Get a taste for Singaporean flavour at this lively hawker centre, Carolyn Beasley says.

Many expats in Singapore love their local hawker food. But there’s one hawker centre that’s famous among Singaporeans and frequented by only a handful of locally based expats. Welcome to the popular Chomp Chomp Food Centre.

The wok smoke is laced with chilli, and it creates a mild eye sting. Like all the others, I’m wading through Chomp Chomp prowling for a table. About to admit defeat, I spy my kids waving excitedly. They’ve performed a manoeuvre known as ‘the hover’ and pounced onto a large table upon it becoming free.

The table is on the decking outside, the ultimate smoke-free seating position. Beside the prized table is a banner, which trumpets: ‘Chomp Chomp Food Centre – Singapore’s Favourite Hawker Centre, 2011 and 2012.’

This unassuming hawker centre of 36 stalls in Serangoon Gardens is swarming with locals, and its favoured status is clear. While there are other hawker centres just metres away with tables available, it’s Chomp Chomp that has the name as well as the history.

A delicious plate of prawn wanton noodles arrives on the table and the vendor wipes her hands on her apron as she explains: ‘Our family has been working this stall for over 50 years. We took over from my husband’s parents 40 years ago. Our stall started as a cart in Kensington Park Road and we moved here in 1972 when the centre was built.’

Many other stallholders have stuck around too. Mrs Tan and her husband bought the family sugarcane juice business 20 years ago. She declares: ‘Chomp Chomp is the only place in Singapore you can get a one litre bucket of sugarcane juice!’

Massive as the sugarcane juice is, the real star here is the BBQ seafood. Try the quirkily named shellfish dishes of gong gong (pearl conch) or sambal la la (clams), both at $10-$15. For a quintessential taste of Singapore, the BBQ stingray packs a spicy punch ($10-$20). For the non-seafood eater, the carrot cake (which is neither cake nor carrot) is a winner at $3 – it contains steamed cubes of rice flour, radish and an omelette-like egg.

The BBQ chicken wings ($1.20 each) are: ‘By far the best in Singapore, especially with this chilli sauce.’ The stall assistant enthuses with wide eyes and profuse head nodding: ‘My boss has stalls all over Singapore and everyone knows they’re the best!’

To serve more of its famous dishes, Chomp Chomp stays up late, one of the main differences to other hawker centres. It opens at 5pm, and the dedicated stallholders churn out the fare until 1.30am, when other vendors are tucked up in bed. By midnight the place is still humming, with partygoers sharing plates of smoking seafood and a large Tiger beer on their way home.

But tonight, it’s early and I notice a family standing beside our table. The mother stares at me expectantly and I realise I’m getting ‘the hover’. Our time on this table is up, and as I eye the dregs of all the legendary dishes, and the hoards that are waiting, I now understand.

Chomp Chomp is not just about the food. It’s about traditions, continuity, heritage, and of course, the food.

Chomp Chomp Food Centre is at 20 Kensington Park Road, Serangoon Gardens, 557269.

The sixth annual Volunteer of the Year Awards celebrated the generosity ANZA’s volunteers give year-round to enrich our association.

Close to 200 turned up to the Australian High Commission in May to thank ANZA’s dedicated volunteers, who constantly offer more of their time and effort to the association than was ever expected of them, at the sixth annual Volunteer of the Year Awards. Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Philip Green and Deputy New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore Mary Thurston – as well as Charities Patron Antonia Kidman – came to help present awards to the winners.

Whether it’s through our sporting groups, monthly tours, interest groups or charitable work, ANZA volunteers are truly the dynamic force of our community. Each and every volunteer has been – and continues to be – an integral and valuable part of the ANZA team.

We have over 300 active volunteers in ANZA, all helping make the association what it is today, and it’s this willingness to help others that has helped keep ANZA flourishing for almost 70 years.

This year we received more than 100 nominations for almost 50 nominees. Reading through the nominations was a moving moment for ANZA staff, further proving how much our members treasure the hard effort put in by every volunteer.

The Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Award

Sarah Anglade

ANZA Soccer
On the ANZA Soccer committee for the last five years, Sarah can be found pitch-side every Saturday; and Sundays at grounds scattered across our Little Red Dot. In addition to her regular duties, she was the lead organiser for this year’s SEA Cup, which ANZA staged – and won – in March. Sarah also continued as the Saturday U14 Age Group Coordinator and Sunday Senior Competition Coordinator. She has volunteered tirelessly as ANZA Soccer’s Age Coordinator for four years.

The New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore Award

Louise Pike

ANZA Netball
A wonderful ambassador for ANZA Netball, Louise promotes fair play and healthy competition. Volunteering a great deal of her time over the last five years, the working mum with three kids still manages to organise so many aspects of the netball season. Louise takes on a big role in ANZA Netball – not only does she organise the Perth trip, but there are always emails from her keeping everyone informed. She can be found at netball every Saturday and is always happy to help.

The #ANZA Award

Laura Gordon

ANZA Cycling
Laura is the social media guru for ANZA Cycling making sure that #anzacycling is a constant on Instagram. She has spent countless hours over the last couple of years as ANZA Cycling’s unofficial travel agent. She has seamlessly done all the grunt work for trips on a regular basis – from Malaysia to Indonesia and Taiwan. Whether serving banana bread from the support car or ‘herding the cats’ on Saturday ride send-offs, she provides a friendly and informative guiding hand for cyclists old and new.

The ANZA Action in the Community Award

Sandra Poh

ANZA Action
Sandra is a quiet achiever for ANZA. A long term member of over eight years, she has been an integral part of the New Members Committee, helping people to settle into Singapore. Tirelessly enthusiastic, she goes beyond her committee duties, networking, encouraging people to join activities, setting up ad hoc groups for outings, charity events and various interests. She also volunteers for four of ANZA Action’s charities regularly, and is always the first to put her hand up to help out when required.

The Outstanding Service to ANZA Award

Gina Kubal

ANZA Soccer
Gina has been involved in ANZA Soccer for 19 years, starting when her eldest of her three sons was 5 in 1995. Serving on the committee for 12 years, Gina no longer has children involved in ANZA Soccer, yet continues to serve the community. She has brought a management approach with older teenage boys – whose reliability varies with the levels of testosterone – that keeps the boys in line, but is also committed to the wider team. She has a generous, gracious presence on the committee.

The Outstanding Service to ANZA Award

Halyna English

ANZA Soccer
Halyna has been with ANZA Soccer for eight years, and as one parent has said of her, ‘There would be no ANZA Soccer without Halyna’. She gives her time generously, and is always positive and upbeat, no matter the situation. Her rapport with the players and parents has made ANZA Soccer a welcoming environment. Halyna is passionate about having a well-run and fair competition, and shows genuine concern for all the players. She has a wonderful bond with the players, parents and coaches.

The ANZA Members’ Choice Award

Marcel De Bruijckere

ANZA Soccer
Marcel passionately believes in motivating young soccer players. Marcel has also shown a knack for engaging parents, making them more involved with other team parents and the rest of the team – and his rapport with other coaches has genuinely helped bring the ANZA community together. Marcel is a fantastic coach, and an organiser of the Jakarta trips and ANZA Youth Soccer teams for several tournaments. He tries to include kids with different skill levels, and is extremely positive.

The President’s Award

James Mansfield-Page

ANZA Scouts
Having been a Scout with 1st ANZA himself when growing up, the recent Baden Powell Award-winner returned after doing National Service as he wanted to give back and pass on the many useful skills that he learned. For almost four years he has been a fantastic example to other Scouts. The Scouts often see him as something of a big brother as well as a leader, as he effortlessly crosses the boundary between being one of them and also being able to instantly take charge. He is an inspiration for all.

Nominees

One of the charities ANZA has supported for years has closed, but not without one last special moment.

Riverkids has been supported by ANZA through various arms – from the continual fundraising of ANZA Action, to events like the annual ANZA Ball. For over a decade, this Cambodian-based charity has worked hard to help hundreds of families struggling with child abuse and trafficking in the slums of Phnom Penh.

Riverkids have sent hundreds of children to school – some have reached university –fed malnourished babies so they grow into chubby toddlers, and sheltered frightened women and children – helping them find the courage to rebuild their lives.

This year’s ANZA Ball, which saw over 600 people turn up, helped raise a whopping $50,000 through prizes donated by our partners. This money was divided between Riverkids and ANZA’s other supported charity, Melrose Home.

By the time of the event however, the fate of Riverkids was sealed – at the end of May, the program would come to an end due to lack of funding. It was Riverkids’ final goal that the families under their care would get the resources to build a better life.

At the beginning of May, 104 bicycles and helmets arrived for the kids of Riverkids Project’s scholarship and mentorship program, as well as the older children of families in the charity’s Lifeboat program.

Set up on the grounds of Westline, a school Riverkids has partnered with, every child in the mentorship program got a bike, and all the older children in the Lifeboat families too got a bicycle for school. The day was filled with cake, music and fun for all the kids who were there.

Riverkids has been working closely with another NGO to try and continue its Healthy Mother, Happy Baby program – helping keep mothers nourished so that their children are born healthy – and ensuring that the new kids are enrolled into school for the year.

We’d like to thank everyone involved in helping donate their time, money and effort into really changing the lives of families involved with Riverkids. It’s truly made a difference.

Having given many ANZA tours around Adam Park, we hear about author Jon Cooper’s recent book ‘Tigers in the Park: The Wartime Heritage of Adam Park’ – surrounding his extensive research into the area’s significance during WWII.

How long have you been doing tours around Adam Park for?
Almost from the very beginning. It took a few months to research the site but we quickly found there was so much to talk about. I am always adding to the script as new stories come in and we complete the latest round of surveys. That’s the great thing about the estate; there are more and more stories to tell. The Adam Park Project (TAPP) has now closed and I have no plans for any more tours. It’s now up to the general public to use the book and website and come up with their own tour.

When you came to Singapore in 2009, did the story of Adam Park find you?
In a way. We chose to live in the Arcadia Gardens condo, and the day after we signed all the papers I found the heritage board outside 7 Adam Park that recounts the story of the defence of the estate by 1st Battalion Cambridgeshires. It failed to mention anything about the Japanese side of the story, or the fact that it was a POW camp as well. All that came later through the research. By the by, my son is called Adam. He spent the first six months of his time here thinking the whole area was named after him.

Having studied 16th Century warfare at univeristy, was it hard to jump four centuries ahead to more modern warfare?
Absolutely. You are lucky to get a passing comment about many 16th Century battles in the parliamentary records. For WWII there are hundreds of accounts, photos, documents and diaries to consult – and of course you can still talk to the veterans who fought here. If only we could do that for early medieval battles.

What was one of the discoveries you made when researching that really took you by surprise or made you even more curious?
During one of the excavations on what appeared to be a post war rubbish trench, a rather large fragment of a mills grenade was revealed. What was slightly disturbing was that the pin was still in place. How the fragment became a fragment is still a mystery.

One of the bungalows in Adam Park.

How did putting a book together come about?
TAPP was always going to end, and I always had in the back of the mind that there may be enough material for a book. But in this day and age books are not the only way of sharing the research material and findings. I felt it was essential to link the book with a virtual museum and provide as much background data as we possibly could, allowing others to participate in their own research and draw their own conclusions about the estate’s heritage. The book and website are linked. I think it’s the first time a battle site has been presented like this – most certainly in Singapore.

Will people be able to make their own mini-tour around the area?
Yes, that’s the aim. We don’t want to spoil the peaceful tranquillity of the estate by encouraging busloads of tourists to visit the site. We hope individuals and small groups will plan their own excursions, carry out their own research before taking a leisurely stroll around the area. I hope visitors will get more out of the trip that way other than simply being spoon-fed facts and figures.

‘Tigers in the Park: The Wartime Heritage of Adam Park’ can be found online at ethosbooks.com.sg.

You haven’t seen it all. You say you have, but you haven’t. This little guide will give you some suggestions next time you’re feeling a little adventurous.

Food

Wheeler’s Yard
You won’t stumble across this place because it’s snugly tucked away on an industrial street two roads from Balestier Road. The bright blue doors of Wheeler’s Yard are closed, but upon further analysis you’ll find an ‘open’ sign pointing to the right. Follow the path and you’ll uncover the side entrance of what looks to be a bike shop set in a warehouse.
The café to the left is what you’d imagine an artist studio would be in such a space – deconstructed fixie bikes on the wall, a long dining table with three full bikes sitting in the middle. The menu focuses on coffee and brunch options, though if you’re hankering for something heavier, the Ultimate Beef Yard Burger ($26.90) is a delicious mess. The beef patty – apparently infused with wagyu fats – is cooked medium-rare, with fries and homemade BBQ sauce.
You’ll need to arrange a gym session to burn extra calories knowing there’s cheese, bacon, lettuce, caramelised onions and onsen poached egg – but that’s what the bikes are for, right? The space is open at night as well, with some craft beers, wine and ciders to try. Other than the bikes and accessories, the shop also has an hourly bike rental and a nice collection of vintage furniture to gawk at.
28 Lor Ampas, 328781. 6254 9128. wheelersyard.com

Kilo Kallang
The open-air concept restaurant fusing European and Asian cuisine sits upon the top floor of the TURE building. What’s the TURE building, you may ask? The closest MRT is Lavender – an 8-minute walk away – along the Kallang Basin. Make the journey over, and you’ll be treated to dishes like pork belly with purple mash and crackling, beef tongue tacos, as well as goat cheese and ricotta gnocchi. The cocktail menu has a few interesting takes on homemade infused spirits – like thyme-infused gin and jalapeno tequila.
66 Kampong Bugis, 338987. 6467 3987. kilokitchen.com

Drinks

Mikkeller Bar Singapore
The microbrewery in Denmark, loved for its collaborate brewing with other breweries around the world, brings its phantom ethos to Singapore. Making bars in the US, Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul, Singapore is the next lucky city to get a bar. Located at DECK, the stacked shipping container space next to The Hub on Prinsep Street, Mikkeller founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø has set up 20 taps – all serving up various types of boutique beer.
The long wooden bench seating outside and loose gravel floor gives this space a very thrown-together feel, putting the focus purely on the range of beers and ciders available – all served in 200ml and 400ml glasses (ranging from $9 to $23 in price). You’ll struggle to make your first choice with what’s on offer. The Koppi IPA ($9/$17) is a 7.2% coffee IPA with a great mixture of hops and infusion of coffee beans. The Spontan Peach is a fruit Lambic beer with 7.7% alcohol content – fruit with a punch. It’s incredibly relaxed, and a treat once the sun goes down – you might struggle if the sun is still bearing down, as there’s no place for shade.
120A Prinsep Street, 187937. 6352 0950. facebook.com/mikkellerbarsg

The Great Escape
After closing for renovations and ruffling the feathers of fans of the hidden café-slash-bar, The Great Escape up in the car park near The Projector is back in business.
It’s bare minimum in terms of décor, but that’s what makes it a great little rooftop space with a view of MBS and the Sports Hub. Head to indie cinema The Projector first and see a flick before deconstructing it over a cocktail.
6001 Beach Road, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 199589. 9180 6728. facebook.com/thegoldenbar

Parks

Punggol Waterway Park
Punggol couldn’t be any more north, with Malaysia’s Johor Port easily visible from the beach. Unless you’ve ventured around this neighbourhood for a reason, chances are you’ve not ventured this far up. The recent construction there is aiming to change that. There are a plethora of HDBs under construction, but among all the chaos of buildings sprouting to life is a calm bike path.
Starting at Punggol Jetty – where you can rent a bike from GoCycling – follow the eastern path past the many restaurants along the Punggol Settlement, breezing past the entrance to Coney Island. Eventually you’ll come across Sunrise Gateway – you’ll see a gorgeous red bridge to your left – and have to turn right. Follow this right-hand turn, and you’ll begin the journey. This bike path brings you through Punggol along a river. The variety of designs on these HDBs are a great sight, but what’s more interesting is when reaching the Punggol Waterway Park.
As you pass Kelong Bridge – looking like a pile of tubes stuck to a bridge – and the SAFRA building, you’ll reach Waterway Point. This shopping mall is almost fully complete, with a view of the river and nearby arch bridge. This trip is best done as a bike ride – unless you’re looking to collect 13,000 steps on your Fitbit pedometer.
Sentul Crescent Road, 822313. nparks.gov.sg

Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve
On the top-left part of Singapore – even further north than Jurong Frog Farm – is this great escape from the hustle of the city. The 202-hectare nature reserve rich with animals, plant life, ponds and waterfront views along the boardwalk is barely visited, due to it being hard to access – there’s access via bus 925 from Kranji MRT station.
There are five viewing platforms or ‘pods’ placed around to spot wild osprey birds, but also mudflats to check out benthic organisms – living in and on the bottom of the ocean floor – during low tide. There’s information everywhere for kids to read along the way, and a Visitor Centre explaining about the ecosystem of this special place.
301 Neo Tiew Crescent, 718925. nparks.gov.sg

Places

ION Sky
You wouldn’t know it when visiting ION Orchard, but 56 floors up you’ll find an incredible view of the city – for free. At 218 metres high and with 360-degree views of Singapore, you’ll be able to grab some great photos.
There’s also a high-tech interactive telescope to scout some well-known locations around town. Along the windows you’ll be given little snippets of information about what you’re seeing – such as Singapore’s sunsets only lasting 12 minutes.
The entrance is next to Salt Grill & Sky Bar on the fourth floor. It’s quiet and calm, and…did I mention it was free? Take your camera, or a book even – some students might have taken advantage of the tranquillity – and enjoy.
2 Orchard Turn, 238801. 6238 8228. ionorchard.com

The Animal Resort
Want to see five acres of farm animals for free? Giving kids and adults the chance to come a whole lot closer to nature, this farm has a range of animals to see – birds, cassowaries, geese, fish, horses, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs and more. You can buy some hay or carrots to feed some of the animals, who’ll either slowly nibble it bit by bit, or inhale the entire thing. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s a whole different experience than the zoo. You can take the 86 bus from the Yio Chu Kang MRT, but a taxi from there is suggested, as it’s a bit of a walk down the road to the farm.
T81 Seletar West Farmway 5, 798061. 6482 1160. theanimalresort.com