We strolled from the far end of One Fullerton, on to the Merlion Park, over the Esplanade Bridge, down the Theatres on the Bay and finally the Helix Bridge. It took a total of two and a half hours to reach our final rendezvous. We were quite happy with the walk but we wanted something more, something the hawker stands near the area wasn’t able to provide; a brain freezing bowl of chendol.

So we walked some more, trying to find an open restaurant at such hour. We were met with nothing but locked doors; it seems most food places in Singapore close at the strike of twelve. Circling back to the hawker’s stall near the Marina Bay Floating Stadium, we asked for directions to the nearest place we can get chendols and they directed us to Newton Food Centre.

A cheerful cabbie drove us to the place and even gave directions on how we can walk back to our place at the Royal Plaza on Scotts.

Most locals refer to the place at the Newton Circus so we were at first confused if we were indeed going to a full circus, complete with clowns and Ferris wheels. Turns out it was just a moniker and there was absolutely nothing circussy about the open-aired food court.

Regulars here often cite the seafood dishes and the satays as their favorites. So after searching around for the most affordable nook, we ordered our most awaited chendols together with a bunch of satays and chicken wings.

Everything arrived quickly and we got down to business. Satay is one of the oldest street foods that have been associated with Singapore. These were used to be sold on makeshift stalls on the streets of the city during the evenings until the government cleaned everything up due to health and sanitation reasons—very Singapore, right?

The skewered barbecued meat, which can either be chicken, pork or beef, are supposed to be dipped on a bowl of peanut sauce. We ordered the pork version and I have to say that it did not disappoint. This is absolutely better than the more expensive ones I had years ago at the Orchard Road, a Singaporean restaurant in Manila.

I don’t think the chicken wings can top the satay, but surprisingly, it did. It was so tender and flavorful that it was gone from the table faster than we can holler holy hawkers. Good thing R of The Travelling Dork insisted on ordering these.

And finally, the root cause of our crazy midnight food hunt, chendol!

The traditional Singaporean dessert has some similarities to our local halo-halo; it is mostly made of grated ice, mixed with a variety of sweetened ingredients like jelly, red beans, glutinous rice, creamed corn and grass jelly. While our halo-halo is drowned in sugar and milk, Singapore’s chendol uses coconut milk and is not as sweet.

The premium taxi fare in Singapore burned a small hole in our pockets since it was already past midnight but it was worth every Singaporean dollar we spent. Not only did we get to quench our craving for a cold bowl of chendol on a hot night, but we also got to sample some of Singapore’s famous street foods.

Newton Food Centre | Newton Circus
Address: 500 Clemenceau Ave. North, Singapore
Open Hours: 12:00 PM to 2:00 AM Daily

GPS Coordinates: 1.312183,103.839474
View Location on Google Maps: Click Here

THIS SINGAPORE TRIP IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:
AIRASIA PHILIPPINES – NOW FLYING DIRECTLY TO SINGAPORE
HOTEL AND TRAVEL PACKAGE BY AIRASIAGO
SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

        THREE DAYS IN SINGAPORE TRIP ITINERARY & SUMMARY
        MANILA – CLARK – SINGAPORE | PERANAKAN LUNCH AT BLUE GINGER RESTAURANT | THE FLOWER DOME AT GARDENS BY THE BAY
        ABOVE AND BELOW GARDENS BY THE BAY’S CLOUD FOREST | FLYING HIGH AT THE SINGAPORE FLYER
        A NOCTURNAL RIDE AT THE NIGHT SAFARI | NIGHTS AT THE ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS HOTEL
        AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE RIVER SAFARI’S GIANT PANDAS | LUNCH AT SENTOSA’S TASTES OF ASIA
        AN EVENING WALK AT THE ORCHARD ROAD | ELECTRIC NIGHTS AT THE MARINA BAY | HAWKERS HUNT FOR A FREEZING BOWL OF CHENDOL
        STARBUCKS GLOBAL ICON CITY MUG PLUS A FEW MORE | SINGAPORE – CLARK