Amoy Street Food Centre

Amoy Street Food Centre
厦门街熟食中心 (Chinese) Pusat Makanan Jalan Amoy (Malay) அமோய் ஸ்திரீட் உணவு மையம் (Tamil)
Amoy Street Food Centre in 2005
Interactive map of Amoy Street Food Centre
General information
Location	7 Maxwell Road 069111, Downtown Core, Singapore
Coordinates	1°16′46″N103°50′46″E / 1.2793539°N 103.846196°E / 1.2793539; 103.846196
Opened	11 April 1983 (1983-04-11)
Inaugurated	19 July 1983 (1983-07-19)
Renovated	March 2003 (2003-03)
Cost	S$5.83 million
Renovation cost	S$2.8 million
Landlord	National Environment Agency
Technical details
Floor area	3,539 m2 (38,090 sq ft)
Renovating team
Architects	Liu & Wo Architects
Other information
Number of stores	134
Public transit access	EW15  Tanjong Pagar  TE18  Maxwell  DT18  Telok Ayer

Amoy Street Food Centre is a two-storey hawker centre located in Downtown Core, Singapore, at the junction of Telok Ayer Street and Amoy Street. The hawker centre occupies the 1st and 2nd storey of the Ministry of National Development Building Annexe B. ^[1]

The hawker centre is houses numerous restaurants featured in the Michelin Guide, with some being awarded the Bib Gourmand. ^[2]

History

Amoy Street Food Centre was announced together with four other hawker centres to be constructed in the Central Business District, aimed at serving office workers and relocating street hawkers. On behalf of the Ministry of Environment, construction of 144 stalls by the Housing and Development Board began in 1982 at a cost of S$ 5.83 million. ^[3]

On 11 April 1983, the hawker centre was opened to the public, and office workers formed huge crowds. The hawkers were relocated from Stanley Street, Boon Tat Street, Cecil Street, Amoy Street and Telok Ayer Street. ^{[4] [5]} On 19 July 1983, the hawker centre was officially opened by Minister for the Environment Ong Pang Boon. ^[6]

In 1987, Amoy Street was one of the first hawker centres to have signs stating "No Pets". Hawkers shared that patrons sporadically brought pets with them, and allowed the pets to sit next to them. As such, the ministry erected the signs to remind patrons that it is unhygenic and illegal to bring their pets into the hawker centres. ^[7]

In 1988, the hawker centre was also one of the first three hawker centres to be part of a pilot scheme to allow the disabled to carry out business legally. Previously, some hawkers with disabilities carried out hawking illegally to provide a source of income for themselves. ^{[8] [9]}

In February 2002, as part of the hawker centre upgrading programme by the Ministry of Environment, Amoy Street was upgraded, with its tiles, tables and stools being replaced. The toilets, electrical and plumbing systems were also upgraded. ^[10] With renovation costing S$ 2.8 million, the hawker centre was closed in September 2002, and reopened in March 2003. ^{[11] [12] [13]} On 8 May 2003, the hawker centre was officially reopened by Member of Parliament for Kreta Ayer–Kim Seng Lily Neo. The total number of stalls was reduced to 134. ^[11]

Present day

Amoy Street remains as a popular hawker centre among officer workers in the vicinity. In 2017, A Noodle Story was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. ^{[2] [14] [15]} Other popular stalls include Quan Ji, a tze char stall featured in the Michelin Guide in 2018, ^{[16] [17] [18]} and Han Kee, a fish soup bee hoon awarded the Bib Gourmand in 2024. ^{[19] [20]}

See also

• Hawker centre
• Singaporean cuisine

References

1. "Happy at last". Singapore Monitor . 11 July 1983. p. 2. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
2. Tan, Alethea; Tan, Rachel; Tan, Alvin; Wee, Mikka (28 August 2024). "Hawker Guides: Amoy Street Food Centre, Singapore". Michelin Guide . Retrieved 1 January 2025.
3. "FIVE NEW HAWKER CENTRES FOR THE CBD". The Straits Times . 13 May 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
4. Gamboa, Evangeline (12 April 1983). "Amoy Street food centre a hit with office workers". The Straits Times . p. 15. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
5. "Mixed reactions from Amoy Street hawkers". The Straits Times . 21 July 1983. p. 16. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
6. Gamboa, Evangeline (20 July 1983). "Ministry to help improve food stalls' hygiene". The Straits Times . p. 40. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
7. Ngiam, Tong Hai (28 August 1987). "'No pets' signs go up at hawker stalls, food centres". The Straits Times . p. 21. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
8. Chia, Maylee (29 March 1988). "Disabled to get hawker booths in pilot scheme". The Straits Times . p. 15. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
9. "New start for three former illegal hawkers". The Straits Times . 29 March 1988. p. 15. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
10. "4 more hawker centres to get facelift". The Straits Times . 23 February 2002. p. 8. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
11. Soriano, Enrique (9 May 2003). "Tasty lor mee, nasi lemak make a return". The Straits Times . p. 10. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
12. "Remember..." Streats . 26 September 2002. p. 24. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
13. Urban Redevelopment Authority (14 November 2002), PROPOSED UPGRADING & ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS TO 1ST & 2ND STOREY FOOD CENTRE OF EXISTING 5-STOREY OFFICE CUM FOOD CENTRE BUILDING AT AMOY STREET
14. Tan, Hsueh Yun (15 July 2016). "Hawker's galore on Michelin's Bib list". The Straits Times . Singapore. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
15. Yong, Debbie (24 October 2016). "Behind The Bib: A Noodle Story". Michelin Guide . Retrieved 1 January 2025.
16. Khng, Eu Meng (23 June 1988). "Carrying on father's cooking traditions". The Straits Times . p. 2. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
17. Goh, Kenneth (11 September 2018). "Old Is Gold: Quan Ji Zi Char Stall In Amoy Street Food Centre". Michelin Guide . Retrieved 31 December 2024.
18. Boonlong, Pailin (10 July 2022). "Quan Ji (#01-56/57)". TimeOut . Retrieved 1 January 2025.
19. Quek, Eunice (20 June 2024). "11 new entries on 2024's Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list for Singapore". The Straits Times . Retrieved 1 January 2025.
20. Chow, Adira (18 June 2024). "11 Singapore hawker stalls and restaurants have been added to the Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 list". TimeOut . Retrieved 1 January 2025.