Serangoon, Kovan and Potong Pasir

Where we'd start

Any of these makes a good first stop.

Start with breakfast at Kovan 209, the neighbourhood market, where about 66 cooked-food stalls sit beside a wet market. One stop down the North East Line, Serangoon Library sits on the roof of nex beside Serangoon MRT. It was the first public library in Singapore on a rooftop, it's open 11am to 9pm daily, and the neighbourhood looks best from up there in the evening. Serangoon Swimming Complex, on Yio Chu Kang Road, stays open until 9.30pm and closes on Thursdays.

Serangoon Gardens, a private estate built in the 1950s, is where the area eats. Its red zinc roofs gave it the nickname Ang Sar Lee, which is 'red zinc' in Hokkien. Chomp Chomp Food Centre, opened in 1972, grills stingray and satay in the open air and comes alive in the evening, and RK Eating House on Kensington Park Road does Indian Muslim food and is usually open late. On Upper Serangoon Road, Joji's Diner serves waffles, pancakes and burgers around the clock. Chomp Chomp is a taxi ride from the stations.

Three temples keep morning and evening windows, with a break in between. Ramakrishna Mission on Bartley Road, founded in 1928, is open 6am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 8.30pm, with evening arati and bhajans at 7pm. Darma Muneeswaran Temple in Serangoon North has stood on its site for over a hundred years and opens 7am to noon and 6.30pm to 9.15pm. Sri Siva Durga Temple in Potong Pasir posts a different worship schedule for each day of the week.

Two or three stops down the Circle Line, Tai Seng and MacPherson are the place for classes and indoor games. Boulder Planet has a bouldering gym in Grantral Mall, Urth & Phire teaches a 90-minute first go at the pottery wheel on Saturday mornings, and Arudio runs hand-building or wheel trials near MacPherson MRT. The Fragment Room is a rage room, with helmet, coveralls and gloves provided, and JUMBO's studio teaches chilli crab from a whole crab.

Getting there

Potong Pasir (NE10), Serangoon (NE12) and Kovan (NE13) are on the North East Line, and Serangoon (CC13) also has a Circle Line platform. Bartley (CC12), Tai Seng (CC11) and MacPherson (CC10) follow on the Circle Line. Serangoon Library is beside Serangoon MRT, and Chomp Chomp, in Serangoon Gardens, is a taxi ride from the stations.

Best time

Eat at Kovan 209 for breakfast and keep Chomp Chomp for the evening. Serangoon Library stays open to 9pm, and the swimming complex closes on Thursdays. The temples close in the middle of the day, so go in the morning or from about 6pm.

A day in Serangoon, Kovan & Potong Pasir

This is the order we'd go in, though each stop works fine on its own.

Morning
Kovan 209 MarketKovan · FreeGo
Afternoon
Serangoon LibrarySerangoon · FreeGo
Evening
Chomp Chomp Food CentreSerangoon · FreeGo

Where to eat

Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre, Blk 209 Hougang Street 21: breakfast at about 66 cooked-food stalls, with a wet market beside them
Chomp Chomp Food Centre, 20 Kensington Park Road: barbecued stingray and satay in the open air, in the evening only
Serangoon Garden Market, 49A Serangoon Garden Way: the estate's other NEA market and hawker centre, where each stall keeps its own hours
Joji's Diner, 534 Upper Serangoon Road: waffles, pancakes and burgers, open 24 hours, with no reservations
RK Eating House, 1 Kensington Park Road: Indian Muslim food, usually open late, so check its page before a special trip

Serangoon, Kovan & Potong Pasir questions

Which hawker centres are in Serangoon, Kovan and Potong Pasir?

NEA's list includes three markets and hawker centres here. Chomp Chomp Food Centre and Serangoon Garden Market are in Serangoon Gardens, and Kovan Market & Food Centre is at Blk 209 Hougang Street 21. Potong Pasir has none on the list. For an open-air dinner, we'd pick Chomp Chomp.

What can I eat at Kovan 209?

Kovan 209 is Kovan Market & Food Centre at Block 209 Hougang Street 21, with a wet market beside the hawker centre. Chai Kee Prawn Noodle at #01-66 typically starts earliest, around 6.30am, so it's the one to try first. Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodle at #01-35 is the best-known bak chor mee. Bring cash, since one drinks stall takes notes only.

When are the temples around Serangoon and Potong Pasir open?

Ramakrishna Mission opens 6am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 8.30pm, and Darma Muneeswaran Temple 7am to noon and 6.30pm to 9.15pm. Sri Siva Durga Temple posts a different schedule each day, roughly 6.30am to noon and 6pm to 9pm, with the evening starting earlier on Tuesdays and Sundays. All three close in the middle of the day, so plan around the break.

Where is Singapore's first rooftop public library?

Serangoon Library, on the rooftop (Level 4R) of nex beside Serangoon MRT, was the first public library in Singapore on a roof. It's open 11am to 9pm daily and closes on public holidays. Come in the evening for the view over the neighbourhood.

What is there to do around Tai Seng and MacPherson MRT?

Boulder Planet has indoor bouldering in Grantral Mall until 10.30pm on weekdays, and The Fragment Room is a rage room open noon to 10pm daily. Urth & Phire teaches a 90-minute pottery wheel class on Saturday mornings for up to six people, and Arudio runs pottery trials near MacPherson MRT. Book the Saturday class early, since it seats only six.

Can visitors join a yoga class at Ramakrishna Mission?

Yes, the mission runs yoga at Sarada Hall on Bartley Road, and it's open to non-members aged 12 and up. Beginners meet on Sundays from 9.30am to 11.30am and Fridays from 7pm to 9pm, with a S$20 registration fee. Take Bartley MRT's Exit B, which has a lift to street level.