A month into the new school term (that feels like forever already), and we are BACK with another food hunt around NUS! This time, we would like to introduce a few gems around Clementi, Prince George’s Park (PGP) and Kent Ridge which can spice up your afternoon lunches or supper cravings. You may have heard of them before, but if not – today is your lucky day.
HoHo Korean Restaurant @ 106 Clementi Street 12 Level 1 Unit 58-60, Singapore 120106
Is Hwang’s (located at UTown) too crowded during the weekdays? How about venturing out to Sunset Way? Gabriel Song (Y3, Economics, CHS) from NUS College, describes the place as “offering what Hwang’s Korean cuisine has, but double the portion and triple the satisfaction”, which is a huge compliment! For Gabriel, their soy-fried chicken ($25.00) was sweet enough to balance out the chicken’s salty fried skin. Therefore, he finds it worth the 20-minute travel time from opposite UTown’s Yale-NUS bus stop to the bus stop opposite Blk 109A.
Moreover, there were many complementary (and complimentary!) side dishes like bean curd skin, bean sprouts, sliced cucumber kimchi, and thin slices of sweet potato. He also recommends their Mul-NaengMyon, a cold noodle dish ($16.00), because it complements the dryness of their fried chicken skin. Gabriel loves to bring his girlfriend, an avid fan of Korean culture, to HoHo’s for their dinner dates.
(A video of Gabriel eating HoHo’s fried chicken, taken by aforementioned girlfriend)
The restaurant is open from 11.30 am to 3.00 pm. After which, they close for a short break and reopen from 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm every day except Tuesdays. When Gabriel enters the restaurant which is decorated with wood furniture, he is reminded of his favourite movie scene of a family seated around a fireplace on Christmas Eve. The staff’s warm welcome made him feel at home.
Soon after, Gabriel became a frequent customer at HoHo’s Korean Restaurant. Family and friends who were introduced to the joint, all shared similar sentiments, with a penchant for their Yachae Jeon, a mixed vegetable fried pancake ($22.00).
(A photo of Gabriel having dinner, taken by aforementioned girlfriend)
He thinks the place is a perfect and relatively affordable date spot to impress your crush or simply chill with your friends and family members!
Prince George’s Park (PGP) Mala @ 27 Prince George’s Park, Singapore 118425
Next, we have the famous PGP mala located right next to the PGP Foyer bus stop. The canteen is open on Mondays to Saturdays from 10.30 am to 8.00 pm. You may be wondering why their mala is hailed as one of the best on campus and Loo Raen explains that it’s for two reasons. Firstly, their mala is not as oily compared to the other places she had tried so she can taste the mala spices. Moreover, the food operators work fast! Despite the long queue, Raen did not wait long for her bowl of mala.
If you think mala is meant to be shared amongst a big group of friends, think again! Raen often gets mala by herself or with another friend for a reasonable price. As for the level of spice, the store has four different “settings”. Starting from no spice, Raen can increase her spice level from Small (小辣), Medium (中辣) to Big spice (大辣) depending on her mood. However, she often finds herself selecting a small (小辣) “setting”. We encourage all to start with a little spice before adventuring towards spicier bowls of mala.
(Raen always adds a generous serving of Maggie mee to her bowl of mala)
Raen’s must-have staple ingredients are lotus root slices and Maggie mee. “There is something about Maggie mee cooked in mala spice that hits differently,” as she explains her love for Maggie mee.
(A video taken by Raen of her having mala with a friend)
Furthermore, Raen and her friends love to beat the heat by dining at the canteen’s second story because it’s fully air-conditioned – the perfect counter hack to a spicy bowl of mala.
After Hours Gelato @ 27 West Coast Highway, #01-07, Singapore 117867
A great way to celebrate the end of an exam with your friends would be to treat yourselves to some ice cream. Why not go a step further and enjoy premium gelato instead?
Located right next to Haw Par Villa MRT station is After Hours Gelato. The best part is that they are open from 4.00 pm till 2.00 am on Mondays to Thursdays and 1.00 pm to 2.00 am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays! Therefore, After Hours Gelato is surely the place to be if you’re craving something sweet for supper. While most gelato shops may offer waffles, we invite you to try its signature Shibuya toast ($9.50). A three-inch-thick, fluffy, sweet toast is baked twice by the staff and served with generous maple syrup. Their Shibuya toast has the crispiest crunch to complement their gelato. With unique flavours to try like soya bean and dough fritters ($5.50), and oolong with plum and honey ($5.50), one is surely in for a ride.
Be sure to check this place out to celebrate the end of a gruelling day with your friends or if you simply want to relax on a hot day!
(Image via Joshhh)
Hugabo @1 Lower Kent Ridge Road, #01-25, Singapore 119082
With an interesting eatery name,Hugabo Hugabo is a rather new store at NUH Medical Centre located at Kent Ridge MRT station. Take the escalator up after alighting from the train platform, exit the gantry, and make a right turn. You will immediately be greeted by Hugabo’s vibrant signboard menu which showcases their various dishes.
(Hugabo is located right outside of Kent Ridge MRT station; Image via The Halal Eater)
What makes Hugabo unique is that they offer a variety of dishes like seafood pao fan and authentic tom yum soup. Both of which are a spin-off of unique local and Asian dishes.
In case you might not know, Pao fan is a traditional Teochew dish in which rice is cooked in a broth mixture that is made from seafood, meats, or vegetables. The dish is unique because the rice retains its grain texture unlike the texture of rice in porridge. Pao fan is a nice alternative to try if you are bored of eating regular porridge.
(Image via The Halal Eater)
Furthermore, Hugabo’s tom yum soup offers a variety of options like chicken, seafood or prawn for customers to select as their meat add-on. Their dishes offer a variety of superfoods like leafy greens, tomatoes, and enoki mushrooms (for their signature spicy mala soup and hotpot). It’s a good option for those who crave a warm, hearty, and balanced meal! They are open from 11.00 am to 8.30 pm on Mondays to Sundays and are MUIS Halal-certified.
Food Barn @ 1 Fusionopolis Place #01-13 Galaxis, Singapore 138522
Hidden in an obscure corner of one-north is Food Barn, an eatery for casual dining, which is located near one-north MRT station at Fushionopolis. They are open from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm from Mondays to Fridays and 10.00 am to 8.30 pm on Saturdays. Students can swing by Food Barn for breakfast before or after their classes. A wide range of dishes like smoked salmon, pork bacon and loaves of bread such as ciabatta, sourdough, and rye bread await you.
(Food Barn is located at Fusionopolis; Image via Food Advisor)
Alight at one-north MRT station, head towards Exit B on Portsdown Road and walk straight to Fushionopolis which takes about five minutes. Take the opportunity to explore outside of the school’s campus grounds with your friends and clock in your daily steps!
While university life can be stressful and it’s challenging to squeeze leisure time out, learning how to recharge and take care of your body by eating well can help us to walk a longer road. Little sojourns outside of the NUS campus to some of the options we listed here are also a fantastic way to bond with friends and learn more about the various kinds of eateries that are around NUS!
Make sure to save this blog post for future reference and let us know in the comments if you have other suggestions!
