Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the food here!

1st stop was to go to the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in Singapore for Nasi Beriyani. The railway station has been in the spotlight this past week after the big news that Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to relocate the railway station from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands by next year. I suppose this is good news for Singapore in general, but I am anxious to know what will become of the railway station building after the move. It is a historic building and I would hate to see yet another old building torn down in the name of progress. It seems that the government agrees that it is a building of historic significance and will preserve it, but this probably still means that the original character and atmosphere of the place will no longer be the same.

So, we decided we had to at least visit the Singapore Tanjong Pagar railway station before it becomes modernised. I think many Singaporeans do not know that there is good food to be found at the railway station. At least all the friends that I know of are surprised when I tell them that I had some teh tarik, or ayam penyet, or nasi beriyani or satay at the railway station.

My parents really like the nasi beriyani, enough to drive here even though it is out of the way. The rice is fluffy and fragrant. If you like fish, you have to come on Fridays when they have the fish nasi beriyani. And if you finish your rice and need more, you can get a second helping of rice!

I personally prefer the ayam penyet from Island Power. Included with the chicken are also a piece of tofu, a piece of tempeh and some vegetables. You will be surprised to know that at some other ayam penyet stalls elsewhere, they don’t give you the extra tempeh or tofu! The chilli is a must or the ayam penyet won’t taste the same!

At night, you are able to get satay too. We make it a point to come here every Chinese New Year just for the satay and the teh tarik. I wonder if we will be able to do here a few years from now.

Previously, many tables were placed outside at the back of the railway station building. It was great to sit outside under the shade of the trees especially at night because the inside of the station can get quite stuffy. I recall once during the old times, a little caterpillar descended down from the tree and landed on our table. It was cute and made me feel the atmosphere of the place even more.

But 1 or 2 years ago, the authorities banned that, apparently for health reasons. Well if you ask me, when the trains pull up, they spew out more smoke for you to breathe in than you would breathe sitting outside under the trees. I don’t understand why we aren’t able to sit outside now.

Scroll down for photos of the Tanjong Pagar Railway station as well as photos of delicious local food! Also scroll down for photos on the famous nasi beriyani and teh tarik. The best is for you to make a trip there yourself before they do something to permanently alter the atmosphere of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Today, we saw many people totting cameras, all with the same idea.

Vote on what you think should be done to the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station building after the trains move to Woodlands.

Grand entrance of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Ticket counter to buy tickets for your quick getaway

Get your ayam penyet at Island Power Food and the nasi beriyani at the stall on the left

Ayam Penyet (Smashed Chicken Rice) with crunchy bits on the top

Nasi Beriyani with mutton

More nasi beriyani with mutton

Teh Tarik (Pulled Tea) No local meal is complete without a teh tarik, especially at a place like this!

More eating places facing the railway track directly!

Railway Food Station

Check out the long line of passengers waiting to get onto the next train

A train just pulled in and these are the last of the stragglers.

Quick! Man on the tracks, call the police!

Nostalgic Singaporeans flocking to the railway station for photos

See my updated comments on what is to become of the railway station and the businesses there.

I had a wonderful day today, so this is either going to be a very long post, or I might break up my story into several posts. Today being Vesak Day, we took the opportunity to travel all around Singapore taking photos of everything like tourists. I took a grand total of 174 photos (including some that I took after I got off work at TEN PM yesterday). I know Singapore is small, but still, I firmly believe that there is much to do in Singapore if you just give Singapore a chance. There are gems just waiting to be found and appreciated.