Bendemeer Housing Estate: Old World Charms

Bendemeer Housing Estate - One that saw the housing of families in the 1970s where many found jobs within the nearby Bendemeer Industrial Estate. In 2007, the government put the housing estate through an upgrading programme to spruce it up. (1)

Still, the housing estate has somehow managed to keep some of its original charm. Located just a stone's throw away from Boon Keng MRT station, here're 5 good reasons why you should visit this housing estate.

1. Are You a Heritage Buff?

Stepping out of Boon Keng MRT, one of the first things that will catch your eyes would be an information board to start you on your exploratory journey. Read about the famous Whampoa and go on a search to locate the original site of the once-famous Nam Sang Fu Un. After the passing of Whampoa, the property was purchased by a prominent Teochew, Seah Liang Seah and he went on to re-name the building Bendemeer House.


2. Teochew Restaurants Galore

This brings us to another reason why you should visit Bendemeer Housing Estate - The Teochew food. In this Teochew enclave that sees only 12 buildings, there are three Teochew restaurants.

Yuan Xing Teochew Restaurant - The business first started at Wayang Street in the 1950s. They moved to the current site in 1972. (2)

Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant - A restaurant that started in the 1968, this restaurant has been given a pretty good rating by a famous food blogger, Dr Leslie Tay of the ieatishootipost fame. (3)

Ban Heng@Boon Keng - This is a Ban Heng group of restaurant that also serves Teochew cuisine.

So there, three 'branded' teochew restaurants for you to choose from.


3. Knick-Knack Shops

 

From rice dumplings, to banks to coffee shops, there is an entire range of shops, 200 metres of shops lining both sides of the walkway. You can really shop till you drop! If nothing else, you can still take some time to soak in the atmosphere. Listen to the shopkeepers call out to potential customers; eavesdrop on the interesting conversation of the elderly men - Reads like a Chinese tabloids. 


4. Get a Hair-Cut on the Go

Other than the many Teochew restaurants, there are also many barbers and hair-dressers. Just take a look at the picture above - Louisa Permanent Wave. The word Permanent Wave just conjures up the image of that cylindrical contraption that give you the hardest perm you can ever have. This shop still retains the old unit number where it does not list the level. i.e. 673 instead of 01-673. "One karipok haircut, please!"

5. Food, food, More Glorious Food

If you want good food, you get good food. All at the Bendemeer Market and Hawker Centre. The variety of food is just mind-blowing. I had a go at a plate of carrot cake but as soon as I sat down with my food, my eyes started to rove around for other good spoils.

References

1. Bendemeer all spruced up now. January 15, 2007. The Straits Times. P28.

2. Yuan Xing Teochew Restaurant. October 3, 2009. Today. P41.

3. Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant: Teochew Chef Behind the Wok. http://ieatishootipost.sg/liang-kee-teochew-restaurant-teochew-chef-behind-the-wok/ Retrieved on: January 11, 2015.

[Travel] Quiet Getaway Close to Singapore

Nasi Lemak Istimewa - Malaysian Nasi Lemak at just 25 kilometres away from Singapore's Woodlands Causeway. (This is even close than from Tuas to Changi) For any travels, food always seems to be the top of our agenda. This was the case for our latest 2D1N stay at Pulai Springs Resort.

Staycation in Singapore is great, though sometimes, we just want to have something different. Somewhere that is less built up, but not too far away from Singapore.

The resort, launched in 1990s, boasts of two 18-hole USGA championship golf courses. Lovely for all those golf lovers, but what a waste, I'm not one who plays golf. So what's in store for a me? Well, I'll stick to the three Ms - Makan (To Eat), Merehatkan (To rest) and  Mengurut (To get a massage) - Please forgive my poor translation as I was trying to find words to fit into the three Ms.


Makan (To Eat)

Just feast your eyes on the picture. How can one resist such food? We had our late lunch at Gleneagles Terrace Restaurant - one of their two main restaurants. Somehow, the name Gleneagles just reminds me of our hospital back home. I'd wanted to do a little feasting at their award winning restaurant - Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant, (1) but it was closed 30 minutes before the closing time as the chefs have all gone for their break.

Aeon Taman Universiti Shopping Centre

As I had want to do some exploration, I did a 10-minute drive to Aeon Taman Universiti Shopping Centre (Previously owned by Jusco). I arrived at about 7pm and the place was Q-U-I-E-T! Well, I like it like this way. The major tenants of the mall include KFC, McDonalds and the restaurant that I ate at - Secret Recipe. Interestingly, the crowd started teeming in at about 9pm, even with their children dressed in their sleeping attires. Are they all late-night owls? I just felt like crawling into bed by then.

Merehatkan (To rest) 

That was what we did after our mini shopping and makan trip - rest. I booked the one-bedroom suite and truth be told, many of the things have indeed seen better days. Some of the switches were faulty; the safe was not working; flushing of the toilet bowl was an issue. But to be fair to them, they came by to rectify the issues as soon as they could. Still, the room could do with a bit more refurbishment. In the end, it was the serenity of this place that I enjoyed most.


Mengurut (To get a massage)


Other than food and stay, the main purpose of me being here was the massage. The resort has gone through a renaissance with special packages catering to those who intend to visit Legoland and and Hello Kitty Malaysia. There're also packages for golfing and for me, massage. One hour of full body massage and 30 minutes of foot massage really relaxed my entire body.

As a whole, it was not the best stay that I've had, neither was driving through the Causeway any more comfortable (Be prepared for at least an hour's wait at the causeway). But if you want a quick and quiet getaway, then this resort is for you to consider.

PULAI SPRINGS RESORT 20km Jalan Pontian Lama,
81110 Pulai Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Tel: 607-521 2121 Fax : 607-521 1818


1. The Straits Times. July 4, 2000. Charcoal, cockles and cruises in Bukit Merah.

If I Only Had One Day In Singapore...

Then I'd say that the stay is just too short! But really, if you only have one day in Singapore, what should you be doing? Well, it really depends on what you're after. But if you're a compulsive shopper, then you're in for a treat. You might want to consider planting yourself in the heart of all the shopping malls - Orchard Road.

Let's use the MRT stations as a movement guide.

At Orchard MRT train station, you can pop by Shaw House where you can shop at Isetan. You can even catch a movie on the fly. But if you're only visiting for a day, I guess we'll have to skip the movies and continue thronging the malls. Around this shopping mall are Tangs, Wisma Atria and Wheelock Place.

Taking a train to the next MRT station at Somerset MRT Station. Shopping malls that you should visit include Orchard Cineleisure, Centrepoint and Heeren.

Next stop, Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. There is only one big mall here - Plaza Singapura.

Finally, City Hall MRT Station. Right above the MRT station is Raffles City Shopping Mall and if you really can't get enough, talk a stroll towards Marina Square and Suntec City.

If you managed to visit all the malls in a day, congratulations! You're not a compulsive shopper. If you really are, it would take you two weeks to complete the entire shopping trip. Make sure you've asked your credit card company to up your limit, ok?