I Love My Neighborhood: Balestier Road, Singapore

Welcome to another edition of “I Love My Neighborhood”, where I ask expats from across the globe to share the joys of local life they’ve found in their corner of the world.

If you’re just joining in now, check out the other cities that have been covered so far here.

Today’s guest post comes from one of my best friends in Singapore. I spent many nights in Brian’s neighborhood when I lived in Sing, going on food crawls and eating until I passed out. For me, Balestier Road is home to great food and great memories, and I’m excited to have Brian share what he loves about it.

Brian Bergey: Why I Love Balestier Road

When travelers go to new places, we always dream of a area a bit out of the way, but not too far out of the way, which local treasures and favorites. I feel fortunate to have found and live in a place that I can say is just that.

When I moved to Singapore, I settled, by chance, in a north-central area called Balestier Road. It’s located between two major hubs called Novena and Tao Payoh, and is one of the last remaining “local” roads that exist in the central area of Singapore. It’s not crowded by high rises, trendy restaurants and shopping malls. Instead, it’s lined with 19th century shophouses, local culinary favorites, and HDB flats.

What I didn’t know when I moved here was that Balestier Road was named after the first American consul in Singapore and his sugar plantation is what once stood where the road exists today. I can’t imagine a sugar plantation, or any kind of plantation, anywhere in Singapore today, but I feel like it’s an appropriate place for me to be. After all, we’re both Americans and both have a name that starts with B. I think it’s meant to be (no pun intended).

Amazing Hawker Food

Being hungry is a great state to be in when on Balestier. When I exit my building, I most often turn right and hit up some of the best food I’ve had in Singapore. My default for a quick meal is the Balestier Hawker Center. It’s undergone some changes in the couple years I’ve been here, but the stalls that start up or stay put always serve quality food. By far the best chicken rice I’ve been served in a hawker, which is Singapore’s most famous specialty. Try incredibly tasty Prata from the Indian stall, or amazing steamboat (or hot pot) which involves cooking raw meat and veggies in a boiling pot of soup on your table. The hawker is even complete with a tactful bar in the back serving a selection of beer and western snacks. Down the street a bit further is Founder’s Bak Ku Teh, one of Singapore’s most famous joints for this delicious pork and black pepper soup.

Tau Sar Piah

Now, if I head the other direction on Balestier, I stroll past a number of Tau Sar Piah shops, one of which is also the closest retail establishment to my front door. Tau Sar Piah is a chinese treat with a Western influence. I always find it hard to describe what it’s like, but I usually end up saying it’s something like a mix of a flaky pastry, a moist cookie, and thick brownie. It’s basically layers of moist pastry filled with some kind of paste flavoring. My favorites are peanut, red bean, and the classic sweet or salty (which I can’t really tell the difference between).

Shaw Plaza
After dinner, Balestier’s Shaw Plaza is one of the greatest places to catch a movie. I like to say it’s Singapore’s oldest cinema, but I don’t really know if that’s true. It just makes me feel a bit better about paying a normal price to sit in uncomfortable seats with sticky floors. Its appeal for me comes from the fact that it isn’t seldom visited due to its age and out-of-the-way location, so buying tickets in advance is never necessary [Edna: in Singapore, you almost always have to book movie tickets in advance]. There’s even a 24-hour McDonald’s on the main level for the late night American in me. Mr. Balestier would be proud.

MacRitchie Reservoir

The best part about living on Balestier is that all I need to do to get to my favorite place on the entire island is step out of my front door and catch a five-minute bus to MacRitchie Reservoir. This is a huge advantage because it is generally difficult for most people in Singapore to get to MacRitchie, due to its distance from main public transport links. The reservoir is one of a few in the central part of the island, built to collect an abundant amount of water for the population to use.

Once you arrive, you would never know you’re in one of the most populated pieces of land in the world housing over 5 million people. Instead, you are engulfed by thick rain forest, endless views of the lake, taking your chances on a suspension bridge over a canyon, and enjoying the cool breezes during dusk/dawn.  You’ll also be greeted by a large number of tropical animals that include monkeys swinging from trees, turtles bobbing their heads in the water, or monitor lizards scurrying into the brush. It’s truly a beautiful place and should be on the top of anyone’s list visiting Singapore.

———

About Brian: Originally a mountain boy from the US, Brian was lucky enough to find a job that transferred him to London and then Singapore, where he’s been living for nearly two years. He thinks Singapore is a great place to be and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. Follow Brian at What Brian Eats or @bbergey.

All photos courtesy of the author.