What appears to be a quiet and relaxed neighbourhood has become hot-spot due to Pokémon Go in the previous weeks. We went to talk to the locals to find out where the Pokémon catchers (and everybody else) are eating.
Sherina, 50, healthcare professional, lived for 16 years in the neighbourhood
Q: What do you like about Hougang?
I like the fact that my home is very quiet and near to public transport. MRT and bus will take me everywhere I need to go. There are plenty of food options too, as just below my house is a coffee shop. I even have access to a 24h-supermarket.
Q: What is your favourite place to eat and what do you normally order?
Closer to Buangkok station is a stall with excellent fried fish soup. Right next to the Hougang Mall there is another stall that has very tasty minced pork noodles and chicken rice. Inside the mall, there is a restaurant on the second floor that offers pork ribs soup that I like a lot. There are many options for me to choose from.
Q: Are there any shops that you recommend?
I rarely do any shopping here. I prefer to go to NEX at Serangoon MRT, as I have more variety there.
Q: Why would you recommend the neighbourhood?
If I had a visitor coming to my area, I would take them to Punggol Park. It is actually a very beautiful park, connecting all the way to Punggol. If you go along the park connector, you will even find a few restaurants.
Jason, 24, student, lived for 12 years in the neighbourhood
Q: What do you like about this area in general?
The surrounding is very accessible, as there is a shopping mall and many places to eat. I also find the people here very friendly.
Q: What is your favourite place to eat and what do you normally order?
I really like the fish porridge and prawn noodles at the Blk 600. I think they are quite famous around here. I go there to eat with my family every Saturday. There is plenty of local food in the area, but not many restaurants.
Q: Are there any shops that you recommend?
If I need any basic stuff, I can get it in the Hougang Mall. I often go and help my mum to do shopping there. There is nothing special, but it is quite accessible and covers the basic needs. There used to be another shopping mall called Compass Point at the Sengkang MRT station, but it closed down. I think though it might reopen under a different name soon.
Q: What else do you find interesting about the neighbourhood?
At the moment Punggol Park is very popular, as there are apparently many Pokémons to catch. I don’t do it myself, but many of my friends told me that there are rare Pokémons. If you go there in the evening, you will see an unusual amount of people. For now, it is a hot area. Otherwise, there is also a nice café in the park.
Michael, 24, student, lived for 24 years in the neighbourhood
Q: What do you like about this area in general?
It is very accessible; there is a lot of food, and the people are quite nice around here. It is not too hectic, but rather chill.
Q: What is your favourite food around in Hougang? What do you normally order?
I usually eat at the food court next to my house. I actually just ate there some dried Ban Mian. It is the most accessible one and the food is good too. On the other side of the neighbourhood is the Ci Yuan Hawker Centre, offering a lot of food. Everything there is very good, but my favourite is the Hokkien Mee.
Otherwise, there are also a few options at the Hougang Mall, but I don’t really eat at restaurants around here. I prefer the hawker centres.
Q: Are there any shops that you recommend?
I usually don’t shop much in the neighbourhood, as I prefer online shopping. If I were to shop though, I would go into town.
Q: What is the best part about the neighbourhood?
I guess the food and the people are the most interesting part of the neighbourhood. It is quite relaxed and chill.
Susie, 34, student care teacher, has been coming for 10 years to Hougang
Q: What do you like about this area in general?
It is quite an old area, making it very cosy. There are also many convenient facilities for the community. As there are a community club and an MRT station, it is very accessible for the people who live here. I think there is quite a strong feeling of togetherness, especially among the elderly.
I come here every weekend to do voluntary work, teaching primary school students from a lower income range. Besides teaching, we also organise events, so that the kids also have fun while learning something.
Q: What is your favourite place to eat around Hougang? What do you normally order?
I normally go to the Hougang Mall, but there are also many coffee shops in the area. I usually go for the local delicacies. Personally, I really enjoy the vegetarian food at Hougang Mall. Usually, there is quite a long queue.
Q: Are there any shops that you recommend?
Besides Hougang Mall, there are not many shopping options. I think the best option might be NEX in Serangoon. Hougang Mall offers though all the necessities.
Q: Why would you recommend Hougang?
Firstly, I would say that the location is very accessible. I have a few friends that are actually looking for houses in the neighbourhood. They want to move here because it is very convenient.
Recently this area has become very popular due to Pokémon Go. There is a crazy crowd of people at Blk 401 every night trying to catch Pokémons. I don’t catch Pokémons myself, but one day I went there to see what the craze is about.
Wi Lian, 30, works in property management, lived here for 20 years
Q: What do you like about this area in general?
There are a lot of food courts. Some are even open for 24 hours. It is quite convenient to live here, as there are many buses.
Q: What is your favourite food around Hougang? What do you normally order?
I really like Western food. There is a food stall close to my house that has very nice steaks.
Q: Do you do any shopping around here?
We often go to Hougang Mall or NEX. Both offer most things we need, making it very convenient for us. We don’t have to go all the way to the centre.
Q: Why would you recommend Hougang?
The most interesting aspect about Hougang is the food. There are many good and cheap hawker stalls. I think there are some people that come even particularly for the food to the neighbourhood.
Travelling, eating, and drinking his way through life, Peter is continuously hungry for more. Always looking something new and exciting every single day, his day starts before the sunrise and ends longer after the sunset.
