Noreen Shazreen, Author at Goody Feed

Residents of the northeast can soon look forward to an exciting array of culinary delights in their neighbourhood. After much anticipation, Buangkok Hawker Centre is set to open its doors on Thursday (30 November 2023). You may wonder: What's so special about it? It's just another hawker centre. Well, what makes this hawker centre enticing is that every stall available will offer at least one delectable dish priced at a wallet-friendly $3.20 or less. The new hawker centre is run by a group of passionate young, second-generation food entrepreneurs dedicated to revolutionising the hawker food scene, promising a fresh and innovative dining experience. Conveniently situated just a five-minute stroll from the Buangkok MRT Station, Buangkok Hawker Centre is located within the Sengkang Grand Mall, which opened in March. Located on the second floor of the mall, stall owners are currently putting the finishing touches on their stalls and dishes, as reported by 8world News. Offers Affordable Meal Options Despite Inflation In Singapore, our daily expenses have been rising, especially the cost of food, transportation and housing. The prices of our beloved hawker dishes have particularly seen a noticeable increase. Finding a dish for about $3 these days is rare compared to a decade ago. In some places like the CBD areas, you might even be charged a dollar for a single satay stick. But when you dine at Buangkok Hawker Centre, you can breathe easy about meal costs. According to 8world News, one stall owner mentioned that despite inflation, the stall owners are committed to keeping their hawker prices affordable, offering dishes priced around $3 to $4. Another stall owner pointed out that many independent hawkers elsewhere have significantly raised their prices. However, the stall owners at Buangkok Hawker Centre are determined to maintain low prices. They are willing to accept lower profits to ensure affordability. Given that the hawker centre is in a neighbourhood surrounded by numerous HDB residential blocks, condominiums, and schools, another stall owner anticipates that many families will dine there. Furthermore, another owner mentioned that the rental costs at Buangkok Hawker Centre are "relatively more affordable" than in most other locations, which allows them to offer their food at a more budget-friendly price. Features 38 Stalls with a Variety of Cuisine The hawker centre boasts a delightful variety of culinary delights spanning Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western, Arab, Japanese, Thai, and vegetarian cuisines, as mentioned in its Facebook post. To appeal to the younger demographic, there will also be a stall offering trendy products like Korean shaved ice, commonly known as bingsu. With 38 cooked food stalls, 34 of which are set to open on Thursday, this hawker centre is all set to accommodate up to 720 hungry diners with plenty of seating available. The operators aim to attract a younger clientele, whether it's through the diverse food options or the overall aesthetic. Buangkok Hawker Centre is managed by social enterprise Fei Xiong Group. The operators have decided not to offer dishes like fish head steamboat and claypot rice, which require extensive cleaning, to alleviate the workload on the cleaning staff. In preparation for its opening, the hawker centre had invited applications from potential stall vendors. The application period concluded on 4 September 2023. As the opening date approaches, residents in the northeast are eagerly anticipating the arrival of this new hawker centre in their neighbourhood. A discussion thread on HardwareZone has emerged about the upcoming launch of Buangkok Hawker Centre. Image: HardwareZone One user expressed their interest in the "$3 budget meals", and others quickly chimed in, speculating that this weekend might see the entire population of Singapore flocking to the hawker centre to savour these budget-friendly meals. Good point. When was the last time we heard of a $3 meal?