Labrador Villa Food Centre: Food Centres should have World Heritage Status!

With smart and liverpool

Lontong $2.50

At the rate the NEA are going with the upgrading of food centres, we will soon have nothing good left to eat! Just take the venerable Tiong Bahru Market for example. Tiong Bahru used to stand tall and proud as the place to eat. Now it seems like it needs a double dose of Viagara to restore its vitality. Somehow, the upgrading of the premises usually means the tastiness of the food somehow goes downhill.

It seems that over the last few years, the NEA has been busy upgrading food centres. Of course, progress is good and new facilities mean better hygiene and working environment for Singaporeans. However, it also means that some hawkers take it as a signal to retire and returning to the new premises means higher rents and for many it may mean they have to cut corners in order to remain viable. So as a food lover, I lament whenever I hear that another hawker centre is slated to be upgraded. It's almost like it has been passed the death sentence.

I just wish that some of the good old hawker centres can be put on the heritage list so that they can be preserved for our future generations. Just take tiny row of hawker stalls along Labrador Villa Road. It kind of reminds me of the good old hawker centre outside of the botanic gardens years ago. Serving mainly Malay and Indian Muslim food, it is probably the last of its kind in Singapore. When I look at it, I think "Wha, sure got good food", but I am sure when the NEA officers look at it, they are thinking "Hmmm, put on upgrade list!" Perhaps the only way to preserve these places is to have them in opposition constituencies!









Anyway, ranting about it isn't going to change its inevitable fate, so let's talk about the food.

Damien has been telling us about this wonderful Lontong that is being made by this Mak Cik who looks like she fits right in with the antique environment. So we had to make a trip down to see just how good it really is. The stall is actually No. 5 but when we got there it had already sold out. So instead, we bought tried the lontong from the stall next door (No. 6). One thing about the food here is that it is still very cheap. We got a whole bowl of lontong with the works for $2.50. And it was actually quite good. The soup was lemak without being over jialat. 4/5. Perhaps if you manage to get down there, compare No. 5 with No. 6 and let us know.



Damien also recommended the Nasi Briyani being sold at the far end of the row of shops. We found the Chicken curry was very good, but the rice was found lacking. Maybe because of the increase in the price of rice, they reverted to poorer quality rice. Still not a bad briyani if you are having the briyani craving 3.75/5

Conclusion

This place really has a nice Kampung atmosphere to it. Come in the afternoon and you will see lots of people drinking Teh Tarik and eating Epok Epok. One of the last places of its kind in Singapore! If you are a part of the Y Gen, you have to visit this place at least once to experience what Singapore was really like in the good old days before it gets handed the NEA Death Warrant!

Labrador Villa Road Food Centre
Jn of Alexandra and Pasir Panjang Road
Stall No 5 and 6 for Lontong
Opens 6.30am to 10pm daily

Ali Nachia Briyani Dum: Real Dum Briyani

With Damien


I remember some years back, MM Lee once mentioned that Singapore may merge with Malaysia in the future. This created such an uproar among the Malaysians, who simply don't see any reason why they would want Singapore back with Malaysia. Culturally, Singapore and Malaysia are very close and it used to be that many families have cousins and uncles across the causeway. However and time went by, the two cultures are slowly diverging.

If you think about it, Singapore and Malaysia may not be so culturally different as say East and West Germany. We speak almost the same language and share lots of common hawker foods. It's only the proportion of the mix of Malay, Chinese and Indians which are different. And when we are overseas, Malaysians and Singaporeans tend to congregate and regard each other as the same gang. So it might not be so difficult to imagine that one day in the distant future, the socio-political-economic climate might force the two countries to consider merger again.

Anyway, the Malaysia-Singapore preamble is to introduce this particular stall which is situated in the Malaysian part of Singapore. Yes, there is a thin strip of Malaysian land which bisects our island from the causeway up north right down the middle to end in the South at Tanjong Pagar. It's none other than the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The last bastion of Malaysia in Singapore. Yet even though it is Malaysian land, we still have to pay Singapore prices for the food and the stalls are still subjected to the NEA's cleanliness ratings. Aside from that, the Railway Station still retains that Malaysian charm of yesteryear guaranteed to bring back some feelings of nostalgia of our colonial past.



Now moving on to the topic of Dum Briyani.

There's Nasi Briyani and then there's Dum Briyani. And nowadays, stallowners are increasingly calling their Briyani "Dum" to differentiate it from "lesser" Briyanis. From what I understand, this should not be the case at all. All Briyani should be "Dum" Briyani. The lesser "Briyani" is in fact pilaf, which is essentially Nasi Minyak (Buttered/Oil Rice). Whereas in a real Dum Briyani, the rice and mutton curry is partially cooked first then combined and baked together. (pic above). This way all the aroma of the curry gets infused into the rice. Mmmmmm....

This stall is run by ex-butcher turned ex-soccer coach, Cik Ali who happens to be the father of soccer star Rafi Ali. This Pak Cik is passionate about wanting to make a proper Dum Briyani and as you can see from the picture above, this is the real deal. And furthermore, being an ex-butcher, Cik Ali also knows how to handle his meats so he only picks the best parts of the goat to make his curry.



The Briyani Rice here is light and fluffy and not over powering so you can eat lots of it and not feel too jerlak. But the real gem is the super tender and aromatic mutton which has been slow cooking in the rice. The mutton has been seasoned just right such that it does not have that strong mutton smell that puts most muttonophobics off, and it has just the right amount of fats so that the meat is not dry after cooking for so long. At $5 per plate, it is still worth it as the piece of mutton is very generous and comes with the bone. The only little drawback for me was the dhalchat which could do with a bit more ooomph and it really should be eaten when it is still piping hot during lunch time because by 2pm the rice has lost some of its ooomph. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Yummy Dum Briyani surrounded by nostalgia. Little wonder that it is recommended by foodiephiles like Yuen (Prive and Brown Sugar) and Damien (Mien).


Ali Nachia Briyani Dam
The Railway Station
Tanjong Pagar
93892615
10am to 3pm
Closed on Sundays