Singapore Local Cuisine in Orchard Road

Wisma Atria Food Republic, located at level 4, is one of the places to go if you wish to have local Singaporean food. Bearing in mind the food court is located right in Orchard Road, you will be expected to pay for dishes that are likely to be at least 30 percent more than in the neighbourhoods. Though it certainly is still more affordable than dining in a cafe any day.

The Food Junction outlet is designed in old style Singapore design using a lot of recycled wood giving it a cozy rustic feel of the good old days.

I tried the Fried Carrot Cake, which is one of the popular Singapore dishes to try. It's basically made up of turnip made into steamed cake and fried with eggs. It can come in the white or black version depending if you have a sweet tooth.

I like the presentation of the Fried Carrot Cake very much as it was wrapped like an egg omelette and inside contains the carrot cake, which is relatively fresh. This dish tends to be on the oily side; so do wash it with some local Chinese tea that you can try at Toast Box.

Apart from Singaporean local delights, you can get to sample food from other parts of Asia like food from Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia. I would recommend trying a dish at every stall to give variety.

For those who like to eat healthy, look out for Yong Tofu which is soya beancurd and fish mince meat in its many forms; Beef Noodles; or Popiah which is thin flour wrap with vegetable stuffing.

Another of my favorite dish that I frequent at Food Junction is the Cha Siew Noodle. They barbeque the Char Siew at the outlet itself, giving the dish am authentic feel. 

Food Republic 
Wisma Atria Level 4
435 Orchard Road
MRT: Orchard

Opening  Hours:
10am to 10pm (Sun – Thurs and Public Holidays)
10am to 11pm (Fri – Sat and Eve of Public Holidays)

The Old Malaya Cafe a local food gem at 313 Orchard

Once in a while you encounter little food cafes in Singapore that's a gem and worth boasting about. The Old Malaya Cafe is one such place serving up Malaysian local food such as Penang Prawn Noodles, Ipoh Hor Fan, Penang Laksa, Chicken Rice Balls, and Poh Piah.

Previously a cheap meal in town would mean a trip to a Food Junction or Food Republic outlet. Certainly both food courts would give a wide selection of local food options all under $10 however one would have to deal with food that seem to be mass produced rather than cooked with passion by the original stall owners.

I go to The Old Malaya Cafe each time I am shopping at 313 Somerset Orchard and I have tried the Roast Chicken with noodles, the Ipoh Hor Fan and the Poh Piah. All dishes are cooked simply and to perfection that there is no room for complaints. I particularly like their Poh Piah which is essentially a wrap filled with carrot, turnip, egg, prawns and mixed with chili, garlic (optional) and black prawn paste. To me this is probably one of the healthiest local food choices apart from Yong Tofu. The Poh Piah here probably gives Qi Ji a run for mony if you are the sort preferring your Poh Piah not too sweet. What's lovely about The Old Malaya Cafe is the cozy setting and of course a great plus are be the prices - where a meal would start from only $3.80. A gem of a diner indeed in an increasingly expensive Orchard Road.

The Old Malaya Cafe Poh Piah

The Old Malaya Cafe Ipoh Hor Fan