SINGAPORE'S VINTAGE EATING PLACES: COMMONWEALTH CORNERS III: BLOCK 118

We've come to the third of four corners at Commonwealth Crescent. That's Block 118 (think of Brahms' Sechs Klavierstucke) or "hard luck corner". There has always been a restaurant / coffee shop here but the turnover is so rapid one can scarcely remember what restaurant occupies this spot. 

The latest occupant is Chuan Ye Seafood Zichar, and before that was Yat Yat Fat (118) which had a short-lived Moo Moo Mookata, and before that was Seafood Village (or Seafood Palace I cannot remember), where we had dim sum meals under $10. D'Life vegetarian restaurant was here a couple of years, and before that it was a bunch of hawker stalls which had been a good place for breakfast. And that was more than ten years ago.

This corner also has the only caifan (economy rice) stall in the four corners of Commonwealth Crescent, which does brisk business before closing at dusk. Although Chuan Ye does decent meals, I think its days are numbered, judging by the low traffic. Its footfall comes from old people having caifan meals, beer drinkers and the occasional horse-racing punters. Even the bookie uncle does not visit often, and the tattooed loner is no longer employed to do cleaning up. 

This restaurant has the neatest kitchen area,
which means it doesn't do much cooking.

Only memories, seafood white beehoon and har cheong kai (prawn paste fried chicken) bring us back, which may be paid with CDC vouchers. The F&B competition in these parts is awfully stiff, and to think its neighbours are the well-established Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee and Two Chefs Eating Place. It's sad to see this one go, and its back to "here we go again", wondering what the next restaurant will be all about. 

Empty chairs at empty tables,
so says a Les Miserables song,
 are a worrying sign.

Update: As sure as night follows day, the restaurant has again changed hands. The restaurant space of Block 118 is now occupied by Lucky Star Kitchen 118. (28 March 2026) Good luck! 

The latest restaurant in Blk 118.

We've tried the new restaurant Lucky Star Kitchen 118, and the verdict is: rather nice! The menu is still the old one, and we tried some new dishes, and we enjoyed the taste and the helpings were generous considering these was "small". (1 April 2026)

Fried Hokkien yellow noodles,
very soupy but delicious,
thanks to the pork lard!

King Pork Ribs (Pai gu wang)

A meal for two at $18,
payable by CDC vouchers.
We'll be back!

Update: There has yet been another change of management. This new corner restaurant is now known as Huo Hai Xian (Fresh Seafood). Let's see how this one fares (1 May 2026).

SINGAPORE'S VINTAGE EATING PLACES: COMMONWEALTH CRESCENT CORNERS II: TWO CHEFS EATING PLACE

We're back at the corner eating places of Commonwealth Crescent. There are four corners, and we're at the opposite corner from the last one. This is occupied by the very popular Two Chefs Eating Place, which has another outlet in the Sin Ming Avenue area. There used to be long queues waiting for the limited tables before the pandemic, but it still does brisk business. It is usually patronised by diners who come from a long way rather than Queenstown residents. And for good reason too.

Its most famous speciality is the chilled cockles in a light garlic-laden seasoning. This is a special favourite of Janet's, who cannot resist hum-ful dishes. Given that cockles are farmed these days, rather than allowed to grow near sewers before harvest, the risk of severe gastroenteritis and viral hepatitis is much less now. My trick is to order the wok-fried hor fun and pretend I'm having char kway teow with cockles. Hey, it works too!

The vegetable soup (zhicai tang) here is very savoury and filling (since it also has meat) as well, so it's quite easy to get well-filled here. All under $20, which could be paid with those handy CDC vouchers. A brilliant way to use government (actually taxpayers') money to patronise local food outlets and keep the stomach from starving. 

The photographic evidence that
everything was delicious.

TWO CHEFS EATING PLACE

Blk 116 Commonwealth Crescent

#01-129, Singapore 140116

Tel: 6472-5361

SINGAPORE'S VINTAGE EATING PLACES: COMMONWEALTH CRESCENT CORNERS I: HONG KONG STREET OLD CHUN KEE

We have covered the Commonwealth Crescent vicinity before, and for good reason. It is a foodie paradise. In the area surrounding Commonwealth Crescent Market are four corners, each with a restaurant of its own. Three of the four are zhi char places, while the fourth is famous for fried chicken wings. 

We start with the oldest establishment of all on the eastern end of Block 117 with Hong Kong Street Chun Kee. Several different zhi char restaurants have occupied this space, but this outlet of the Hong Kong Street Chun Kee franchise has been the most enduring. It has recently undergone renovation and the previously al fresco eating area now has a permanent roof. So, no need to roll down the tarpaulin when it rains. Its gentrification has also made it look a little more slick besides justifying a modest price increase. 

It's justly famous for its fish head noodles in milky soup, but on this occasion we went for the seafood san mee (deep fried noodles in egg gravy) and the san bei ji (chicken cooked in wine sauce), all comfort foods which are always satisfying. More photos to come when we next return to this favourite haunt of ours.  

Honest to goodness seafood san mee.
This is the small sized portion.

San bei ji (Claypot chicken cooked in wine). 
The basil adds a piquant touch.

HONG KONG STREET OLD CHUN KEE

Block 117 Commonwealth Crescent #01-733

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SUKA MAKAN: ADAM ROAD FOOD CENTRE AT NIGHT (WHERE WE GO TO EAT AFTER CONCERTS!)

Adam Road Food Centre by day.

It's after half-past-ten in the evening after a concert, where do we eat before going home? Our tried and tested solution, which is also among Singapore's Vintage Eating Places, is Adam Road Food Centre. This favourite haunt opens for many hours, but the stalls are active during different times of day.

Here are the stalls we frequent:

Bahrakath Mutton Soup
reminds us of its deserved Michelin status.

Golden rule of sup kambing:
the greasier, the tastier!

In the mornings, the famous nasi lemak stalls do brisk business. At lunchtime and early dinnertime, the Chinese stalls become busy. Late at night, it is the mamak (Indian Muslim) stalls that come to live, opening till the wee hours of the morning. We have our favourites, including Bahrakath, a Michelin-starred sup kambing (mutton soup) stall and Al-Sheik, our trusty mee goreng (fried noodles) outlet, that does it the way we like it.

Deen, whose family originally came from
Chennai, is happy to be our chef.

Having tried the "red" mee goreng, we've always preferred the "white" version fried with ikan bilis (anchovies). It has a more subtle touch and taste, and is never cloying from the sweet red paste. Deen the cook never disappoints, and he does other mamak dishes like roti john and roti prata. Only murtabak is not in his repertoire. All this is washed down by the ubiquitous teh tarik (pulled milk tea) and Janet's preferred teh halia (ginger milk tea).

How to lose weight at this rate? All this food just makes one alert and ready to write reviews. Reviews about food or music? It does not really matter when both the food and music are Michelin-starred.

When you're down to your last meaty chunk,
you can still ask for a refill of soup.

ADAM ROAD FOOD CENTRE

2 Adam Road

Singapore 289876

Adam Road Food Centre - Wikipedia