If you’ve been experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the closure of Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre since February, find solace in the fact that we’re slowly but surely approaching the end of May, when the renovation works will finally come to an end.
For those who can’t wait to sink your teeth into dishes by your favorite Tiong Bahru hawker, feel free to splurge on a lunch or dinner buffet at The Fullerton Bay Hotel’s restaurant, The Clifford Pier.
Granted, it’s a tad more expensive than the amount you’d pay at the food centre itself — but hey, sometimes delayed gratification just doesn’t work when it comes to the food we love.
Eight hawkers will be whipping up their signature plates over two weeks at the hotel — expect items like chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes) generously sprinkled with bits of fried chai poh (preserved radish) from Jian Bo Shui Kueh, fried radish chunks with scrambled eggs from Kampong Carrot Cake, bowls of Tiong Bahru Tau Suan topped with crispy hunks of you tiao (dough fritters), springy Tiong Bahru Lor Mee noodles in rich gravy, as well as handmade glutinous rice kueh by Tiong Bahru Teochew Kueh.
You’ll have to fork out $39 for the lunch buffet, with an additional $10 for each extra plate of Hainanese chicken rice, laksa, char kway teow or wagyu beef rendang you inhale (but honestly, you’re better off getting these typical local dishes for a fraction of its cost elsewhere). The dinner buffet will set you back $59, and it includes three more hawkers: Kim Fa Fishball and Minced Meat Noodle, HarriAnns and its array of handmade nonya kueh, and Tiong Bahru Fishball’s fishcake, ngoh hiang (five-spice meat rolls) and beancurd skins.
To eat your money’s worth, load up on other buffet items such as braised pork buns, chilli crab gravy with crispy man tou (steamed buns), and satay skewers.
The Tiong Bahru hawker pop-up is on from Apr 30-May 14, Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm & 6.30pm-10pm, Sat & Sun 6.30pm-10.30pm at The Clifford Pier, The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Lunch buffet $39, dinner buffet $59.
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