Heading to a GE2025 rally? Here are a few nearby places to grab a bite

Straits Times

27-04-2025

The 7 Stars coffee shop at Anchorvale Crescent is situated near a rally field. ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK
Heading to a GE2025 rally? Here are a few nearby places to grab a bite
SINGAPORE – Fireworks, crossbows and handcuffs are banned at election rallies, but food is still very much welcome.
So fret not about having to forgo a proper meal in order to avoid missing out on the action. Whether you are sitting down for a full dinner or grabbing a bite on the go, here are some places to fuel up at in five of the hottest constituencies this election season.
Tampines
San.wich sells sandwiches that can be eaten on the go.
PHOTO: San.Wich
The spiciest showdown of all is set to unfold in Tampines, where four parties are vying for control over the constituency.
Prime yourself with a fiery meal from The Masala Point, a stall located a stone's throw from the open field at 33 Tampines Central, where some of the group representation constituencies' biggest rallies will be taking place.
It serves up home-style Indian dishes like chicken briyani ($7.50), egg prata ($2.40) and mutton curry ($3).
In search of something more snackable? Try its vegetarian or sardine curry puffs (80 cents).
For a milder option, turn instead to NetViet Vietnamese Cuisine, parked under the same roof. Crispy spring rolls go for $5 for four pieces, while banh mi filled with chicken or pork is priced at $5.50.
Those walking from Tampines MRT station may find themselves spoilt for choice in one of the three nearby malls.
Tampines 1 , for example, has sandwiches from San.wich by Swee Heng.
Alternatively, hop over to Tampines Mall for local delights from Lee Wee & Brothers, or grab a gimbap from My Korean Mom's Kimchi in Century Square.
If you can spare the time to queue, check out Damascus Delights, a tiny Syrian restaurant nestled on the first floor of the MRT station. A chicken shawarma wrap starts at $8.50, and can cost up to $20.50 if you opt for Arabi lamb.
If the rally you are attending takes place instead at Temasek Junior College, seek sustenance at the New Hawa Restaurant across the road. There is also Domino's Pizza, as well as Subway, located along that stretch, and, if all else fails, a trusty 7-Eleven.
Sengkang
Thai food from Nakhon Udon Thai Kitchen.
ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK
A PAP contingent helmed by Dr Lam Pin Min faces off against a WP team made up of incumbent MPs He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim, Louis Chua and newcomer Abdul Muhaimin in Sengkang.
Both teams have been busy trying to win hearts on the ground, as well as online, with Dr Lam in particular taking to Facebook to connect with residents through food.
Check out his recommendations: the Taliwang chicken cutlet omelette rice from Kawan Bowl ($6.90) at Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre, for one, as well as Big Fat Boy Fried Hokkien Mee at the 7 Stars coffee shop at Block 338 Anchorvale Crescent.
Next to the latter, you will find Nakhon Udon Thai Kitchen, which dishes out hearty Thai classics like tom yum soup (from $8) in doubly quick time.
On the other side of Sengkang East Road, across the street from the field next to The Vales condominium that has been earmarked for rallies, is the Happy Hawkers coffee shop, selling bak chor mee, mala xiang guo (spicy stir-fry hotpot) and Western food.
The other rally site in the GRC, North Vista Secondary School, is a 10-minute walk from two eating houses: Sengkang 266 Coffeeshop – home to popiah, rojak, fish soup and more – and yet another Happy Hawkers outlet at 267 Compassvale Link; this one stocked with lok lok (steamboat-style skewers of meat or vegetables) and kolo mee.
Punggol
There is a King of Fried Rice stall located near the field where rallies in Punggol will be held.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
The calm waterfront haven of Punggol will be roused to battle when Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and company lock horns with a fresh-faced WP team led by senior counsel Harpreet Singh, who has been touted for months as one to watch.
Rallies can take place at one of two sites: Yusof Ishak Secondary School, or the field across from the multi-storey carpark at Block 670 Edgefield Plains.
Fuel up before the fight at the Happy Hawkers coffee shop situated near the field, which includes stalls such as Maruhachi Donburi & Curry, King of Fried Rice and 671 Roasted Delight.
Or cross Wave Bridge to unlock a whole host of other food options. Oasis Terraces is lined with a respectable variety of cuisines, from Crystal Jade GO's dim sum, to takeaway rolls from Sushi Express. Those who get there early may also want to sit down for a leisurely dinner at Labula Mala Sichuan Restaurant or tuck into brunch classics at Anna's Cafe.
Farther afield, the wonders of Waterway Point await, furnished, in the typical fashion of heartland malls, with a reliable roster of takeaway kiosks: Crave, Pezzo, Stuff'd and Wok Hey, just to name a few.
It is a 15-minute bus journey from Edgefield Plains or a 10-minute walk from Yusof Ishak Secondary School.
Those headed to the school will also find yong tau foo, chee cheong fun and nasi lemak at Shi Fu Eating House nearby, as well as the highly rated Tan's Noodles in Waterway Terraces I's Foodgle Hub.
East Coast
Mukmin Restaurant is situated near Bedok Stadium.
PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
East side, best side – the perennial war cry of flag-waving 'Easties' – has officially entered the political lexicon, with the PAP launching a website titled after the popular catchphrase.
To prove their point, east-siders typically extol the gastronomic abundance of their backyard. And, indeed, those headed to rallies at Bedok Stadium will face no dearth of options.
It is surrounded by institutions like the 44-year-old Mukmin Restaurant, beloved for its traditional Malay dishes – for instance, nasi sambal goreng and nasi rawon (rice with buah keluak beef soup), each costing around $5 – and Ocean Curry Fish Head.
Across the road is The Marketplace @ 58 and a cluster of surrounding coffeeshops. Fried carrot cake, min jiang kueh, porridge, bak chor mee, vegetarian food – you name it, it has it. Some of these stalls are only open till midday, however, so double check before dropping in for dinner.
Still hungry after watching the men in white take on their WP rivals, or vice versa?
Head to Master Prata Express, which operates until midnight daily. Here, rally-goers can recharge with a drink – teh tarik ($1.50) perhaps, or a good ol' iced Milo ($2.30) – or a two-piece prata set with chicken curry ($6.50).
The smaller rally site of Victoria Junior College, on the other hand, is slightly more isolated, perched as it is on the edge of a private housing estate. Grab a bite at 50A Marine Terrace Market, a 15-minute walk away, or drop by ThaiPan Restaurant at Mandarin Gardens for some zi char.
West Coast-Jurong West
A burger from W39 Bistro & Bakery.
PHOTO: W39 BISTRO & BAKERY
On the other end of the best-side debate is the west of Singapore. To locals, it is an underrated treasure trove; to east-dwellers, a far-flung wilderness not worth the journey.
But 2025's hustings may just change their minds.
With the stage set for an epic rematch between a PAP squad led by National Development Minister Desmond Lee and the Progress Singapore Party's A-team of members Tan Cheng Bock, Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa, Singaporeans from all over the country now have a compelling reason to journey west.
The gladiatorial arena of choice is Clementi Stadium. The two sides will also duel at the field next to West Coast Park, flanked solely by the trusty golden arches of McDonald's.
Clementi Stadium, on the other hand, has a few more options in its quiver. W39 Bistro & Bakery, which sells beef burgers ($26) and carbonara ($16), is located a three-minute walk away, as is Zi Zai Vegetarian restaurant and its meat-free versions of local delights like mee goreng (from $6.80) and laksa ($5.80).
Then there is Haq-Insaf's Eating House, purveyor of chicken tikka masala (from $10.90), mutton rogan josh (from $14.80) and nasi goreng ayam ($7.50). It is open until 4am, so it also makes for a good post-rally meeting point, where one might end a fiery night on an even hotter high.
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