Nonya Laksa stalls along East Coast Road
Address : 51 East Coast Road, 428770
Opening time: 0900hrs - 2200hrs
Opening time: 0900hrs - 2200hrs
Venturing in the food paradise Joo Chiat road, we are bound to see a lot of famous Laksa stalls around the corner. Here, I will share two of the numerous Nonya laksa stalls that really interest me.
Janggut Laksa:
One Nonya Laksa stall that we cannot miss is the Janggut Laksa, one of the pioneering original “Katong” Laksa. The authentic Laksa Lemak, or Nonya Laksa, is mainly made of bee hoon or rice vermicelli, unique for its fish based gravy, cooked with dried shrimp and coconut milk. The toppings are shrimps and sliced fish cake served with sambal chilli. Fresh daun kesom or laksa leaf will act as garnishing.
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This is how it looks like! Notice that The Peranankan version does not have cockles or shredded chicken unlike stalls these days, offering the cockles or hum, which could be a result of Hokkien influence.
Source: http://thewonglist.blogspot.sg/2011/12/which-is-real-katong-laksa.html
Let’s start with a brief background of the pioneer of the first laksa stall in Katong. He is Mr Ng Juat Swee, who was born in Fujian Province, a Hokkien migrant to Singapore in his teenage years.
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The person in the centre is Mr Ng, in the early 80s.
He married a Peranakan which give birth to the start of Nonya Laksa. Janggut, Mr Ng’s nickname, arise from a Malay word for beard. People called him Janggut as he had hair growing out from a mole below his chin. Henceforth, Mr Ng’s Laksa dish is also named as “Janggut Laksa”.
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One trait unique to the Katong laksa is the presentation of its noodles. Mr Ng would cut the noodles into shorter pieces from the beginning so that it can be consumed easily with a spoon. After a period of selling laksa on tricycle around the streets where he lived, he was able to rent a stall at 49 East Coast Road in the late 1950s. Unfortunately, after Mr Ng passed away in 1986, his children did not inherit his business. Thereon, Janggut Laksa walked into history. The space once occupied by Janggut Laksa was then replaced by 328 Laksa, which is the second Nonya Laksa stall that I will be sharing.
Reference:
"The Wong List," The Wong List, accessed December 17, 2011,
http://thewonglist.blogspot.sg/2011/12/which-is-real-katong-laksa.html
http://thewonglist.blogspot.sg/2011/12/which-is-real-katong-laksa.html
328 Katong Laksa:
To our surprise, we have encountered a few branches of 328 Katong Laksa just within Joo Chiat/Katong state. Believe it or not, there is a total of three branches just along East Coast Road.
328 Katong Laksa serves a combination of Asian, Chinese and Peranakan local cuisines and it is best known for its Laksa. This stall is also well-known after its winning against the multi-Michelin chef Gordon Ramsay, in the Singtel Hawker Heroes Challenge. Thus, making this stall famous and having a place in the notorious Michelin guide
References:
References:
"10 Best Laksas In Singapore You'll Find Irresistibly Yummy," Sethlui.com, accessed June 12, 2016,
http://sethlui.com/best-laksa-singapore/
Red House Bakery:
Address: 63 E Coast Rd, 428776
http://sethlui.com/best-laksa-singapore/
Red House Bakery:
Address: 63 E Coast Rd, 428776
Going on, we have the “Red House” Bakery! Its name probably comes about due to its
two-storey eye-catching red exterior and its initial intent of being a private residence. It
then operated as a bakery since 1925, for over 80 years, until its closure in 2003, after
being deemed unsafe by authorities. It has been an icon in Katong for many year. It is famous for its Swiss rolls and curry puffs. It is also the first bakery shop to bake three-tier Western-style wedding cakes in 1920s.
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Source: https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/my-old-katong-final-pt-other-lost-landmarks/
History of the building:
The Red House Bakery is a property of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, put in trust by Sherrifa Zain Alsharoff Mohamed Alsagoff. It is started by a Jewish man named Jim Baker. Interestingly, the rental fees collected from the shophouses were used to fund Sherrifa Zain’s grandchildren education until 21 years after she passed away. Earnings of Red House are also used to set up and maintain a free clinic, Al- Taha Dispensary.
Unlike nowadays, the way that Red House Bakery processed their payment is remotely different. In the past, customers would select and consumed the quantity of pastries until their satisfaction and then proceed to the counter for payment. It is amazing that the atmosphere of trust is found nowhere present in the current century of Singapore despite the fact that it is the norm among old establishments.
Decorated with ‘antique floral tiles and wooden furniture’, this bakery shop has a charismatic aura that makes its customers feel a sense of sentimental affection. Red House is a favourite location of hangout for various purpose and different groups of people. Local bands like to visit it in the 1960s. It is also a venue ‘for casual meetings for families who wanted to match-make their children to suitable partners’ as stated in Infopedia. Prospective couples were even introduced on screens, enjoyed tea here, before heading to nearby theatres to date. ‘Located within an active retail, entertainment and community hub in the 1950s and the 1960s, Red House Bakery is often considered as the ‘traditional’ heart of Katong.’
As mentioned above, the Red House bakery plays an important part in a lot of Singaporeans’ life in the past and it definitely has a place in a lot of Singaporean pioneers’ heart. This icon and heart of Katong is no wonder historically and culturally significant to warrant a place in the map and on the trail.
Present-days:
Sadly, our group no longer have the chance to visit this historical, iconic heart of Katong. Nonetheless, the shophouse which the bakery once occupied as well as the adjacent shophouses along East Coast Road is undergoing a residential-retail-lifestyle heritage development. This Red House Project is designated to be completed by the second quarter of 2016. Until then, there will be a bakery and heritage gallery, with artefacts from the old bakery awaiting us.
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Artist impression of the Red House, a new residential-retail-lifestyle heritage development located in Katong.
Till
then, this historical icon of Katong will ideally be an important icon again,
for its service and products, as mentioned by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.
References: "Katong's iconic Red House to reopen by second quarter of 2016," The Straits Times, accessed December 10, 2015, "Red House Bakery," National Library Board Singapore, 2016,
"Rediscover the East: Katong
and Joo Chiat," Urban Development Authority, accessed
July 28, 2016,
"The Red House," The Red House, 2013,
"Times Of
My Life," My Old Katong
Final Pt. - Other Lost Landmarks, accessed
January 16, 2008,
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