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The NOSH team explores 6 cultures hidden in Haji Lane

A tiny lane hidden along the old Kampong Glam area, Haji Lane is packed with quaint boutiques set up by local designers and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as uniquely themed cafes you will not find anywhere else. Besides being a shopping paradise, Haji Lane and the area around it also has many cultures infused in it. The NOSH team explores a few of these cultures. 

1.  The Prawn Noodles Patriarch

By LEE PAMELA

Who says you can only have eggs and toast for breakfast? By 9am, the NOSH team had easily spotted hungry Singaporeans digging into fresh juicy prawns at Blanco Court Prawn Mee to freshen up their day before work. 

Once upon a time, Mr. Lee Pi Duan came from China and started a prawn noodles stall in a coffee shop opposite Blanco Court. Today, although Blanco Court is no longer around, business is open as usual for Mr. Lee’s Blanco Court Prawn Mee but at their new location, Beach Road, with Mr. Lee’s son taking over the business.

Aunties having prawn noodles for breakfast

Blanco Court Prawn Mee Menu

Makansutra's seal of approval

Prawn noodles soup, prawn noodles dry and jumbo prawn noodles

The essence of a tasty bowl of prawn noodles has got to be the soup and Blanco Court’s prawn noodles, priced at $4.50 for the normal sized bowls and $5.50 for the larger ones, this stall really lived up to its name because its soup was really rich in flavour. The sliced prawns were really convenient for lazy people like us and the generous amount of fried shallots added did help to enhance the taste of the prawn noodles.

The Nosh team investigates what makes customers come back for more, and as far as we begged, Mr. Fwah, 25, soon-to-be successor of this prawn noodles legacy, only revealed, “we have a special ingredient passed from my grandfather.” This young man feels that he has the responsibility to carry on this business like how the stall has the responsibility to satisfy customers’ stomach.

If you’re not a prawn lover, you can also try out the stall’s pork ribs and pig’s tail noodles. Here’s a tip from us if you want your noodles to be served quicker: avoid lunch hours on weekdays!

The entrance to Blanco Court Prawn Mee

Blanco Court Prawn Mee

Opening hours: 7:15am – 4pm

(Closed on Tuesdays except when Tuesday is a public holiday)

243/245 Beach Road #01-01

Singapore 189754

2. Swedish Indulgence   
By SOON WEI SZE

Swedish cuisine is renowned for their simple, contrasting flavours which blend tradition and innovation together perfectly. Indulge in this unique taste of Swedish cuisine for lunch at Fika, a halal Swedish café and bistro, Located at the corner shophouse of Haji Lane, Fika’s concept of having a light-filled eatery with open shelving and all-white furniture gives off a welcoming and cosy vibe.

Entrance to Fika

The counter and snack menu

  

Dishes range from sandwiches to crepes, and there’s also a variety of coffees to choose from. For pasta lovers, we recommend the Swedish Pasta Bake ($17.90). Though some pieces of pasta were slightly tough as though under-cooked, they were very generous with their melted cheddar cheese as well as minced beef filling.

Swedish Pasta Bake

If you’re looking for something healthy or not too filling, try the Långedrag ($16.30), which is a Swedish word for salad. It’s a recommended Swedish traditional dish, and it’s a toss of mixed greens, shrimps, sliced hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, and olives topped with dill mustard and Swedish roe. 

 

Langedrag

A must-try is their famous meatballs, which is sold at 10 pieces for $18.50, alongside parsley potatoes and lingonberry jam. Succulent juice oozes out of every bite of the meatball, and there’s no wondering why Fika is famous for them.

Swedish Meatballs

End off your meal with one of Fika’s many mouth-watering cakes to choose from, such as the Lingonberry Cheesecake ($7.90) or the Cloudberry Cheesecake ($8.50).  Lunch specials, which consist of soup, dessert, and a different dish daily, are also available weekdays from 11am-3pm.

Though their prices are slightly on the high side, Fika provides customers an authentic taste of Swedish cuisine, and it is a good place to chill and fill up your tummies before going shopping in Haji Lane.

Fika

Opening hours:

Sun-Wed 11am-10pm

Thu-Sat 11am-11pm

No. 257 Beach Road / Arab Street, Singapore

(on the corner of Beach Road and Arab Street)

3. At Caisa – Where Ethnic Elegance Begins

By CLAUDIA WONG

Trawling along the narrow alleys of Haji Lane famous for its shopping district, Caisa is one indie boutique you’d definitely not want to miss. Outside the store, a chalkboard which read Little Shop of So Khmer led us to an exquisite interior that had an alluring native vibe. Amused by our fascination, a Eurasian woman greeted us delightfully and told us she was the owner of the consignment shop where local fashion designers rent a section of the boutique to showcase exclusive clothing lines.

'Little Shop of So Khmer'

What welcomed us was indeed a fabulous exhibition. The first clothing rack showcased a sophisticated range of clothing designs made from the silkiest fabrics in Dubai while the other featured a vibrant collection with a younger appeal by two Chinese designers.  Another self-taught designer Hani Arshad, tailors voguish outfits to women that are made to last amid on-going, one-off trends. You’ll get sensual designs that sumptuously flaunt your assets and cover your flaws. What’s perfect is that they can be easily worn for any occasion – work, cocktail party, a romantic date, anything!

But the stunning highlight of this dainty boutique is its new retailer, So Khmer which prides itself in the art and fashion inspired by the people of Cambodia. We were entranced by an impressive shelf of edgy, decorative products handmade from scratch by unfortunate Cambodian families. Founded by Nor Eddie Salleh, they are not just elegant, but also trendy, making you “look good” and “feel good”.

Recycled materials made in Cambodia

Beautiful and intricate patterns of the costumes

Multihued arrangements by the creative Cambodians

When you enter Caisa, its cosy, sensational ambience makes you feel as though you have travelled to another part of the world entirely – Cambodia, Dubai, well you name it!

Caisa
37 Haji Lane
Singapore, 189230
Open daily 12pm – 8pm
Tel: (65) 82688601

4. Tell your future & shop India 

By SCOTT LIM

The Alternative Store by Going Om

Imagine a shop with a really rustic feel and quaint spiritual aura emitted from the dream catchers and Buddhist artefacts and your feet are basically planted in ‘The Alternative Store’.

Clothes and accessories from various countries

The Alternative Store sells clothes and accessories from countries like India, Nepal and Thailand which Oliver Pang, one of the owners of the shop, feels have more authentic backgrounds. By this he meant that the cultures there are not concerned with the glamour or fashion trends which are followed so closely by the world. Oliver is fascinated by the philosophies they hold and hopes to share this with Singaporeans through the clothes provided.

‘Going Om’ is a special café and bar, located in close proximity to The Alternative Store, which has a space reserved for services offered like intuitive readings and meditation sessions. Oliver, one of the business partners of Going Om, shared just what these services would bring to customers.

“First we do some trance and do some prayers”, said Oliver jokingly in an attempt to break the stereotype that intuitive readings are incredibly spiritual and require some sort of ritual. In actuality, the intuitive readings are quite simple, one just has to place himself in a meditative state and the readings would commence. Through intuitive readings, Oliver hopes to help people through challenges they face in their lives and to identify how they can do so, he also hopes that intuitive readings will help others move on when it seems impossible to do so.

As someone who had gone through some kind of traumatic experience (what it was I did not ask, fearing I might peel a scab off a wound) Oliver hopes that his services at Going Om will aid others.

The Alternative Store

59 Haji Lane

Open daily 12pm – 8pm

Closed on Tuesdays

5. Dine, Wine and Unwind in Mexico  

By MANDY CHNG

Piedra Negra, a shop house covered in graffiti-esque art

Mexican figuirine bursting out of a wall decorated in sugar skulls

Sticking out like a polychromatic sore thumb, the Mexican cantina serves as the perfect chill out spot for drinks and hearty grub. One of the most beautifully and intricately decorated shop houses in Haji Lane, Piedra Negra welcomed us with open arms, in the form of a life sized figurine of a Mexican lady. It’s the Day of the Dead, all day, every day, with its walls lined with vibrant (yet slightly eerie) sugar skulls and catrinas.

Mexican trinkets and cantina above the kitchen counter

Despite the relatively limited menu and seating, the reasonably priced menu offers the standard mouthwatering Mexican fare. Beans, cheese, chilies and salsa reign supreme here, all authentically prepared by a Mexican chef.

Flauta Tacos

Tamalas Dulces de Elote

Do not be fooled into thinking the Flauta Tacos ($13.90) are light or frail. Beneath the generous serving of shredded lettuce and salsa lie the sinfully deep-fried corn tortillas stuffed with chicken. The dish is perfectly crisp with robust flavors and will go wonderfully with an ice-cold beer in the humid heat. Sinful, but at least we got some greens.

We were craving something a little sweeter and Tamales Dulces de Elote ($7) was the perfect end to our meal. The classic Mexican dessert made up with corn dough and sweet corn kernels. It is wrapped in cornhusks and steamed to fluffy perfection. Served to us with vanilla ice cream, this humble dish was simple and heavenly.

We thoroughly enjoyed refueling while soaking up the Mexican ambience and warm Latin tunes. Spruced up in psychedelic bohemian colors and trinkets, Piedra Negra is our go-to establishment to reenergize with cocktails and chow after a long, tiring day.

Piedra Negra
241 Beach Road
Tel: 6291 1297
Open:

Mondays to Thursdays from 12noon to 12midnight
Fridays from 12noon to 2am
Saturdays and Sundays from 5pm to 2am

6. Middle Eastern Glimpse of Life  

By DEWI NURJUWITA

Walking along Haji Lane at night gives you a glimpse of life in the Middle East, with people seated on carpets along the lane, getting lost in conversations while smoking shisha (also known as hookah). Haji Lane is indeed popular for its many shisha bars that line the lane. These bars open till the wee hours of the morning and attract a variety of people, from youths to working adults to tourists, all hungry for a taste of the many flavours of shisha available. However, like cigarette smoking, one must be above 18 to smoke shisha.

A lady smoking shisha, also known as hookah, a rich Middle Eastern tradition

If you are keen on indulging in this rich Middle Eastern culture, here are three places you can try:

Merdandy Bar & Café

Opening hours: 4pm-4am

26/26A/28A Haji Lane
Singapore, 189219

Tel: (65) 62911162

​Fax: (65) 62955633

Ask anyone who frequents Haji Lane for its shisha scene to recommend you a place to try it and one of the first names you will hear is Merdandy Bar & Café. This bar, spanning across two floors, has an authentic Middle Eastern vibe to it. It is not only an excellent place to smoke shisha, but also serves delicious food and drinks. Its menu is a mix of local, Italian, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Merdandy, which opens from 4pm to 4am daily, is a great place to go to after a long week in the office or in school rushing assignments.

Altazzag

Opening hours:

 Monday to Saturday: 12pm-2am

Sundays: 1am
24 Haji Lane

Singapore, 189217
Tel: (65) 62955024

Right next to Merdandy, you will find an Egyptian restaurant called Altazzag. This restaurant, also spanning two floors, has a cozy ambience, with dim lighting and patrons seated on the Persian carpets and cushions spread on the floor. While indulging in shisha smoking, you can also have a taste of Altazzag’s delicious Mediterranean cuisine. You should try the lamb kebabs, falafel, pita bread, and ful medames on the menu. Altazzag’s operating hours are from 12pm to 2am from Mondays to Saturdays and 4pm to 1am on Sundays.

My Turkish Corner

Opening hours: 11am-6am
21 Arab Street

Singapore, 199844

Tel: (65) 9004 5696

If you feel like smoking shisha during the day, don’t fret, as at the end of Haji Lane, you will find My Turkish Corner. This Turkish bar opens earlier than other shisha bars and operates from 11am to 6am daily.

Not only is there a wide variety of liquor for you to choose from, there’s an even wider variety of shisha flavours available here. At $18 per serving of flavouring, some of them are kiwi, strawberry, watermelon, apple, and rose.

Shisha Tubes, displaying a wide variety of shisha flavours, at My Turkish Place