9 Affordable Places to Makan in Pasir Ris

“Pasir Ris nothing to eat la… Come over to town, I’ll bring you for good food.”

Sounds familiar? Us East Siders don’t have to be forced to leave our cosy abodes for good food anymore! Jio your friends over to the east side so you don’t have to travel. *winks* Here are some affordable places in Pasir Ris which will satisfy your rumbling tummies and save your wallets from the exorbitant prices in town.

Herbs Bistro

Herbs Bistro is brought to you by the people behind Chapter 55 at Tiong Bahru and Ice Edge Cafe. With low hanging lights indoors and fairy lights outdoors, the rustic wooden tables and spacious interior made us forget that we were in Singapore. The place filled up pretty quickly, perhaps due to their 1-for-1 Student Lunch and Executive Set Lunch. With the latter including a main course and a drink while going for just $9.90+, its a steal. Available daily from 11.30am to 3pm. We tried the Claypot Laksa Pasta ($16.80++), the chef’s unique recipe of laksa pesto with linguine, clams, prawns and tau pok. It comes in a cute little claypot, topped with egg shavings and crispy bits.

There is an alluring display of gelato in a wide assortment of flavours (think: Durian, Salted Caramel, Salted Yolk, Nutella, etc.) is available for $5 a scoop. Get yours with a freshly made waffle for the ultimate chill day.

Mukshidonna

Mukshidonna means Eat (Muk), Rest (Shi), Pay (Don), Leave (Na). So, what’s the hype? A bubbling sweet and spicy stew that will make your eyes sparkle. Rice cakes and fish cakes will be included for sure, but choose from a variety of soup bases which includes beef and mussels ($13.90 per person). You may also add on ramyun noodles ($3) and savoury toppings ($3) to make your pot look as appetising as possible. Fresh mussels were aplenty in our stew, along with chewy rice cakes!

Get the cheese on top, and watch as the cheese slowly melts and engulfs the noodle strands. If you have space in your stomach for more, order a serving of fried rice ($5) to soak up all the leftover juices – it’s the best part.

Binggo – Bingsoo On the Go

They have quite a few items marked as best sellers ranging from Strawberry Cheesecake to Cookies and Cream here at Bing-go, which is short for ‘Bingsoo On the Go’. I shocked the waitress when I asked her for the “Best Selling of the Best Selling”. She recommended the Injeolmi (rice cake) Bingsoo for $6.90, which arrived with a sprinkling of soy powder, Korean rice cake, almond slices and a few tiny bits of cranberries. The condensed milk was poured in for us, so mix it well if you can.

While it was a refreshing pick-me-up on a hot day, the shaved ice was not fine enough compared to other Korean dessert places selling the same dessert. I would recommend getting the flavours which come with a scoop of ice-cream on top to get the most bang for your buck. After all, all flavours go for the same affordable price of $6.90.

Basil Inn

A Thai eatery is only as good as its Pad Thai. We tried Basil Inn’s rendition for an affordable price of $6.50. The noodles were drenched with zhup and wetter than usual, and came with small cubes of fried tau kwa, egg, prawns, chicken, spring onions and bean sprouts. The noodles were coated with a sweet sauce and has dried shrimp mixed in for that extra oomph. Tamarind sauce was probably added, resulting in a tangy taste.

If you’re coming in a bigger group, do try their signature dish, the Steamed Lemongrass Fish ($30). Note that this restaurant only accepts cash.

Cottage Pie Cafe

Stationed right beside the taxi stand of Whitesands Mall is Cottage Pie Cafe. You can smell the pastries being baked fresh on-site while walking past! The founder, Dennis, honed his pie baking skills in New Zealand as an apprentice, and has been baking these New Zealand-style buttery pies for the last 18 years.

Mini pies ($1.30 for 1, $3.60 for 3) are perfect for a mid-day snack or breakfast in the morning, especially since they open at 7am and have their pastries out by 7.45am on weekdays. 

We tried the Original Chicken Pie, Curry Chicken Pie (triangle) and Black Pepper Chicken Pie (diamond). While the pies were promisingly buttery and flaky on the outside, the insides were too dry. Your best bet would be the Curry Chicken Pie, which came with curry potatoes. Perhaps you should skip the mini pies for the larger pies, like the Steak and Mushroom Pie ($4+)

Ministry of Rojak

Ministry of Rojak is an expansion of Abdhus Salam Rojak, a popular Indian rojak stall in Ayer Rajah hawker centre. Giving traditional Indian hawker food with a twist, they are the first to introduce “The Rojak Fondue” platter where you get to share a variety of ingredients with your friends. Their famous sweet potato dip has a smooth nutty touch that is flavourful and rich in taste. Orders are prepared a la minute, meaning they will deep fry the items only upon order. They also serve prata and teh tarik.

The Tree Cafe

The Tree Cafe has been open for close to a year. With an eye-catching tree right smack in the middle of the cafe, you’re sure to notice this halal cafe. We tried the Chic & Waffles ($7.50) which includes waffles, maple syrup, butter and fried chicken. The waffle was a too doughy for my liking.

The Tree Cafe is great for your #OOTDs. Without any service charge or GST, the prices are great for a student budget though. Where else can you get smoked duck with homemade cream sauce and spaghetti for $6.50?

Coolman Frozen Yogurt

Opened in November 2016, this froyo joint imports its yogurt from Italy. Getting a parfait (think: Llao Llao’s Sanum) for $6.90 gets you a choice of 3 fruits ranging from kiwi to dragonfruit, 1 crunch and 1 sauce of your choice. For the month of May 2017, one extra topping of fruit is given with every purchase of their parfait!

We selected the mangoes, strawberries, blueberries and kiwis, maple pecan granola and dark chocolate sauce. The frozen yogurt has fruity undertones and tastes slightly like peach. Their fruits are definitely fresh though, since they also serve up fruit juices and smoothies!

Mala Xiang Guo @ Pasir Ris MRT

Right opposite Koi Whitesands is an unassuming Mala Xiang Guo, which blends in perfectly with the other stores in the row. The pricing is calculated based on the ingredients you choose instead of the weight, which can get a little pricey if you’re a meat lover. 

We chose the tofu, luncheon meat, enoki mushroom, broccoli, oyster mushroom and meatballs, which came up to a total of $8. The xiao la was not spicy enough for us, and it tasted more like spicy yong tau foo instead of Mala. When your tongue isn’t numb and your lips aren’t fiery red, you know its time to ‘level up’. I’ll be getting the zhong la the next time! 

One thing that I liked was that it wasn’t oily. You know that pool of oil that after you finish the top half of the dishes that threatens to drown the bottom half? Yeah, none of that here! 

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to the stalls listed above. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!