Hawkers @ Ci Yuan Community Club

The transition of hawkers from street peddlers to hawker centres and the renewal of hawker centres is intriguing. My generation saw all of its making and some are from family whose parents were hawkers. The first hawkers I knew was when I was a young child was where at my paternal grandmother's place there was a push cart stall with wooden tables and stools that sold Yong Tau Fu and they always stayed at the same spot. Then there was a man peddling braised duck and pork and he carried two big pots of it balanced on a pole across his shoulders. He even has a bowl and dice and customers could gamble with him for some duck or even a pig's ear. I wonder what happened when he lost? 

Next, there was a motorbike man who sold pau (or bao/meat dumplings), siew mai, mai kai and fan choy. He carried the typical wooden tray at the back of his bike with steaming hot bao and this was where I would have a char siew bao with chilli dripped on it. So too the siew mai. Today's chiili sauce comes in a packet and it can never come close to the chilli of that time. I remembered this bao man vividly because at the time he arrived "The Avengers" TV series would come on and while the theme song played, the man below would be shouting "bao, bao, bao!" The Avengers secret agent thriller almost bested James Bond. The characters were Jonathan Steed (Patrick MacNee) and Emma Peel (Diana Rigg and later Joanna Lumley). Here is the theme (The Avengers not the bao):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10QW3Az1FTw

There was an old man who sold rojak and he had to squat down to 'panggang' his yu tiao and tau pok and also use a hammer to flatten the cuttle fish. Right across there was a neighbour who sold ice ball just outside his house. If I were to walk farther down the road where the temple is, there was an old lady who sold mee siam for 5 cent a bowl and 10 cents for a bigger bowl but she set up a small table and tiny stools only when there is some wayang festival. In the day, the fishball noodle hawkers were great too. To attract attention they used bamboo instruments to tik tok, get your orders and deliver to your home way before there was Deliveroo or Food Panda.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ7S8ADddOU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be5g7Q-Xp2s

On lazy afternoons, when Lei Tai Sor was telling stories on Redifussion, quite a few family would order in. No apps of course when most homes do not all own a telephone. Just good old shouting across or from upstairs. The whole neighbourhood knew what you were having for lunch as you have to shout: "bee tai mak tng, mee pok tar"! or something.  

Even when we have shifted to Singapore's first satellite town, there were open space street market stalls and hawkers everywhere and on some days they were all caught by government officials and have their goods confiscated. Eventually, as we evolved, street food hawkers were housed into hawker centres and coffee shops. During the year end school holidays, my uncle and aunt would bring me for a staycation in their home at Commonwealth Crescent and my cousin would bring me for supper at the hawker centre every night. His favourites were satay, kambing soup and ice kachang, etc. My estate began having its own hawker centres. 

With the older generation expiring or are unable top continue for various reasons, I have mentioned on many occasions since I started blogging some eight years ago that our food culture was dying. The quality was just not the same. Methods of preparation have been short cut. Where there may be good ones around, these days a crowd would throng the stall. I wanted to find a place not too far away, is clean and airy with lots of variety of food out of which there are sufficiently nice and good food and the heavens answered. I knew this place for awhile as it was featured somewhere but have never been there until the day my son found a purse left in the basket one of those shared bicycle near a bus stop outside where we lived. I was just back from overseas and was on leave and I had to hand it over to the police since from the ID the woman is  a foreigner. After the police centre visit, we needed breakfast and that was when I remembered Ci Yuan Community Club just further ahead.

Still spanking new to me and I found it was a very well thought out and well designed place.

This hawker centre is rather huge and it looks really clean with high ceiling and very airy. The variety of food on offer should get you excited a bit. I have tried quite many by now.

This stall that sells both satay bee hoon and laksa is quite good. The laksa is simple and cheap at only $2.80.

The satay bee hoon is actually quite good. Lots of ingredients. Must try.

You have to try the Hokkien Mee from here. $4 is more than enough for one person if you ask me.

They use the thin ''bee hoon'' here which absorbs the the stock very well.

Only thing is I have to ask for more chilli. This belacan is good. Hokkien Mee should come with a good belacan. That is authentic. Must try.

This lor mee is also good.

I doubt you will find any with so much ingredients in it. More than worth it. Add your own garlic, chilli and vinegar as you like. Must try.

There are lots of curry rice stalls around. The very good ones from the good old days are getting lesser and some are no longer as good. From this perspective, this is pretty decent.

Curry is always good for me and this form of Hainanese curry rice is always the best.

For those who love the sinful stuff.

Watch them fry.

What I like here is that their oysters are larger than most.

And they are fresh. The worst thing about ''orh luak'' is to get rotten ones. 

To-Ricos ''kway chap'' which they say is from Blanco Court. It sounded Spanish since rico is rich in Spanish. It is surely rich. Watch out for those with gout. 

Leo Satay is a satay supplier and opened their own stall. Just next to the guo shi. The satay is good and never over burnt. They give you enough cucumber, onions and even added pineapples. Must try.

The peanut sauce comes with pineapple too which makes it more palatable.

Wanton noodle is different. Probably the type of noodle they use. Not a a bad choice at all.

This is another must try. 

The young man here whips out a storm. This one here is with crayfish with lala. Theirs is a bit more peppery. 

Or you could simply opt for seafood which is basically lala and prawns. For this $5 gives you a large plate and can be shared by two.

The coffee from this stall is good. All stalls here has payment through a machine that accepts notes up to $50 and all coins. Bring along you spare change that you hate to carry around anyway and it seems you are eating for free. 

Hong Kong Chef is a good tze char. I shall share separately another time.

There are good fish ball noodles around but not many.

So after trying quite many I decided to try it. I was surprise by how good it is. These are not factory made fish balls. Good and must try.

And there is this one that sells ban mian, porridge and mee hoon kueh where this is a constant line. Should try too. The chicken rice here is also good.

Or get some fresh ''you tiao'' with your morning coffee.

For those with sweet tooth, end your meal with something else if you are afraid of chendol.

Right in the middle, they have tow giant ceiling fans among the many fans to keep you cool and calm. They even have children's tables ans seats for family with young children. Seats for the handicap and those with wheel chair.

When you do not know what to eat, when you do not know where to go for food, come to Ci Yuan. This has been my ''go to'' place of late. You will be spoilt for choices for there are many stalls, good variety of your favourite food and many stalls have food that are up to a certain standard. Plus it is airy, clean and comfortable with basement car park. 

I must say thank you to those who made this place possible. Good job!

There is hope after all for our hawker fare and thank God we are at the top of the food chain. As always.