Exploring Block 201 Tampines East

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For people staying in the east, particularly at or near Tampines east, Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats Block 201 also known as Tampines N2 Shopping Street is impressive with its varied offerings. especially food. While not visually stunning, it is afterall a typical housing estate, it is a bustling neighbourhood with blocks and the blocks stretching from Block 201C to E, is a feast to behold with its eateries. Starting with Afghanistan Restaurant located along Tampines Street 23 at Block 201E and just across Tampines East Community Centre (CC), this busy coffeeshop style restaurant with 10 stalls attract morning breakfast goers with its delicious local offerings such as kacang phool, mee soto, nasi lemak and the many kueh or snacks. The kacang phool shown below complete with baguette and a cup coffee is $7. Perfect for breakfast.

Tampines N2 Shopping Street
At Block 201D at Tampines St. 21, there is a restaurant popular for its briyani, roti prata and murtabak called Saffrons, although it’s roti prata that comes with sambal apart from the usual curry sauce is eye catching too. A set of two roti prata with eggs and a cup of teh tarek is $7. Within Tampines East CC, there are a couple of fast food chains, i.e. the 24-hr McDonalds and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf which opens daily till 2am.

At block 201D there is a small but popular western restaurant called Craze Kitchen that serves delicious fares such as lamb chop, pasta, fish and chips and truffle chips among others. Some of the menu can be a little bit expensive for a heartland but it’s convenient without residents having to dress up too much and heading out to town. They do have promotions from time to time and sometimes you can see queues. Their food presentation and quality is on par with those found in many established western restaurants. Their delicious lamb chop with fries as shown below is priced at $15.50, which is not too bad, considering they offer air-conditioned space.

Kacang phool set
This restaurant like many others in the neighbourhood accept Community Development Council or CDC voucher so once a while something we can indulge on, as it is sort of complimentary. CDC voucher is a way of supporting both Singaporeans and businesses or merchants in the heartland. A little hidden and tucked in-between Craze Kitchen and Saffron is a stall aptly called Sedap which means delicious, that sells rojak and otak-otak. Other food places include Al-Makan, and of course the main hawker centre simply called Hawker Centre at 201.

Another hawker centre is just across it at Block 201C with a small wet market within the space. One Yes supermarket is just next to this food court which sell affordable fresh produce. A snacks shop called Kampong Kravings that sells various local heritage snacks such as fried bananas, curry puffs and putu piring is in-between Saffrons and Al-Makan.

Roti prata set
Many of the eateries attract working lunchtime crowd from nearby offices or industries in the east. As with any typical HDB neighbourhood, in-between the food places, the foot of the various blocks are dotted with hair and hair salons, sundries and bubble teas, retail shops and medical clinics in-between.

There is a pet store, plants shops, laundromat, 7-11, bakeries, fruits stands, tailoring services, barbershop and many more, amenities and common retail stores expected in a housing estate. You can get three styrofoam packs of durian for $12. Wellness services such as massage services are available too and you can use CDC vouchers for these too.

Lamb chop with fries
Special events, especially during various festive periods are held along the main gateway of N2 Shopping Street along Tampines St. 21. Every now and then they organise pasar malam too which adds vibrancy to this shopping street. Of course it adds competition to the food outlets at the area, but pasar malam is temporary and the food that they sell tend to be finger food such as corn in a cup or steamed peanuts and the ubiquitous Ramly burger. 'St.' by the way stands for Street!

Do you know that the word Tampines came from a tree, Tampines tree which used to be common tree in the area?
Location: Tampines, Singapore

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