard, a simple one with just their name on it. They are serving Fried Kway Teow at $2.50/$3.00 and Fried Hokkien Mee at $4.00. The smallest portion of Fried Kway Teow consists of evenly fried kway teow and yellow noodles served along with a few pieces of thinly sliced Chinese sausages, cockles, eggs and a few stalks of green together with a handful of beansprouts. It tasted simple and it is more savoury than sweet, though chilli was added but I could hardly taste it. The texture of kway teow and yellow noodles was just right, not overly soft nor too greasy.

JING JING (#02-07)

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Saturdays)

You could try the snacks from this stall while waiting for your order from Yan Kee Seafood Soup to be ready. Some of the most popular choices are fried carrot cake, spring roll, curry puff, goreng pisang and also their tapioca balls. The most interesting item to try is their tapioca balls that serve 3 balls on a stick. 

FU YUAN SUGARCANE DRINK (#02-37)

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 7.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Roselle Drink at just $1 is a must-order at this stall. This drink is known to have certain health benefits and it is also a refreshing thirst quencher. They also serve Logan Drink, Barley Drink, Lime Juice, Sugarcane Juice and also their special Cheng Tng that is served in a disposable tall plastic cup with the usual ingredients like sweet potato, barley, sago balls, dried longan and ginkgo seeds. 

WOODLANDS ROAD CENTRE FOOD CENTRE

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road Singapore 731005

Hua Li Fried Carrot Cake : black carrot cake is nice

This stall is manned by a couple, the wife would be the one taking the order, serving it as well as collecting the payment and the husband is behind the wok. They have a poster displayed at the front of their stall citing they have been voted to be the amongst top 10 best carrot cake in Singapore. You could choose between the white and the black fried carrot cake at $2.50, $3 and $4 or go for their fried oyster at $4, $6 and $8. I only managed to try the white and black fried carrot cake so far. I ordered the $3 portion of the white and also the black carrot cake. The white one seems to be their popular choice as the customer after me, ordered it too. 

The portion was good for $3, the nicely chopped up pieces of carrot cake were pan fried to a slight crispiness together with preserved radish and chilli then added in the beaten egg. When brought it close to my nose, I could actually smell the fragrance of preserved radish. Apparently, it did not taste as good as expected to be. To be fair, it was not too bad but it just happened not to be amongst the best that I have ever eaten. 

The black carrot cake is pan-fried with a good amount of dark sweet sauce for an added flavour. It did not seem to have as much egg added. It was good, in fact, I think it fared better than the white one. It could be easily one of the better black carrot cake that I have had. 

This is definitely worth a try if you happen to be here and is waiting for the seafood soup, this could be a tasty snack to go in between meals. 

HUA LI FRIED CARROT CAKE

4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-34 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 731004
Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Novena Fish Soup : a comforting choice

It was quite a while ago that I visited this food centre. This time, I went on a weekday during lunch and about half of the stalls were closed at that time. Most of the stalls here start as early as 4 am to cater to the working crowd and serve breakfast only. It was unexpectedly crowded during lunch but it was still easy to get a table. 

I wanted to have something from this stall but it was closed during the 2 occasions that I visited about a year ago. When approaching the stall, the Uncle saw me and asked, "What do you want to eat?". I replied, "Double Fish Bee Hoon Soup, the $5 portion." The Uncle then asked, "Do you want it with milk?" I asked, "What do you recommend?" The Uncle said, "If you take milk then just add it in." While he was cooking, I asked, "There used to be a stall in a coffee shop at Toa Payoh Lorong 8, right?" Uncle nodded, he said, "That coffee shop was sold away and we were forced to move. We have another 2 outlets. There is one at Admiralty and another one at Novena."

It was placed on my tray when it was ready. I passed a $5 note to Uncle and walked away with my tray but he called me then said, "Your change." I asked, "I thought I ordered the $5 portion?" Uncle smiled and said, "The rental is cheaper here." I did not pursue further. Maybe he just decided to charge me cheaper. 

It consists of a portion of thick bee hoon with 2 different types of fish, the fried and the boiled ones. Both were presented in thin slices and small pieces, it was also served along with some green then garnished with dried shallots. It did not taste too milky but with a slight ginger taste. The serving was quite small thus not too filling. 

It was a comforting choice, a simple yet satisfying lunch.

NOVENA FISH SOUP

4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-22 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 731004

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Saturdays)

Yan Ji Seafood Soup: As Good as It Gets

Yan Ji Seafood Soup has been around for more than 30 years and it is in the good hands of the 2nd generation now. Their main outlet is at Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre and they have just started a branch at Marsiling Lane in September 2014.

The prices for the seafood soup range from the normal one at $6 and $8 to those with crayfish or fish maw at $10 and $12, they also serve Braised Pork's Trotter at $7.00.  Rice is available at 0.50 cents per bowl.

The main outlet at Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre is usually crowded during lunch and weekends, the waiting time could be as long as 45 minutes or even longer. My usual order whenever i am there is their medium portion of seafood soup which consists of 3 medium sized prawns that are served together with those minced pork chunks and several pieces of dory fish in the broth.

The prawns were notably fresh, its meat was rather firm and it peeled off the shells quite easily. Those chunky pieces of minced meat were nicely seasoned with quite a distinct dried flat fish flavor and bits of mushroom embedded in it, its texture was quite tender. I did not like those pieces of dory fish too much and its taste did not quite stand out. The crayfish tasted equally fresh and sweet, it is an interesting option to have it with the seafood soup. The broth was full-bodied and rich with a distinct sweetness, derived from simmering quality ingredients like dried Hokkaido scallops in it.

YAN JI SEAFOOD SOUP 炎记海鲜汤

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-11 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre 

SINGAPORE 730004

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

It is located at the same HDB block with Sin Kee Seafood Soup but in a much quieter coffee shop at the other corner. Their menu is the same with their main outlet in Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre. I was there during lunch but unlike their other outlet, there was no queue at all. I ordered exactly the same thing, which is the medium portion of seafood soup at $8.00. 

It has also 3 pieces of medium sized prawns, few pieces of chunky minced meat and dory fish. It is more expansive as compared to the other 2 stalls in Marsiling Lane that is served with about the same portion at only $6.50 and that might the reason why there are most customers at the other 2 stalls. Though the ingredients were relatively fresh but the soup here was slightly clearer but less robust and not as flavorful as compared to their main outlet. 

YAN JI SEAFOOD SOUP 炎记海鲜汤

Block 19 Marsiling Lane #01-283 Broadway Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 739152

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Ahsia Food Stall : Roti Prata with Sardine Sauce

When i was compiling a list of must-try stalls at Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre for my recent article on MAKANSUTRA, this is one of stalls recommended to be included in the listing as they are really popular in this food centre. They are also likely to be the only stall serving their prata with their special sardine gravy. When i was there for the first time at about 10.30 am, they have already sold out. I was told that they usually sold out by 10.00 am. I made an effort to wake up early on the next day and managed to be there at about 9.30 am. I joined in the short queue and waited for just 5 minutes to be served. I ordered 2 plain prata at 0.90 cents and add in another 0.60 cents to have it with their special sardine gravy. 

While waiting for my order, i had a chat with the stall assistant and i was told that they sold out much earlier during the weekends, it could be 9.00 am or even earlier than that. I also chatted with a Malay couple that has been patronising this stall for decades. I was told that the stall is now manned by 2 stall assistants without the presence of the owner. The husband was telling me that the owner was hospitalised not too long ago and have not been around for a while. He shared that their standard for the prata and their sardine gravy used to be better although it is still good now. He also told me that some of their assistants have left and set up their stalls elsewhere but somehow it just did not taste as good especially for their sardine gravy and their stalls have closed down eventually.

Some of the reviews that i have read mentioned that it is their sardine gravy that actually made it special as their prata tasted just decent. As their regular customers, the husband and wife agreed to that. The husband shared that even though there is a drop in the standard for their prata but this stall is still handmade the dough and not using the factory made ones just like the other stalls in this food centre. One of the assistants was telling me that he has to be at the stall at 12.30 am in order to have those dough ready by 4 am.

The sardine gravy has got a small chunk of sardine in it, it was a little spicy and slightly sweet likely from the tomato puree added. It tasted quite special though not particularly memorable that will get me to make that effort to wake up early and travel for about 1 hour by MRT and bus to eat there too often.

AHSIA FOOD STALL

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-76 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre

SINGAPORE 731005

Operating Hours: 4.00 am to 10.00 am (Daily)

The Forgotten Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre

The decades old Woodlands Town Centre is a border town for people passing through to Malaysia or to Singapore. Though it may have lost its appeal after the relocation of Woodlands Bus Interchange in 1996 but the sleepy Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre is still serving as a pit stop for travellers on both sides of causeway who yearns for a good value meal. It is time to rediscover this once bustling Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre and read my article on MAKANSUTRA to find out which are those hidden gems there, waiting to be uncovered.

YAN JI SEAFOOD SOUP (#02-11)

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

XIA MAN HERBAL SOUP (#02-26)

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Alternate Thursdays)

MEI HANDMADE HAKKA YONG TAU FOO (#02-29)
Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 8.30 pm (Daily)

HUA LI FRIED CARROT CAKE (#02-34)

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

YE LAI XIANG LAKSA (#02-36)

Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

AHSIA FOOD STALL (#02-76)
Operating Hours: 4.00 am to 10.00 am (Daily)

FU YUAN SUGARCANE DRINK (#02-37)

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 7.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

WOODLANDS ROAD CENTRE FOOD CENTRE

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road Singapore 731005

Ye Lai Xiang Laksa : A Simple Taste

This was one of the stalls opened for an early lunch when i was there on a weekday. The food centre was rather quiet at that time and there was just another customer in front of me at this stall at that time. The younger man was asking what i want and the elderly man cooked it, it was done in just a couple of minutes before he served it to me.

I requested for yellow noodles and it was served in rather rich and thick gravy which is better than most of the other Laksa out there. I could also taste an intense flavor of coconut milk added to bring forth its creaminess and further enhanced by the dried shrimps added for an aromatic flavor. It was served with slices of fishcake and tau pok together with a few cockles and a handful of bean sprouts. Though added with sambal chilli but its spiciness was still rather mild.

It might not be the best tasting Laksa that i have ever eaten but it is amongst one of the most satisfying ones. It is definitely worth a try if you happen to be here for breakfast or lunch.

Other than Laksa, they do serve Lor Mee, Prawn Mee and Fish Ball Mee too. The smaller portion for Laksa and Lor Mee is $3.00 and $3.50, the Lor Mee and Fish Ball Mee is $2.50 and $3.00.

YE LAI XIANG LAKSA

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-36 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre

SINGAPORE 731005

Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Lian Xiang Shu Shi : Old-fashioned Fried Kway Teow

My attention was caught by their really old signboard, a rather simple one with just their stall name on it which we do not get to see it much these days. It was still early in the morning and i was the only customer then. I approached the Uncle to order a small portion of Fried Kway Teow at just $2.50 and the larger portion is available at $3. We do not usually get such prices these days as a regular plate of fried kway teow is starting from $3 onward with little ingredients added. They do serve Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at $4 too. I seated at a table near to the stall and waiting for it to be served and i got it in about 5 minutes.

A substantial portion of evenly fried kway teow and yellow noodles was served along with a few pieces of thinly sliced Chinese sausages, cockles, eggs and few stalks of green together with a handful of beansprouts. I actually liked how it tasted, it is more savory than sweet as the sweetness of the dark sweet sauce was rather well-balanced. Though chilli was added but i could hardly taste it. The texture of kway teow and yellow noodles was just right, not overly soft nor too greasy.

This might not be the best fried kway teow that i ever tasted but it has got a homely taste that warmth my heart. This is worth the try if you are here and looking for something to eat.

LIAN XIANG SHU SHI

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-38A Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre

SINGAPORE 731005

Jing Jing 晶晶点心

You could try the snacks from this stall if you happen to order from Yan Kee Seafood Soup and you have to wait at least 45 minutes for your order. I have tried a few though they were not particularly interesting nor tasty but it is good to keep you occupied and have something to munch while waiting for the seafood soup to be served. In fact, if you walk around, you will take notice that many of the tables particularly those near the seafood soup stall actually ordered some snacks from this stall. 

Some of the most popular choices are fried carrot cake, spring roll, curry puff, goreng pisang and also their tapioca balls.

Amongst the few that i have tried i do like those tapioca balls on stick. They made an effort to make the tapioca into the ball-shaped then fried and skewering it. I would think it is an interesting way  to present it and it does make it taste better that way.

JING JING 晶晶点心

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-07 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre 

SINGAPORE 731005

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Mei Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo 美手工客家酿豆腐 at Woodlands

The food centre was rather quiet on a Sunday with most than half of the stalls were closed. After placing my taking away orders at the Yan Ji Seafood Soup, i went walking around to look for other choices for lunch as i did not want to wait for at least 45 minutes to eat as that was the expected waiting time at the Yan Ji Seafood Soup.

This stall caught my attention with quite a few of those awards and certifications prominently displayed and amongst them, one has even listed them as serving one of the best Yong Tau Foo in Singapore. Though no queue but there was a constant flow of customers so i guess they must be of certain standard. When looking at their Yong Tau Fu items, it is not difficult to tell from its odd and uneven shapes that most of them were handmade.

The owner is an elderly Uncle in his 60s. We started chatting in Hokkien. When i pointed to those awards displayed, Uncle chuckled and said, "All of those ah? Kelong ones la!".  His eyes sparkled with pride when he was saying that. 'Kelong' is a term usually used in Singapore and Malaysia to indicate cheating to achieve an objective by non-appropriate means. They have moved to this food centre for about 8 years now but Uncle has been at it since a teenager.

Uncle was all alone at the stall when i was there so i asked whether is he running the stall all by himself, he said, "I am doing it with my Zha Bo Lang (查某人)". Uncle was calling his wife as my woman, which is the meaning of Zha Bo Lang in Hokkien. I could not quite remember when was the last time when i encountered a man that is still proudly referred his wife as my woman. My late Grandpa used to do that too.

Uncle said, "We are usually at the stall at about 3 am to do all the preparations and we will also start selling by then too." He said his wife will come to take over later so he can go back to have a nap and they operate till about 8.00 pm.

Uncle told me that they handmade most of the items themselves, he said, "We could not make too many at a time, this is to ensure their freshness and also to avoid them from turning bad". Though most of these are the standard items that are commonly available at most Yong Tau Fu stalls but those from this stall are mostly painstakingly handmade.

Uncle said, "It is getting difficult to find the handmade Yong Tau Fu these days, a lot of hard works involved so many stalls have already given up and acquired these items from the factory instead." He continued to say, "The handmade and the factory made ones tasted quite different but again, not many of the younger generation could actually tell the difference."

Uncle was telling me that his most popular items are those handmade meatballs, he said, 'You do not get these anywhere else.' There were 2 different types of meatballs, the fried one and the steamed one, both tasted equally good.

I wanted to have yellow noodles to go with my Yong Tau Foo, Uncle asked. "Extra chilli with a bit of sweet sauce? it has to go with sweet sauce then is nice."

Most of the items tasted really fresh with not a bite of stale taste detected. Though a lot of chilli was added but the level of spiciness is quite mild and the sweetness from the sweet sauce enhanced its flavor quite a bit. It was quite enjoyable and easily one of the better Yong Tau Fu that i have eaten.

One of his regular customers was telling me, he said, "You should try the Laksa here, it is very good". Uncle said, "I added lemongrass into it and that is the key".  I told Uncle that i will come back for his Laksa soon. 

With many of the first and second generation hawkers went into retirement, many of the foods did not actually taste quite the same anymore. 

美手工客家酿豆腐 
Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-29 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre
SINGAPORE 731004
Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 8.00 pm