Chomp Chomp Food Centre

Chomp Chomp opens in the evening and runs late, serving the low-rise Serangoon Gardens estate and the neighbourhoods around it, and it has been the supper place for that part of the island for decades. The reputation rests on satay, barbecued stingray, hokkien mee, carrot cake and sugar cane juice, cooked over charcoal in the open air. It is entirely local, with no tourist trade to speak of, which is exactly its character.

History

The Member of Parliament for Serangoon Gardens, Leonard Peter Rodrigo, started the project in December 1970, and the centre, named by the street hawkers after a Teochew phrase for loyalty and righteousness, was opened on 7 May 1972 by Edmund W. Barker, costing S$95,000 and housing 36 hawkers (Wikipedia, Chomp Chomp Food Centre).

What to look for

• The evening opening - a centre that works from dusk until late.
• The barbecued stingray - sambal stingray on banana leaf, the signature dish.
• The charcoal cooking - satay and hokkien mee done over open charcoal.
• The local character - a neighbourhood supper centre with no tourist trade.

When to go

Year round; it opens in the late afternoon and runs late into the night. Weekend evenings are extremely busy with long waits. It is closed during the day.

What to expect

It is closed in the daytime, which catches people out. Queues at weekend evenings are long and seats are scarce. Public transport out here means a bus from the MRT.

Nearby

Serangoon Gardens surrounds it, and Bishan is west.

Key facts