Hipster food and local cuisine to feature at new Pasir Ris food hub, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
Singapore

Hipster food and local cuisine to feature at new Pasir Ris food hub

This article is more than 12 months old

A hawker centre that blends the old and the new will open in November at Pasir Ris Central.

Besides food for the traditional tastebuds, it will have one floor of "creative cuisine", served in a space designed to look like a hipster cafe.

To add to the "hipster food market vibe", NTUC Foodfare, which is running the hawker centre, said events such as craft fairs and music performances may also be held in the space.

Foodfare's ambition is "to inject new energy to the local street food scene", its spokesman said yesterday.

The new food hub with 22 stalls will be called Fareground. It will have two levels, with the first occupied by 20 cooked food stalls offering traditional hawker fare, such as chicken rice and wonton mee.

The "hipster" menu upstairs will feature cafe food, fusion fare or local food with a twist.

Possible dishes include Japanese donburi, for which diners can choose the ingredients.

The final list of food offerings will be unveiled after Sept 22, the closing date for Singaporeans and permanent residents to apply for the stalls.

They can start applying from next Monday.

The hawker centre is the third newly built centre to be managed by NTUC Foodfare, after Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market and Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre.

Its spokesman said with Fareground, it hopes to draw Singapore's new-generation hawkers to ply their trade under one roof and in an environment that appeals to them.

HAWKER CULTURE

"This is also a way of keeping the hawker centre culture alive among the younger generation."

She also envisions Fareground as a space for people to gather and socialise.

Some new-generation hawkers and cafe owners find the concept appealing.

Mr Joey Lim, owner of cafe Builders at Sims near Aljunied MRT station, said the hawker centre will offer the best of both worlds for customers.

Chef Tan Jun Ann, who co-owns The Skewer Bar in a Geylang coffee shop, agreed, adding that both the young and old will want to try something new.

Foodfare said each stall will offer at least two budget meals, in line with its aim to provide affordable and quality food.

The "hipster" cuisine will be comparatively cheaper than similar dishes at cafes.

The hawker centre, which can seat about 770 people, will be open from 7am to 10.30pm daily.

hawkerFood & DrinkPasir Ris