The month of Ramadhan is in full swing and that means it’s time to hunt for delicious eats at the annual Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, on-going till 5 June 2019. The bazaar is well into its third week and there have been countless reviews on where to eat.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love the hipster creations that have dominating bazaar scene as of late. But when it comes to food, I’m more for substance over style. For my bazaar expedition, I decided to skip most of the hyped-up food items and explore more of what the bazaar had to offer.
While the list is by no means exhaustive, this is for all the foodies out there. These are the 10 stalls you just can’t miss at this year’s edition of the Geylang Serai Ramadhan Bazaar!
1.The Famous Vadai Uncle
When it comes to bazaar food, there is no better way to start than a round of steaming hot vadai. For the uninitiated, vadai is a savoury deep-fried dough fritter. And if you are entering the Wisma Geylang Serai Bazaar first, you won’t miss The Famous Vadai Uncle.
Here The Famous Vadai Uncle offers a variety of mini vadai balls, filled with Chicken, Ikan Bilis and Crab Meat just to name a few. These fluffy little nuggets are going at 10 for S$3 and you can order them mixed as well.
Of course, it would remiss to not get the Vadai Udang (S$2 for three pieces). The Vadai Udang is fried so well that the prawn is super crispy. The vadai was savoury and onion-y, not to mention unbelievably soft on the inside and best when eaten with raw green chilli (ugh, heaven!).
If you want some variety, then these little vadai balls are perfect too. Each a flavour bomb, I can see where The Famous Vadai Uncle gets his namesake. This place is a great way to start your romp through the bazaar.
The Famous Vadai Uncle: Stall 001 | Facebook
2. Mr Vadai
As you know my love for vadai knows no bounds, besides The Famous Vadai Uncle another gentlemen that peddle these tasty fritters is Mr Vadai.
With a small queue snaking around Mr Vadai’s stall you can bet that these fritters are legit. Mr Vadai’s team does cook up a storm and there are all sorts of fried stuff you can get your hands on. Yup, it’s time to leave your diet at the door.
For Mr Vadai, I decided to just buy the Vadai Udang (S$3 for four pieces). Just by feeling them, I could tell these vadai‘s were much fluffier and lighter compared to The Famous Vadai Uncle.
While I can’t resist fried food of any kind, I would say in terms of texture, the vadai from Mr Vadai really took the cake. Crispy with a pillowy and savoury centre, these babies were dangerously addictive. Trust me, you won’t be able to just stop at one.
Mr Vadai: Stall G270
3. My Laksa
For those who can brave the heat and want something a little heavier, you have to make a pit-stop at My Laksa. Here, I opted for their signature Penang Assam Laksa (S$7). Their laksa comes with many accolades and I have to admit, I do get a bit sceptical of any stall that is a little too decorated.
Of course, I was proven wrong. As we all know, the most important aspect of a good bowl Penang laksa is the broth. The soup has just the right amount of tanginess and spice, which kept me slurping for more.
As you add in the other ingredients, you’ll soon find out that this bowl is nothing short of amazing. The noodles had a good bite to them each slurp is better than the last. Definitely worth battling the heat!
My Laksa: Stall 002
4.Word
With all the new-fangled creations going around at the bazaar, I had to give some of them a try. Amongst the many hyped up food this year is Word‘s Hansum Burger (S$10).
The Hansum Burger features a rainbow bagel, a ramly-style patty (meat patty wrapped with egg) and doused in their sauce. One for the ‘gram, I’m sure.
When it comes to Insta-worthy food, there is always the fear that it’s just a pretty face, but this burger proved that it can look good and taste good too. I was expecting a rather dry rainbow bagel but this bagel-bun was soft and soaked up the juices quite nicely.
The egg blanket was a rather ingenious move to prevent the patty from drying out. Overall, a rather satisfying burger indeed.
Another tip for when you go gallivanting through the streets of Geylang Serai is to keep well hydrated. The crowd, coupled with heat and humidity, will ensure you are sweating bullets before the night is over.
Word has these giant buckets of icy cold drinks that will surely be sweet, sweet relief as you brave the insane crowd. We got Mat Rep (S$5) which was a bucket of electric blue liquid that tasted like ice cream soda. The size will be more than enough to keep you and your friends cool.
Word: Stall: G340/341
5. Foodtitude Prata
Another talked-about snack food at the bazaar is Foodtitude‘s Praffles (S$8.90 – S$15.90). As the name suggests, these are prata but cooked in the shape of a waffle. As it’s quite a novel idea, I don’t why nobody has not thought of this sooner.
When you get to Foodtitude, be prepared to wait for this bundle of goodness. We ordered one of the more popular ones, the Truffle Cheese Praffles (S$10.90). The sweet tooth in me was aching for the Rainbow Praffles (S$8.90) but sadly they were sold out.
The Truffle Cheese Praffles was everything you’d want your snack food to be. A fluffy praffle enveloped popcorn chicken, streaky turkey bacon and sausage slivers before being dressed with a generous dollop of nacho cheese.
This bouquet of fried food and cheese was undoubtedly a winning combination. The praffle was soft and paid loving homage to the local dish. This praffle is worth the hype and one of the more exciting creations at the Geylang Serai Ramadhan Bazaar this year.
Foodtitude: Stall G342
6. Ranor Tengiri Fresh Otah
You can’t really go wrong with otah, as Ranor Tengiri Fresh Otah serve quite possibly the best otah-otah you can get your hands on. The otah-otah is grilled right in front you so freshness is guaranteed. These are going at S$3 for five pieces which just gives you more bang for your buck.
The otah-otah was extremely flavourful and had a good texture; it was neither too mushy nor firm. A good kick from those aromatic spices and smokiness from the charcoal grill delivered a delicious otah-otah.
Ranor Tengiri Fresh Otah: Stall G344
7. Chulop
Given my penchant for sweets, I couldn’t pass up the myriad of desserts the bazaar had to offer. Chulop is one of the underrated dessert stalls at the bazaar. At Chulop, their speciality is their Churros (S$2 for two, additional S$1 for dip) as well as their Chulop Bombs (S$10 for two).
Their Chulop Bombs were insanely popular as these are Chulop’s version of cream puffs with delectable fillings such as Nutella or salted caramel. Sadly by the time I got there, they were sold out of these sinful treats. No matter, I ordered the Churros instead, with one drizzled with salted caramel, and the other with a white chocolate drizzle.
These churros can definitely give a certain theme park a run for their money. They were crispy but not greasy. Dusted with cinnamon sugar, these sticks delivered a good crunch with every bite. Plus, the salted caramel dip was well-balanced and not overly sweet.
The white chocolate dip was equally as delightful, and I can assure you, you will surely have seconds with this one!
Chulop: Stall 32 | Facebook | Instagram
8. Walaku
If you are still riding on the dessert train, Walaku is an absolute must-try. If you have never tried martabak, you’re definitely missing out. Martabak is a type of Indonesian street food that can come in either sweet or savoury versions.
It comprises of thick pancake with traditionally sweet toppings, such as cheese and chocolate, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, or condensed milk.
I decided on the Red Velvet (S$6) just to see how this new flavour would fare in a rather traditional dessert.
Thick and buttery, this checked all the boxes for me; absolute comfort food at it’s best. Not to mention, this Red Velvet martabak comes with a layer of cheese in the middle. What’s not to love?
Walaku: Stall G293
9. Alley
Another star of the bazaar has to be this drink stall. The drinks from Alley has been making waves of late for their Brown Sugar Fresh Milk (S$3.90 for M, S$4.90 for L) as well as their Brown Sugar Creme Brulee (S$5.30 for M/S$6.30 for L).
Craving for something a little different from your average Brown Sugar Fresh Milk, I tried their Brown Sugar Creme Brulee. The drink is sprinkled with sugar and torched, just as you would a crème brûlée.
It tasted a little more complex than your Brown Sugar Fresh Milk, with those burnt caramel notes adding contrasting layers to the drink. The pearls were soft and chewy, so there were no complaints here.
Alley: Stall 43/44
10. Dates Me Kurma Milk
Instead of the usual bubble teas and other fanciful drinks, try Dates Me Kurma Milk for something a little different. Having never tried date milk before, this was intriguing.
Dates Me Kurma Milk comes in five flavours — Original, Chocolate, Strawberry, Caramel and Butterscotch (S$7 per bottle). Since I have never tried it before, I ordered the Original and Butterscotch.
The milk was sweet and nostalgic, reminiscent of the childhood Want Want Niu Zai milk drink.
The Butterscotch was lovely as well, with the milk being creamy and having deep toffee notes. This is dessert in a bottle and if you like sweet stuff as much as I do, you’ll love this drink!
Dates Me Kurma Milk: Stall G280
During my romp around the Geylang Serai Ramadhan Bazaar, I’ve intentionally tried to keep each item under S$10 just so that by the end of the night my wallet will still be intact.
After all, the goal of going to the bazaar is to eat as much as you can without breaking the bank. The only other tip I can offer is two words: portable fan. Trust me, it will be a life saver.
