Simple but great-tasting fare.
Built from 1978 as Singapore’s first motor repair “village”, Alexandra Village and its surrounding area, including Leng Kee, has grown to become a prime automotive belt. The former kampung now sees a plethora of gleaming motor vehicle showrooms and high-tech service centres, sharing space with the older and smaller workshops.
The area is also home to the popular ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre. The full name is quite a mouthful, but this popular food centre – referred to as just ABC by regulars – has been feeding nearby residents and many motorists for almost 50 years!
ABC Brickworks Market is worth making a drive down to just to satiate your tastebuds. Psst … it’s home to a few Michelin Bib Gourmand and Michelin Plate awardees!
There’s even more reason to visit if you are bringing your car in for servicing in the area, especially now that Performance Motors Limited (PML) has rolled out a After-Hours Service Lane for BMW customers. It is available from 7pm to 9pm on weeknights at all PML service centres. Customers can choose either engine oil service, front or rear brakes service, or brake fluid service for the two-hour maintenance service.
But back to the food! Narrowing down the stalls that you should definitely try is not as simple as ABC (!) but here are seven you could start with.
Under the spell of this cut of meat paired with kway teow
Fatty Cheong
Famous for their Bu Jian Tian char siew (a cut from the pig’s underarm, hence its “don’t see sky” moniker), Fatty Cheong serves generous portions of this BBQ pork atop egg noodles drenched in dark sauce. It is just as delicious as pork belly and comes with a slightly different texture that many regulars enjoy.
Fatty Cheong actually occupies two stalls at the ABC food centre. Both serve Bu Jian Tian char siew. The only difference is that #01-52 also serves other meats like chicken cutlet and roast duck. If you are just looking to have Bu Jian Tian char siew with noodles, head to #01-52 for shorter queues!
Units: #01-52 and #01-120
Opening hours: 11:30am – 8:30pm (Fri – Wed)
“Internal” goodness from the various soups
Ah Er Soup
If you want a lighter meal for dinner or supper, look to 2023 Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee Ah Er Soup for a wide variety of traditional Chinese herbal soup. Soups are nutritious and affordably priced, with options such as Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, Ten Tonic Ginseng Chicken Soup, Herbal Ginseng Black Chicken Soup, Watercress Pork Ribs Soup, Old Cucumber Pork Ribs Soup and ABC Pork Ribs Soup. You can also choose either a bowl of white or pumpkin rice to accompany your soup of choice.
Unit: #01-141
Opening hours: 11am – 2pm & 5pm – 8pm (Mon – Fri), 5pm – 8pm (Sun)
Project Penyek
Sometimes when you have too many options on the menu, it can make deciding what to eat a big challenge. Not so at Project Penyek. Essentially you know you’ll be having either nasi ayam penyet (chicken) or nasi ikan penyet (fish). This focused approach to the menu means these popular Indonesian dishes are done well. The chicken or fish are coated in a batter and fried to a beautiful golden crust. It is then topped with a generous sprinkling of crisps. Of course, no nasi ayam penyet or nasi ikan penyet dish is worth its salt without the sambal chilli, and we are happy to report that this has “kick”. Can we have more, please?
Unit: #01-25
Opening hours: 10.30am – 6pm (Closed on Mon)
Y.R.A. Yasool Fatimah
Y.R.A. Yasool Fatimah has been awarded the Michelin Plate for a few years for their roti prata. But you will never know as there are no hints of this anywhere around the stall. It was quiet when we visited during lunchtime but then it could be more popular with the dinner crowd. Try their onion roti prata and murtabak. If you are feeling adventurous, there is also tulang merah on the menu!
Unit: #01-10
Opening hours: 7am – 9pm (may be closed on Thu)
It may not look pretty but the pork chop is really delectable!
Yuguo Curry Rice
For cheap and delectable fare, check out Yuguo Curry Rice and its well-loved Hainanese curry rice. Be sure to choose the fried pork chop (our favourite!). It is delectably thick and crispy, and well seasoned with Chinese Five Spice seasoning for flavourful bites. We like to pair this with the tomato egg and one other dish. Of course, all drenched with the signature curry. You can also help yourself to Yuguo Curry Rice’s complimentary egg-drop soup.
Unit: #01-138
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 8.30pm (Closed on Public Holidays)
Drawn by the power of this chendol
Jin Jin Dessert
Your meal wouldn’t be complete without a sweet treat! Jin Jin Dessert is known for its power chendol, durian ice kachang, and gangster ice (translated to durian/mango ice in Mandarin). Notably, the power chendol is drizzled with premium raw gula melaka from Indonesia. Shiok ah!
Unit: #01-21
Opening hours: 12nn – 10pm (Closed on Wed)
Fusion bak chor mee with umami!
Mr Mee Pok
How does the idea of Japanese fusion bak chor mee sound to you?
We were a little sceptical at the sight of an onsen egg being cracked into our bowl of minced meat noodles. But after chowing down the fairly small portion, we are giving their signature dish two thumbs up. Judging by the long queue of people waiting for their food, many also agree.
Unit: #01-140
Opening hours: 6am – 2.30pm (Closed on Wed)
PS: Please note that the opening hours of all the stalls featured might vary.
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CLOSED – Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Mee
This Michelin Bib Gourmand stall permanently closed when its 73-year-old hawker retired as he’s not able to find someone to take over the business. We wish him a happy retirement after decades of feeding grateful customers.
More food in the hood
There are a lot more stalls in ABC Brickworks that serve up good food. We’ll be sure to revisit and update our post regularly. In the meantime, remember to service your car regularly. Make an appointment with PML’s service centres and keep both your car and your stomach happy.
