Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre, an under-the-radar hawker destination since its opening in 1969, underwent its most recent major upgrade.
This nostalgic hawker centre nestled within the HDB blocks, boasts of a more bright and airy ambiance, making it a good spot for indulging in a diverse array of old-school flavours.
From affordable $1 traditional desserts to Cantonese zi char the food centre offers a mix of traditional and affordable eats. (Unfortunately, Hammee’s known for its succulent burgers, has ended operations.)
Its location, a leisurely 15-minute stroll from Commonwealth MRT station, rewards visitors with a plethora of really budget-friendly choices:
Foong Kee Traditional Charcoal Roast
Commonwealth Crescent Market and Food Centre #02-90
Opening Hours: 11am – 2pm or till sold out (Tues – Sat), Closed Sun, Mon
Foong Kee Traditional Charcoal Roast has made a comeback after a period of closure.
Known for its mouthwatering roast meats like char siew and roasted pork, this stall has a rich history of over 20 years, previously based at Keong Saik.
The stall’s BBQ pork is not merely a topping over rice but a star in its own right, famous for its Roasted Duck Rice, Char Siew Rice, and Roasted Pork Rice. Starting from $4.
They also offer combo plates featuring two types of meats, all priced affordably.
They use a special type of pork for their char siew, known as “bu jian tian” which is a cut from the sensitive armpit region of the pig.
I liked the char siew for the light char and beautiful caramelisation, showcasing a juicy and tender lean meat with traces of fat.
It is served without any artificial colouring, featuring a deep caramel brown hue, a testament to the authentic roasting process.
While they used to offer dumpling and wonton soup, soy sauce chicken, and noodles at their previous location, these items are currently not available.
Read more at: Foong Kee Traditional Charcoal Roast (Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre)
Sek Tong Gai
Commonwealth Crescent Market and Food Centre #02-76
Opening Hours: 6pm – 12am (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Some diners may still be wondering about Sek Tong Gai, previously located at Neil Road and Tanglin Halt. It moved a couple of times, and it now found at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre.
It offers a variety of zi char Chinese and seafood, and operates only from dinner.
The zi char stall offers Cantonese restaurant cuisine quality at more budget-friendly prices.
Check out its Braised Fresh Prawn Bee Hoon ($18), Fish Maw Soup ($20), Deep-Fried Seafood Roll ($9), Sweet & Sour Pork ($10) and Prawn Paste Chicken ($14).
There are also more luxe items of Deep-fried Scallops & Enoki with Salt & Pepper ($22), and Braised Crab Bee Hoon (seasonal price).
Fai Kee Fishhead Bee Hoon
Commonwealth Crescent Market and Food Centre #02-74
Opening Hours: 3pm – 9pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Fai Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre is kind of a hidden gem, nestled in this quaint neighbourhood of Commonwealth.
Relatively popular for its hearty and homely dishes, recommended dishes are the Fishhead Bee Hoon, San Lao Hor Fun, Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs, Bitter Gourd with Beef, Sambal Clams, and Prawn Paste Chicken.
The signature Fish Head Soup is known to brim with nutritional goodness and thick snakehead fish slices.
Also get the Prawn Paste Chicken for its crispy, juicy drumlets bursting with the robust flavours of fermented prawn paste.
Chinatown Ah Po Braised Duck 牛车水阿婆卤鸭
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-95
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 12:30pm or sold out (Thurs – Tues), Closed Wed
One thing that greatly effects the overall taste and appeal of a braised duck rice is its zhup or sauce.
This stall excels in this basic ingredient, striking a remarkable balance of flavours and leaving you wanting for more.
There is almost always a long queue at the stall and they run out quite fast, so make sure you get there early.
The regular portion of Braised Duck Rice ($4) is affordable and they only use fresh ducks, with a generous portion size that is quite filling and satiating.
This one had a rather watery sauce which worked well, as it completely coated all the rice grains, making it juicier and delivering a punch of flavours with every spoonful.
Jian Kang Noodles
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-77
Opening Hours: 7am – 1:30pm (Thurs – Tues), Closed Wed
Wanton noodles are a crowd pleaser. They are a common item at most hawker centres, but there are actually a few stalls selling Wanton Mee in this food centre.
This stall is quite apt at this local delight, and their humble dish sells like hot cakes throughout their opening hours. However, due to the skillful service, you won’t have to wait too long for your order
They serve up Wanton Noodles, Dumpling Noodles and Pork Rib Noodles priced from $4.50 to $5.50. You can also order wanton or dumpling soup at $4.50 or $5.00
Seriously, their noodles turned out to be quite a surprise as I wasn’t initially expecting this. It was springy with al dente bite, deliciously tossed in a savoury sauce. In fact, I thought it was compared to those served in those Cantonese restaurants in Singapore.
I only thought that the char siew was slightly dry and tough, though the wantons were silky enough.
Huang Da Fu
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-94
Opening Hours: 8am – 3pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Besides being famous for its traditional preparation flavours, the dish is also popular for its affordability at this stall.
The stall is run by a young and energetic couple who know what they are doing quite well, and the service is impeccable and friendly.
The serving of Bak Chor Mee starts at $3.50 only (there are also $5 and $6.50 versions).
The $3.50 bowl contains quite a generous portion of ingredients. It was quite filling and topped with a lot of ingredients to enhance the flavours.
The thing that stood out for me was the juicy pork slices that was added to the dish in a large heap, along with thick and tender liver slices and also some minced pork.
While it may be the best around, this is certainly above the average BCM.
Hong Kee Porridge
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-89
Opening Hours: 6am – 2:30pm (Mon – Sun)
This stall is quite famous for serving the ultimate comfort food, a good old bowl of hearty and delicious porridge.
You can choose from Pork, Fish or Fish Head Porridge, starting from $5.
The recipe has been passed down for 4 decades to bring you old-school taste that we all loved and found comfort in growing up. With an affordable price and a generous serving size, you can’t go wrong with this dish.
The porridge itself, unlike many other stalls serving the dish, wasn’t bland at all. You may find the consistency to be slightly wetter compared to the usual thick and creamy ones, perhaps to cater to the elderly customers who are regulars.
The bowl didn’t have a typical porky or fishy smell, rather earthy and delicious taste.
Liang Liang Fried Carrot Cake
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-69
Opening Hours: 9am – 1pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues
Sometimes you just crave for the dishes that are familiar and remind you of the same flavours and taste that you grew up with.
For such comforting and wholesome fixes, I recommend this stall for a tasty serving of fried carrot cake in all its rich goodness.
They are also known for their Oyster Omelette ($5, $8) and Fried Oysters ($3, $5).
Get the Black Carrot Cake ($3) which has that old-school touch and good wok hei. You can also request for less oil here.
One thing I noted was that the carrot cake cubes were rather soft, with strong garlicky and chai poh flavours.
Seng Kee Chicken Rice
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-78
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 1:15pm (Tue – Thurs, Sat – Sun), Closed Mon, Fri
If you are looking for chicken rice here, the famous stalls are Henry’s Chicken Rice and Seng Kee Chicken Rice.
Seng Kee also serves up other items such as Roasted Duck Rice ($3.50), Char Siew Rice ($3.50), and Chicken Laksa ($4.50). All very affordable.
The Roasted Chicken Rice ($3.50, $4.50) is a crowd-pleaser with its rich and aromatic rice complemented by smooth, tender chicken.
The generous portions have earned Seng Kee a dedicated following, evident in the queue that forms during lunchtime.
Xi Le Ting
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-70
Opening Hours: 10am – 2pm or sold out (Thurs – Sun), Closed Mon – Wed
One of the best-known stalls here, Xi Le Ting sells local Chinese desserts for $1!
You would spot an auntie behind the stall scooping endlessly, but do not expect her to smile much.
There are four options at the stall, namely the famous Cheng Tng ($1), Green Bean Soup ($1), Red Bean Soup ($1) and Sweet Wheat Porridge ($1). Takeaways are priced at $1.20.
All of the desserts are served steaming hot to warm you up from inside. Her Sweet Wheat Porridge and Green Bean Soup are the ones that would get sold out early, like by 1pm?
Love that this is very nostalgic-tasting yet not too sweet.
As desserts are a basic requirement to complete any meal, I would highly suggest you to stop by this stall on your way out. You definitely won’t regret it.
ASiP Fresh Cold Press Juice
Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre #02-85
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
Variety of refreshing and healthy juices for a boost of vitamins
Can I say this is going to be my favourite fruit juice stall soon, as the couple are so friendly and make good recommendations.
No matter how stuffed you are, perhaps you want to make some room for these refreshing cold-pressed juices. They are also quite healthy and have a nice punch of nutrients and vitamins to revitalize you.
They serve up more pulpy fruit juices which include Guava ($2.50), Rock-Melon ($3), Dragon Fruit ($2.5), Soupsoup ($3) to Avocado Smoothie ($3).
There are also other interesting cold-pressed juices such as Apple Bitter Gourd ($2.50), Apple Lemon ($2.30) to ABC – apple, beet, carrot ($2.50). Refreshing.
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