Make a turn as you get out of Tanjong Pagar MRT station control, and you will find yourself in a Gourmet’s Haven.
Tanjong Pagar Centre, directly connected to the MRT station, is home to a wide range of new restaurants and cafes. Time to check it out, if you have yet to discover this place.
There are several new-to-market brands which already attracted some attention, including the first overseas Japan Rail Café, Hattendo Café (with its soft buns), SBCD Tofu House (specialising in Korean Sundubu), The Little Island (Penang style dishes) and Chalong (Thai fusion grilled bento boxes).
There is a wide range of food choices, though this post will focus on its basement.
You can expect popular Nasi Lemak eatery Crave, protein-filled salad shop The Daily Cut, artisanal coffee boutique Jewel Coffee, Mexican restaurant Guzman y Gomez, Indonesian restaurant IndoChili, bakery shop Swee Heng 1989 Classic, Azuma Sushi, KraftwichTM by Swissbake, llao llao, Boost Juice, Hans, AffiniteaTM, Fun Toast, Proofer Boulangerie, London Sandwich Co., Royce’, and Taiwanese snack shop Ximen Jie, amongst others.
Prices of the meals there are budget-friendly too. Here are 10 hidden gems at Tanjong Pagar Centre, where you can get food and drinks below $10:
Seattle Pike Chowder
#B2-27
Tel: +65 6910 4388
Opening Hours: 9am – 9:30 pm (Mon – Fri); 11am-6pm (Sat); 11-4pm (Sun, PH)
Regarded by many food lovers as America’s No.1 Chowder, Seattle Pike Choder has arrived from The Pacific Northwest, to CBD Singapore at the basement of Tanjong Pagar Centre.
Best if you are craving for something warm, hearty, rich and creamy.
Their specialty New England Clam Chowder came filled with clams, flavoured with onions, potato cream and a secret blend of herbs and spices. I do think this is one of the creamiest chowders you can get in Singapore.
The local store has also launched Seafood Rolls, and the recommended is the Captain Roll ($11.90), complete with both mixed crab and shrimp. A Lobster Roll is in the works, so look out for it.
What you can get below $10
Each of their Dreamy Chowders, from New England Clam Chowder, Seafood Bisque, Smoked Salmon Chowder, Manhattan Tomato Chowder to Alaskan Fish Chowder, is priced at $8.90 for an 8oz bowl.
For a fuller meal, get the Chowder in a BreadBowl, or with the Salad Set, still affordable at $13.90 and $14.90 respectively.
Chalong
#B2-21
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2pm, 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Mon – Fri), 11:30am – 3pm (Sat), Closed Sun
This kiosk which serves up charcoal grilled meats on rice bowls, has become very popular with the office lunch crowd.
Options include an 18 hour Sous Vide Jowl bowl of apple wood smoked pork cheeks ($12), Gai of Thai basil chicken thigh ($9), and Grass-fed Black Angus Sirloin ($14).
Chalong’s most popular item is the Iberico Jowl bowl ($12), which uses premium cut of pork with better marbling. After being marinated with Thai aromatics, the jowl will be sous vide for 18 hours, then finished with charcoal grilling in a Josper charcoal oven.
What you can get below $10
The Gai Rice Bowl ($9), added with onsen egg and Yamagata Haenuki Japanese rice, comes with a Thai basil charcoal grilled chicken leg, tender and juicy with hints of Thai herbs.
Soup Living
#B2-22
Tel: +65 6386 8010
Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Mon – Fri)
This is for those of us who want some nutritious and nourishing soups, just like what mum would cook at home.
Soup Living is a soup kiosk of a different kind, serving Cantonese-style soups with family-handed local recipes. No MSG, no chicken stock powder used.
You would realise that the soups are tasty, yet without the greasiness or heavy herbal taste. The base is cooked using old hen with its skin removed, which is less oily.
What you can get below $10
Such value for money! A bowl of healthy to-go soup from Soup Living starts from $6, with add-on options at $3 for a bowl of fluffy Japanese Rice and two pieces of Siew Mai. The Siew Mai are also handmade in house.
I was looking for something to well, aid appearance (help look younger and better), and was recommended the Youth Elixir Bowl ($7 for regular or $9.50 for mighty) which used Chinese herbs that had anti-ageing properties.
CBD workers may like the Memory Fix Bowl ($6.50 for regular, $8.90 for mighty), said to help to reduce lethargy, great for those who work long hours facing computer screen and sleep late at night. (That’s me?)
The Little Island 小檳岛
#B2-29
Opening Hours: 9.30am – 9:00 pm (Mon – Sun)
The Little Island has 3 outlets in Malaysia, and this is their 1st outlet in Singapore.
They pride themselves in creating authentic Penang dishes, with pastes made in-house using raw herbs and ingredients. They believe in going back to the basics to create that special aroma for each dish.
What you can get below $10
Most of the Penang specialty dishes are below $10, from Prawn Mee Soup ($8.90), Assam Laksa ($8.90), Mee Siam with Fried Egg ($6.90), Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken Strips ($9.90), Fried Hokkien Mee, Lobak Set ($8.90), Rojak ($7.90) and Cendol ($4.90).
The gravy of Assam Laksa was addictive with spicy, tangy and sour taste which could whet your appetite.
Good to know that it is made from fresh fish (not canned) which would be steamed and peeled within the store, giving the bowl a distinct level of seafood-sweetness.
Souperstar
#B2-31
T: 6386 6921
It is not common to find popiah, soups, stews and salads sold at the same place. Yes, popiah. Homegrown Souperstar was created by the second generation of the family behind Fortune Food – a brand with more than 10 years of experience serving Singapore hawker delicacies.
They are probably the first in Singapore to do wraps using popiah skin, with varieties such as The Traditional, Sesame Chicken, Sweet Thai Chicken and Seafood Wasabi Mayo.
What you can get below $10
A selection of soups, popiah, stews, sandwiches and salads, inspired by a fusion of flavours, are all priced below $10.
Get a comforting bowl of soup, starting from only $3.20 ($4.50 for medium, $5.60 for large), ranging from Souper Shroomy button mushroom soup, Classic French Onion to Creamy Tomato Basil.
If you would like a more funky meal, the Sesame Chicken Popiah ($3.80) with roast chicken wrapped in 100% homemade popiah skin, should make a great grab-and-go.
Food Anatomy
#B2-04
Opening Hours: 7.30am – 10pm (Mon-Fri), 11am – 10pm (Sat-Sun) (may close earlier on Sundays)
Imagine your favourite foods such as Nasi Lemak, Laksa Pasta and Teriyaki Chicken appearing in cube form?
These cake-sized savoury cubes are layers of ingredients stacked together into a visually appealing, and convenient to take-away meal.
Flavours are interesting and varied, which can range anything from Beef Yakiniku Rice, Beef Rendang Rice, Rice Dumpling (yeah, Bak Zhang), Yuzu Salmon Rice, Thai Cod Fish Rice to Thai Basil Rice.
What you can get below $10
The cubes from inexpensively priced at 2 cubes for $6.80, 3 cubes for $9.90, 18 cubes for $39 or 24 cubes for $75.
You have the option to replace cubes for salads; and they cost slightly cheaper during breakfast.
Makai Poké
#B1-08
Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Mon – Fri), 11:30am – 3:30pm (Sat – Sun)
Hawaiian word “Makai” means towards the ocean, and the kiosk serves up probably the most IN healthy food currently – Poke Bowls.
Good to know that all the marinations at Makai are made in-house, and not direct from suppliers’ source of ready-made sauces.
What you can get below $10
All 4 Poke Bowls that Makai offers – Makai Shoyu Salmon, Spicy Salmon, Yuzu Soy Ahi Tuna and Roasted Sesame Ahi Tuna are priced at $9.90.
This is probably one of the lowest priced (if not the lowest) Poke Bowl in Singapore.
Other than marinated fish cubes, you can expect generous ingredients of both rice and salad, along with a mix of avocado, Japanese cucumber, carrot, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, salmon roe and lime wedge. Now you know where to get fresh, healthy, affordable Poke Bowls in the CBD.
Samurice
#B1-07
Tel: +65 93384305
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 7:00pm (Mon – Fri)
Samurice founded in 2014, is an Onigiri specialty store.
While their Onigiri rice ball look simple and unassuming, all the ingredients are imported from Japan – Japanese rice from Niigata, seaweed harvested in Ariake Sea, salt produced in Seto Inland Sea.
What you can get below $10
The handmade Onigiri at Samurice cost between $3 and $5, with fillings such as Roasted Salmon, Teriyaki Salmon, Plum, Cod fish Roe and Tuna.
For a more filling, fuss-free takeaway meal, a Teriyaki Salmon Don ($8) should satisfy with fluffy Hokkaido rice with an oishii sweet taste. Even the Salmon Ikura Don with two premium ingredients of salmon and ikura, alongside egg, scallop, green perilla cost a reasonable $12.
Cocorica Plus
#B2-24
Tel: +65 9171 1114
The first things you would notice about Cocorica Plus’s drinks are its larger-than-usual cup sizes, and cardboard holder with a handle.
The reason is to reduce thermal convection, so as to keep the drinks cool. There would also be more ice cubes to maintain that temperate, thus the big cups.
Well, the additional handle also makes it easier to takeaway.
What you can get below $10
Despite the size of the cups, beverages such as the ice blended drinks and yogurt smoothies are still inexpensively priced between $2.80 and $4.50.
Can’t decide between chocolate and coffee? Get the Cocorica signature drink ($2.80, $3.80) which is a blend of Dark Cocoa and Liberica Coffee. It should be a satisfyingly chocolatey-rich cup.
Henri Charpentier
#B2-15
Tel: +65 6386 8422
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 10pm (Sat – Sun, PH)
If you need a short reprise off work, or a place to chit-chat with friends, Henri Charpentier has opened a European Salon style café at Tanjong Pagar Centre.
The Japanese pastry brand is known for its gorgeous and delicate French-inspired pastries and desserts.
Their signature Crepe Suzette has also made its return at this branch. Watch the blue flame flicker while the crêpes soaked in rich orange juice are meticulously flambéed.
What you can get below $10
Sweet treats from sliced Matcha Roll Cake, Strawberry Roll Cake, Hanjuku Fromage, Double Cheese Cake, Pear and Vanilla Mousse Cake, Pudding Choux Pastry.
Tip: Ta-bao back to office to share with your favourite colleagues. Will make their day.
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