After a two-year hiatus, the highly-anticipated Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar 2022 is finally back and man, I’m seriously excited. The past few Raya celebrations have been relatively muted thanks to Covid-19, but Singapore’s latest move towards post-Covid normalisation comes at a fantastic time, especially with Ramadan right at its heel.
Happening from 2 April 2022 to 2 May 2022, this year’s Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar is located right next to Wisma Geylang Serai Community Centre and will open from 1pm to 11pm daily.
The entire bazaar is split into two zones, each with a capacity of 20 stalls. While the original number of food stalls were capped at eight, stall owners we spoke to today mentioned that the bazaar had managed to increase the cap to 12 food stalls instead.
Despite that, we only counted nine functioning food stalls when we visited the bazaar on its first day, with a couple of empty spaces reserved for future stalls.
With empty stomachs and cameras in our hands, my colleague Eugene and I visited the bazaar on its very first day to share with you what you can expect from these 9 food stalls at the highly-anticipated Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar 2022.
1. Ole Ole
Ole Ole is hard to miss because of the huge pans of paella displayed at its storefront. Large, circular metal pans filled with arborio rice were piled with fresh seafood, meat and vegetables, making this an excellent choice to start off your bazaar adventure with.
Plus, the paella is already pre-cooked, so you won’t have to wait too long for your food to be ready.
If you’re ordering the paella, you can pick between two options: Valencia Meat Paella (S$15.90) or Barcelona Seafood Paella (S$18.90).
We decided to pick one of each, and the amount of vibrant colours in these dishes were enough to make my mouth water. The rice was creamy and well spiced, and you can really taste the freshness of its ingredients. I spotted plenty of bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, and sliced radishes in each of my paellas, which went really well with both the seafood and chicken.
2. Alley
If you’re craving a thirst-quenching drink, especially given how humid it can get in the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, be sure to drop by Alley.
While this stall isn’t associated in any way with famous Taiwanese bubble tea chain The Alley, it sells a variety of coconut shakes, sodas and milk teas that will cater to both children and adults.
We got its Thai Milk Tea (S$4) and Chendol Coconut Shake (S$6.80). My personal favourite was the Chendol Coconut Shake— an icy and refreshing drink that was milky, mildly sweet, and fragrant thanks to the pandan.
If the kids are craving something carbonated, you can try its Green Apple Soda (S$4), Blue Hawaii Soda (S$4) or Strawberry Soda (S$4). If you’re getting drinks for the whole family, buy three sodas for S$10 instead.
3. Ramadan Kebab
There’s certainly nothing like a good ol’ Ramadan Kebab stall, especially in a bazaar or pasar malam, and I’m happy to share that Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar’s kebab stall is located right at the front of the area, so you won’t be able to miss it.
It only sells two types of kebabs: Cheesy Chicken Kebab (S$4) and Cheesy Beef Kebab (S$5). The stall also offers a variety of fried finger food like pisang goreng and fried fish sausages, but unfortunately they were unavailable when we dropped by.
We got the Cheesy Chicken Kebab, which was filled with tender chicken chunks and lettuce, and doused in several sauces, including a cheesy nacho sauce.
While I wouldn’t say it’s worth the price especially considering how small the kebab was, I’d say it’s worth a try especially if you’re looking for a quick snack while browsing the rest of the bazaar.
4. Dendeng House
It’s been a good few years since I had a decent Ramly burger, let alone at a pasar malam or bazaar. So, when I spotted Dendeng House‘s stall at the front of the bazaar, I might’ve have let out a gleeful cheer.
Dendeng House sells a variety of fried finger food and barbecued meats, but the star of the day was the Ramly Burger (S$4.50), which was offered in both Chicken and Beef. We ended up ordering the Chicken Ramly Burger.
Biting into the Chicken Ramly Burger was like reuniting with a long-lost friend. Messy and juicy, this bazaar burger is the ultimate comfort food and an absolute essential when visiting the Ramadan Bazaar.
I was tempted to go back and buy a second burger because it was just that good, but decided against it as I wasn’t even halfway through the bazaar’s food stalls and had to save my stomach space for more.
5. Coconut Kelapa
Hopping onto the coconut trend is Coconut Kelapa, a simple beverage stall selling only two iced drinks: Sugarcane Juice (S$5) and Coconut Juice (S$5), both of which were served in a large bucket-like cup.
Fun fact: kelapa means coconut in Malay.
We got its Sugarcane Juice, and I’ve got to say that this was really worth it. For just S$5, you’re getting an incredibly large cup of sugarcane juice. I had to share it with two friends just to finish it!
I could also taste how unadulterated this was and even with the melted ice, I could still taste the natural sweetness of the sugarcane.
6. Rancho Meats
The Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar is Rancho Meats‘ first foray into the pasar malam business. Prior to this, the business focused on selling halal-certified frozen marinated meat, such as ribeye, tomahawk and more.
The stall’s concept is pretty straightforward— there are three base options: Bun, Bucket and Bowl. Then, pick your protein: Ribeye or Chicken. Lastly, pick your sauce: Nacho Cheese, Roasted Sesame, or Mentaiko. If you’re getting the Ribeye, you can also opt for its Signature, Black Pepper or Brown sauce.
We got its Ribeye Bucket with Brown Sauce (S$15) which came packed with a pretty layer of vegetables. I spotted corn, lettuce, purple cabbage and tomatoes, as well as a bed of white rice at the bottom of the bucket.
While it was a little hard digging for the vegetables and rice, I really enjoyed the tender ribeye. It was well marinated and I could taste the fragrant herbs and black pepper.
If the bucket seems daunting, go for its Ribeye Bowl with Signature Sauce (S$12) instead, which essentially serves the same ingredients but in a different format.
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7. Praffles
When we dropped by the bazaar today, the Praffles stall saw one of the longest queues, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Out of all the rest of the food stalls, this stall is the most hip, serving praffles (which is essentially prata cooked in a waffle maker) with a variety of local flavours, such as chilli crab, curry chicken and assam pedas fish.
We went for its Chilli Crab Praffles (S$15.90), which came with crispy praffles, soft shell crab, and crab meat, all of which were doused in a homemade chilli crab sauce.
This was a dish that I absolutely loved. The chilli crab sauce was intensely rich and spicy, and it went perfectly with the crispy praffle. The soft shell crab was a delightful treat as well. I’ve got to say that for its price point, they were pretty generous with the amount of soft shell crab and crab meat.
8. The Original Vadai
Even though vadai is a popular street food, The Original Vadai is one of the few stalls that became so popular that it eventually set up physical outlets across Singapore, including Century Square and Amoy Street Food Centre.
Its presence in Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar certainly didn’t go unnoticed, with a constant stream of customers queuing up to purchase its vadai. In fact, there were so many people queuing that the minute a fresh batch of vadai was ready, it sold out instantly!
Despite having queued close to 30 minutes for a single Prawn Vadai (S$1.20), I wasn’t complaining. Each batch of vadai was freshly made to order, so the Prawn Vadai was served piping hot.
The vadai was crispy, springy and addictive. Even though it was a little oily, I found myself finishing the entire vadai in four mouthfuls because it was so satisfying. This was a clear winner and definitely worth the wait.
9. T Bob’s Corner
T Bob’s Corner is one of the few bazaar stalls that actually have a physical restaurant in Singapore. Located at Bras Basah, T Bob’s Corner is a Muslim-owned family restaurant that specialises in steaks, ribs and pasta.
Its bazaar menu sported a wide variety of grilled meats, such as Beef Rib (S$20/S$30), Lamb Shoulder (S$15 per 200g) and even Ayam Percik XL (S$10), which is a chicken thigh in traditional perak gravy.
After looking at the menu, we decided to order its Steak & Fries (S$15). Due to some operational issues, the stall switched out the fries for nachos. The dish was served with several sauces, including a spicy kecap manis sauce and nacho cheese sauce.
While this dish fell flat because the nachos were pre-made and not crispy enough, I enjoyed how tender the steak was, despite having a few cuts that were too rare for my taste. I also appreciated how the steak was already cut into neat slices, making it easy to eat while walking through the crowded bazaar.
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