Food Economics: Rustic Pet Haven Food Hub

It is always exciting to discover new places that will create a different experience, especially if gives a laidback and nostalgic feel. We were looking for a place that is pet friendly for a relaxing weekend outing.

It brings us to Faber Drive which is in the Clementi vicinity with Nanhua Primary School as a good landmark that is nearby. The cafes and eateries are nestled in the middle of a private estate in a possibly 1980s building.

We went to the gelatolabo which is famed for its mochi waffle with ice cream. There were 2 more eateries, a pub and a cafe situated in this hub. The prices are generally reasonable and the waffle from gelatolabo is indeed unique as mochi was embedded inside the waffles.

There are seatings outside the eateries and cafes where pets are welcomed. It gives me a feeling of being transported back to the 1990s or 2000s when the pace is slower and brings our heartbeat down a notch.

You can choose to sip on a coffee and just idle your afternoon away while reading a nice book or you could take your dog for a stroll around the estate.

It is indeed a great find and would be back to try out the other eateries and cafes where the food looks great and prices are friendly to the wallet.

Have a great week ahead and Faber Drive could be a chill-out place for you to check out this weekend!

Food Economics: Char Kway Teow better than Zion Road Version

With costs escalating through the years and into the future, hawker food culture will be an essential part of our food economics to balance out our finances. I guess many will agree with me that it is more economical to buy out in a food stall than cook in if it is just for yourself or a couple. 

There will be a compromise in terms of a healthy diet as take-away from food stalls are usually more greasy and laden with msg. Nonetheless, we could choose healthier options and make it part of our overall budget to make FIRE viable.

So it leads to this post that will come under my food economics series, where I try to highlight good foods at a reasonable cost which is similar to growth at a reasonable price in stocks analysis.

During New Year day, I went to try the Zion Road Char Kway Teow based on the Instagram post by Lady Iron Chef and many have also deemed it as one of the best. 

I just find it too greasy and overhyped- it was not the first time I have tried it but taken in by the marketing hype and long queues yet again.

I am not sure if many would know it, at just a stone throw from the Zion Road food centre, there is a Havelock Food Centre that has lots of hidden gems tucked away in an old estate with nice greenery en route to it.

So this Char Kway Teow stall, Meng Kee Fried Char Kway Teow, I find it personally much better than the Zion Road version. It is less greasy and overall scores higher in my humble opinion. I leave the in-depth review to the expert which is Daniel from Daniel Food Diary. Here is his review. If you want the healthiest version of Char Kway Teow, head out to golden mile food centre where it comes in with lots of greens.

There are also some notable stalls which I will recommend as I have tried them personally. We have the white bee hoon stall, the turtle and frog-leg soup stall- highly recommended, Nasi Lemak stall- the drumstick is to die for,  Kway Chap stall and Tan's Tutu. 

I find the laksa stall to be overhyped. The chicken rice stall is previously from Margaret Drive.  Lastly, the fish soup stall at the tail end always have a good queue but I have not tried it before.

Hope everyone will enjoy your food hunt at Havelock Food Centre. Most stalls are open till 2 pm so try to check it out during your lunch hour.