Lau Pa Sat: Now, THIS is a food court.

Lau Pa Sat is a large hawker center right across the street from me. Also known as Telok Ayer (“Water Bay” in Malay), it’s known for its distinct octagonal shape and Victorian-style cast iron structure. When I first got here, Rob told me if I ever get lost, just ask for directions to Lau Pa Sat. Everyone knows it.

Depending on how discerning an eater you are, you may find Lau Pa Sat to be an unspectacular haven for oil, salt and MSG, or an endless cornucopia of tasty and authentic cuisine spanning dozens of cultures. Rob thinks the quality is poor and he only goes there in an emergency. Kerry said she gained some weight when she first got here from eating hawker food like this.

I suppose I’m somewhere in the middle. For around $4 SGD per meal, it’s pretty damn good. And while I’ve never had anything there that I absolutely had to get again, I never had something I didn’t like. It’s tricky to generalize around a hundred different vendors, but everything I’ve had has been a “5” or “6” out of 10. In a word: acceptable.

Here are 5 things I’ve had with pics of their stalls underneath. The pizza was SG$9, but everything else was around SG$4.

Here are my other pics of Lau Pa Sat. You can see Rob’s gold building in the background – that’s how close it is! The shot from above is from the pool area where I swim. Also, you can see a band playing on the roof of the beverage & dessert place. Also pictured is outside where they block off the street every night and grill satay. (And yes, that’s a Wendy’s there in the 2nd picture.)