Netizen Travels To 16 Hawker Centres On First Day Of Phase 2 HA To Give Traffic Updates

Larry gives a hilarious account of what went down at Lau Pat Sat on the first day of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert): “Except for the Indian stall with 7 people in the queue, the rest of the stalls (they have to open under their contractual terms) all beat mosquitoes. Some stall holders simply dozed off in front of their stalls. The drinks stall assistants were doing some arm exercise to prevent rigor mortis from setting in. Status - comatose.”

The famed Chinatown hawker centre enjoys decent business. Says Larry: “Wah seh! Super healthy. What HA? Lots of people queuing at the usual popular stalls. Perhaps people need to do marketing below anyway and so came up to [tapow] home, their usual routine. No worries for this [hawker centre’s viability].”

The crowd at People’s Park Food Centre is “the usual breakfast crowd. Lunch time and dinner time is when the crowd came after their slumberland [sic]".

Old Airport Road Food Centre
Old Airport Road’s popular hawker centre remains thriving. “This one no need to worry. Life goes on. The satay stall is busy. The rojak stall got people. The western food, fried kway teow, fried hokkien mee (you just name it) all have business. State of hawker centre - super fit,” says Larry.

One of the quieter places on Larry’s list is Jalan Kukoh’s hawker centre, which saw almost no customers. Larry’s amusing observation: “This is like entering the Wild Wild West. When I stepped in, all the regulars stopped what they were doing or fidgeting and craned their neck [sic] long long to peer at the bearded guy who dared to intrude their territory. With an apology muttered under my breath and beard, I beat a hasty retreat.” He adds that the hawker centre’s state of business is “not very healthy. Need to be warded if no customers come in.”

The hawker centre was bustling during Larry’s visit, and he observes that an economy breakfast stall “has about 20-25 people, more than non-HA days”, while other stalls had “trickles of business”. Kopi stall Coffee Hut with the “Starbucks-priced” drinks, he notes, “can even choose not to open today”.

The stalls at the CBD hawker centre were mostly closed. Larry notes, “Only one [zi char] stall opened on Level 1. And boy! The business is damn good with 20 people waiting. How many called in and [in queue] I wouldn’t know. A must try stall one day. Status of this stall - what is HA?”

“Not many stalls were opened [sic]. But for those who were opened, they do have business. Except for the stall previously from Margaret Drive selling Shanghainese food, the rest have one or two customers. This Shanghainese stall had about 6 customers in the queue. Status of HC – have to monitor,” Larry says.

According to Larry, it was business as usual at this hawker centre with a “busy crowd”. He notes that “the soya bean stall is about 15 people deep. Same for the coffee stalls and vegetarian food. The rest [have a queue], but the normal 3-5 deep like [chicken rice stall] Loy Kee and Robert Mee Siam”.

It was also business as usual at Albert Centre, with popular stalls like Fatt Kee Shou Shi (whose founder, 93-year-old Mdm Lai Kum Chee, recently passed away) and the dessert stall beside it enjoying steady orders.

Larry notes that “the popular Heng Gi Braised Goose row is quiet”, while the Muslim stalls and its surrounding neighbours “are doing reasonable business”.

Food Republic at Suntec City was noticeably quiet: “Saw some customers but predominantly devoid of people buying food. I guess people are not willing to pay a premium just to [tapow] food without enjoying the ambience of the surrounding[s]. Status – Bleak.”

Interestingly, Sembawang White Bee Hoon’s mall outlet at Suntec City, just a few metres away from Food Republic, enjoyed good business. “I counted at least 20 people waiting for their food, excluding the GrabFood riders. This shop really has got me curious now. Status - laughing way to the bank [sic],” says Larry.

Block 89 Circuit Road Market & Food Centre
The hawker centre at Blk 89 Circuit Road is apparently “a ghost town now”. Larry explains, “This is a morning market. The only people around are the gamblers as there is a Singapore Pools opposite the market. State of hawker centre – in ICU.”

Circuit Road Food Centre (Blk 79 & 79A)
According to Larry, this hawker centre located “400 metres [away] from Blk 89[‘s hawker centre] is a world apart”. He opines: “Some of the best vegetarian stalls in Singapore are found here. There [are] enough people to keep the stalls occupied. Victor Veggie, one of the most famous vegetarian stalls in Singapore selling veg satay and their signature $2 otah that taste like the real thing [sic], managed to have breathing space during the late afternoon. I managed to get 3 sticks of vegetarian otah. Normally one would need to order one day in advance.”

Larry notes: “A popular Malay friends enclave, the Chinese side of the market is quiet. Not dead, but quiet with drips of customers [sic]. On the other hand, the Muslim side is doing quite well, with the famous mee rebus have a constant queue 5-7 people deep.”

“A bit muted as Hai Kee fried kway teow and a few popular stalls were not opened. Uncle Lim Otah and Chicken Wings business is very good. Same as the Fei Lou porridge. The rest of the stalls were all doing [well] and busy on something [sic]. Status - healthy.”

Photos: Larry Lai