Supper guide: North and West SG
Supper in Singapore is practically a mandatory fourth meal of the day, and what’s impressive is how folks are willing to scour the island, just for good late-night eats. We stayed up in the line of duty to uncover Singapore’s eating out gems. Read on for your guide to the West and North! For a food guide to the East of Singapore, head here.
West
If you thought the remote West was all industrial estates, university campuses, and merely your gateway to the land of everything cheap aka Malaysia, think again. Westies swear by their supper spots, and if there’s one that you have to know, it’s Al-Azhar Eating Restaurant (11 Cheong Chin Nam Road). Choose good ol’ prata, naan paired with side dishes like paneer and tikka, or try their noodles. Our westie Honeygal is a huge fan of their kway teow goreng pattaya style, where the fried noodles are sinfully wrapped in a thick blanket of egg omelette.
Keep in mind not to mistake Al-Azhar for Al-Ameen Eating House (2-4 Cheong Chin Nam Road), a few units away, which doesn’t quite cut it for top spot due to its slower service and smaller space. But if Al-Azhar is packed (which is often), Al-Ameen is your next best bet.
Oriental taste-buds can head over to Joo Seng Teochew Porridge (14 Cheong Chin Nam Road) for a bowl of comfort grub. Gathering more pals for this is a good idea, so that you can order up a whole bunch of side dishes (from the slew on display) to share.
Food centres make good options for supper as well; you can grab a plate of Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak (#01-06), a hot favourite from Boon Lay Place Food Centre (221B Boon Lay Place), even at 2am, while Bukit Timah Food Centre (116 Upper Bukit Timah Road) offers a slew of supper bites (though they tend to close earlier by 1030pm).
He Zhong Carrot Cake (#02-185) poses a strong contender for best white carrot cake in the West, while char kway teow addicts are more than willing to stand in line for Xin Heng Fried Kway Teow (#02-181). Another supper staple is hokkien mee, and you’ll find that Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (#02-175) serves up a superb plate.
2am Dessert Bar
Not only is Holland Village a great place for dinner, their supper options are definitely worth a mention too. If you’re like us and never say never to dessert, even at 2am, you’ll agree that 2am Dessert Bar (21A Lorong Liput) is heaven-sent. Chef Janice Wong aka Asia’s Best Pastry Chef at San Pellegrino 2013 will blow you away with her top-class desserts, which sometimes seem too gorgeous to devour.
While you’re in the neighbourhood, and feeling darn famished, hit up Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (241 Holland Avenue) for their steamboat and xiao long bao buffet (last slot around 10pm). If this does not satisfy your hunger pangs, we don’t know what will.
Who says you can’t have breakfast for supper? That’s actually how the folks in the West like it. Ah Lian Bee Hoon (179 Kopitiam), near Pioneer MRT, perpetually has a queue due to its immense popularity amongst students living on Nanyang Technological University’s campus. The Cheese Prata Shop (18 Clementi Road) is another hit with students, especially the ones from nearby National University of Singapore. So, you know where to go if you wanna feel like you’re in college again.
For more breakfast-for-supper grub (and respite from the crowds and sweltering heat), JCube’s Kung Fu Paradise stays open past midnight daily. Time for some late-night dim sum and a glass of ice milk tea!
North
The battle for the honours of best nasi lemak in Singapore is fierce in this part of the island – Chong Pang Nasi Lemak (447 Sembawang Road) and Ponggol Nasi Lemak (965 Upper Serangoon Road) each have their groupie camps, and we’re not going to take sides here (or more like we can’t decide). Rivalry aside, both are really good.
Neighbours with Ponggol Nasi Lemak; Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Mee (965 Upper Serangoon Road) is another supper spot you’ve got to jot in your black books. The sambal chilli is a real stand-out; its punchy spiciness perfectly complements the stir-fried noodles.
Folks in Kovan have it good, not only do they have the option of the famous value-for-money Ah Seah Teochew Porridge (9 Yio Chu Kang Road), Simon Road is home to a host of alternative supper grub!
Lola’s Cafe
Lola’s Café (5 Simon Road) opens till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and you can pair their signature desserts with a bottle of craft beer or glass of new world wine. Housed on the same stretch of shop houses; Joe’s Corner Café & Bar (25 Simon Road) dishes out reasonably-priced Western cuisine all the way till midnight. Sweet tooths should make a beeline to Ice Edge Cafe (2 Kovan Road), where their waffles and gelato are a real winner.
When you think of legendary prata shops, Thasevi Famous Jalan Kayu Prata (237/239 Jalan Kayu) definitely pops up. Masters in crispy-style prata; Thasevi still draws a loyal crowd, though some may argue that the standard isn’t as stellar as their early years.
If you’re in the Sembawang area, perhaps for a bout of karaoke at Sembawang Shopping Centre, D’ Rubinah Restaurant Thai Muslim & Seafood (592 Sembawang Road) is your answer to delish thosai and prata in the neighbourhood.
So, that wraps up our exploration of the west and north regions in Singapore. Look out for the next edition, which will cover our late-night foodie adventures in the East. Happy suppering!