Shunfu

This place was once located at Lake View. An old market cum food centre but have since relocated to the opposite side at Shun Fu Road called Shunfu Mart at Block 320. Shunfu is a very small estate comprising no more than 20 blocks of flats. In my recent visit, there seems to be many old folks in the estate now.  

Just across the small street, there are all the private homes and there is wall of plants probably to provide more privacy to its occupants.

This is near Upper Thomson Road and Sin Ming where more food awaits you but I was here to explore Shunfu Mart and to regain perspective of the old days. The food centre is airy and casual with many good food stalls. Very popular and busy in the morning but quietens in the afternoon as some stalls would close.

There is a fried bee hoon/noodle stall which seems quite popular or may be the serving is big giving value for money so there is a queue. I noticed the roasted meat stall is very popular as there was constantly a long queue. May be they should announce that they wanted to sell their secret recipe for a few millions then the queue would double. I will try it some other time as there are quite many good roasted meat places in Singapore. A friend Yong Kiang once intoduced me to a shop selling roast duck, pork and char siew at Mosque Street but I know not where they are now. It was to me till this day the best char siew ever.

There are muffins and freshly-baked breads if you like.

There is this prawn mee which on their sign board showing just prawn noodle in soup but they can whip up their fried Hokkien prawn mee for you if you so desired.

I was more curious with the soup or dry prawn mee. I do not personally need the famous prawn noodle stalls that served with very huge prawns with pork ribs. All I wanted is to taste the old-fashioned type that are served with dark soup.

In particular, I was also interested in the dry version. Usually prawn mee are taken with vermicelli and yellow noodle but I have been searching for a good old-fashioned prawn noodle stall that can whip out a good bowl of "mee pok" in dry version. The reason was long ago I had a great version of this dry mee pok dry when I was working temporarily before enlisting for national service and the boss's son who was my friend would take me to Moonstone Lane for lunch at the coffeeshop. It was very appetising. Unfortunately, this friend of mine passed away at a very young age in an accident during NS. It was the first time I lost a friend this way. The second was a squad mate, a very decent boy Osman who fell at home and died.

This is a great mee pok dry prawn noodle and how it should be done. Good mee pok cooked well, lots of bean sprouts, shellot, slices of pork and crunchy prawns and a bowl of tasty soup exactly like what I had those days. They have in me a repeat visitor you bet. Fabulous!

After ordering and self-serving my mee pok, I bumped into an old friend - Teck Hwee. He was the guy who once helped me got out of school when we were locked in or helped me got in the school when were locked out. I can't remember which. More likely to get out, who wants to go to school. It is good to meet an old friend and he willingly gave me some tips about the fried prawn noodle. See you again bro!

I made another important discovery. A solid curry puff stall. Plenty of potato with spicy and tasty curry. I need to be back. The original Lai Heng Char Kway Teow is also located here.

I bought for us only one a piece which apparently was not enough because they were too good. Like the terminator, I have "to be back".

Unfortunately, the carpark here is rather small with limited lots and made congested as some cars lie waiting for a lot while others are going in or exiting.

Right below the food centre is the wet market. I hated going to a wet market as a child for all the right reasons. It is "wet", dirty and often can be smelly and it has no implication to my life when I was young.

Today's wet markets everywhere are much cleaner and I think the choices are better, even for all kinds of meat or poultry.

I have never found fresher vegetables from supermarkets than in the wet markets.

This is Block 320 at Shunfu. I like the place.

Just around the corner, I visited Midview City at Sin Miong Lane. A modern commercial space used for Business/Science Park. On the ground floor are many interesting shops. Starting with this one which is a high end bicycle shop with all kinds of gears and accessories for serious bikers, The bikes displayed in the showcase costs at least $5,000 to $7,000 but I like the car in the foreground. I love a Jag.

We saw this shop which is actually an online shop but they would parade different stuffs hosted for sales every now and then.

There are many other interesting furniture shops in the vicinity. If I have a garden or a backyard facing the sea, I would snap up this hammock!

It is aptly named "fatboy".

Weekends sojourns can bring us to many places where we will have fond memories of.