Who: The brainchild of Singapore food maven K. F. Seetoh, with local partners J.J. Yulo (Pinoy Eats World) and Chef Him Uy de Baron (Ping Pong Diplomacy)
What: A Singapore-style hawker center selling various Singaporean food specialties.
When: Mall Hours (all day long) from 10 am to 10 pm
Where: 2nd Floor SM Megamall Building A, Mandaluyong City (above National Book Store)
How: Each stall is a self service one, but staff are friendly with some most eager to help you make decisions on what to order. Place is kept clean, meaning tables are cleaned promptly once a party leaves a table.
Most interesting dishes I liked:
Prawns and Tofu – Found at the Geylang Claypot Rice stall, the homemade tofu has great texture, and the sauce is rich and flavorful. Prawns are also cooked nicely. I usually eat this on its own but it would be wonderful with rice as well.
Satay – On my fourth visit, I discovered that beef satay is now available. Chicken or beef though, the skewers are flavorful and together with the lovely peanut sauce, are spicy delicious. A great snack order or a side dish for those who want to eat heavy. Pro Tip: Ask the stall to give you some of their free soup. It’s a slightly herbal broth that’s great to put onto your steamed rice.
White Carrot Cake – White carrot has a texture similar to Chinese radish cake and combined with egg and ikan bilis (crispy small fish), it is a nice albeit more subtly flavored than most of the fare, giving you an option to cool your taste buds a bit. If you like spice though, the sambal is very very good and absolutely great with the carrot cake. Try the black version too!
Sugarcane Juice – The Milo Dinosaur is the obvious, decadent choice for a drink, but I love sugarcane. Try it plain or with calamansi. I find it to be not overly sweet and refreshing, which is complementary because I tend to inhale a lot of the sambal (see above).
Why: Air conditioning is a plus factor and the staff is a lot more communicative and friendlier than in Singapore. Unless you regularly want to fly the 3 hours to SG, this is a great option. I’ll be back because I get cravings for hawker food regularly.
Deets: I visited the place 4 separate times, once during the press launch (where I did not pay for the food), twice alone where I paid for everything. The last time I visited, I was with another chef. We were recognized and were given a plate of beef satay to try. That plate was on the house, but we paid for everything else. I am also friends with both local partners.
