NOSTALGIA FOOD

Comfort food. You suddenly flashback to when you were a kid, the pops and sizzles of grandma’s old-fashion chicken can be heard from the kitchen, as you wait in anticipation at the dining room table. Your mouth waters as its succulent aroma travels through the air and into your nostrils. When we think of comfort food, we always think of food from the past and the things that we enjoyed eating as a kid, and slowly grew up with. It is the feeling of your soul being soothed.

In Singapore, there used to be many places where you can find good traditional food from all racial backgrounds. But as the country grows, some places had to make way for new buildings, including the eating places that we used to go. Although some of these places were once our favorite dine-out locations, it’s not the end. The stalls affected has relocated themselves to other places all around the country, and we are here to find out where these stalls have gone to.

Albert Street Prawn Noodle,

Old Airport Road Hawker Centre

Don’t be fooled, Albert Street Prawn Noodle isn’t located at Albert Street at all; or at least not anymore. This popular stall was the ‘epitome of succulent-cy’ as said by Irene Ang in the series ‘Food Porn.’ Being in service since 1963, Albert Street Prawn Noodle finally settled down in Old Airport Road near Dakota MRT Station.

Back then, the bowls of noodles that they sold were once only 20 cents, but, there are even some that goes up to $20 for their large Tiger Prawns now. After years and years go by, the flavors of some places tend to go bland. But for this stall, the flavor had actually improved. There are even 11 versions of their famous noodles now. Other than their must-try Prawn Noodles, it is highly recommended to try their Pacific Clam Noodles - the molluscs are cooked to perfection, making it soft and tender.

Warong Java,

539 Bedok North Street 3

Established in 1948, Warong Java first started out as a small shop house stall in Haji Road. But when modernization happened, it had to be demolished to make way for the new Golden Landmark Shopping Centre at that time.

They later made their way to Singapore’s very own Changi Airport’s staff canteen in 1987, and settled there till 2006. During their 19 years there, they made a name for themselves as one of the most popular stall in the entire airport. Many flock to the stall just to eat their famous Nasi Sambal Jenganan. It is known for its use of the freshest ingredients. Their unique blend of spices is still a secret till this day. Since the renovation started, Warong Java had shifted to various locations around Bedok, and has now settled down at 539 Bedok North Street 3.

Sabeena Indian Cuisine,

261 Waterloo Street

When people see Waterloo Street Sabeena Indian Cuisine, not many know the history about the stall. The place is now located in 262 Waterloo street or as the people of the past may call it ‘si beh lo’, which simply means ‘the forth road’ in Hokkien. Its location in the past was just a few meters away from where it is now. The place used to be a Sarabat stall, and was the perfect place to go to if you want to eat Mee Goreng, Mee Siam, Mee Rebus and most importantly, Indian Rojak. However, the place had to close down not long later in 1980, to make way for the current Singapore Management University (SMU).

And now, Sabeena Indian Cuisine’s Indian Rojak is back at 262 Waterloo Street, and still offers the same flavor as the one you fell in love with in the past. It comes with their unique sauce that will beat the traditional peanut sauces that you get at any regular stall.

Ali Nachia Briyani Dam Briyani,

5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza

Do you remember taking the KTM train (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) when you were a kid, to travel for a short getaway with your family to Malaysia, and entered the train station as though it is the royal palace? Before you embark on your journey, you would sit down in the small canteen. Many at that time would queue up right by the Dam Briyani store. There were even food lovers who would travel to the KTM train station just to get a taste of it.

What made their Briyani so popular is that, the owner, Mr Ali Latid, will take 2.5 hours to make the dish. His secret in creating the dish is to infuse the rice with the flavors of the meat and spices. Even though it seems to take a long time, it is definitely worth it.