Jurong West Hawker Centre has been revamped to celebrate the rich culinary heritage of Singapore. This is an exciting milestone in Singapore’s culinary landscape. Managed by the National Environmental Agency and operated by the Chang Cheng Group as a JW50 hawker heritage.

Familiar local and international cuisines 

The new revamped Hawker Centre comprises of a mix of familiar offerings and international cuisines such as Yew Kee Duck Rice, Shi Nian Pig Leg Rice, Bai Nian Niang Dou Foo, Day Night Herbal Soup, Fat Cat Mala Grilled Fish, Al Nadhira Indian Muslim Food, Munchi Pancakes, and GoPizza amongst others.

There is a wide range of dishes available regardless of what you wish to have for lunch or dinner. 

The total number of stalls have been expanded to 39, up from the original 34. The seating capacity has also been increased, now accommodating 580 diners and promising an enhanced dining experience for all.

Journey to the west

I was recently invited to a media preview of the JW50 Hawker Heritage Centre. This was ahead of the hawker centre’s official opening ceremony.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the two-storey hawker centre was the popular durian stall at the entrance next to the carpark ramp. It was crowded and we were tempted to head over and take a closer look.

Up the escalator, the interior of the hawker centre had undergone a complete makeover. What caught my eye was that the new look was modern, colourful and whimsical yet with a mix of old-school elements in a nice blend of both old and new. It is a good blend and brings about a completely fresh feel to the hawker centre.

Tasting a mix of dishes 

At the event, I got to try a few of the dishes and featured stalls of my choosing from the hawkers. 

I went for a variety of both local and international flavours. The dishes I tried at the event were as follows. 

Go Pizza

We tried their signature item, the K-Bulgogi Pizza.

The waiting time for this was around 20 minutes + queuing for the food. 

In terms of the pizza, I enjoyed this. The pizza dough was light and crispy and the flavour was interesting. It was Korean-inspired and comprised of meat which was lightly topped with onion and capsicums and drizzled with a white sauce, tasted delicious. The meat was tender and delicious and the sauces really added to the flavour of the dish. 

Munchi Pancakes

Serving traditional Singaporean pancakes with a twist, Munchi Pancakes’ offerings come in many different flavours such as Kaya and Biscoff, based on innovation and trial-and-error.

We tried the charcoal skin biscoff pancake. This was yummy and delicious. The filling had a tinge of sweetness and a nice crunch, which was perfectly balanced out by the chewy pancake. I thought the pancake texture was just right: it was chewy and flavourful and prepared to perfection. I really enjoyed this. 

Xiang Yu 

This stall caters to pau and dim sum lovers with their scrumptious mixture of bun offerings, such as the Xiao Long Bao, and Chives and Pork Dumplings.

The pan-fried pork buns at this stall looked delicious so we decided to try them. And they did not disappoint. Though the queue and waiting time for these was around 20 minutes, the buns were delicious. They were juicy and flavourful and the minced pork filling was tender and moist. The buns looked quite yummy and the dough to filling ratio was good in my opinion.

Ru Yi Tanjong Rhu Wanton Mee

I love wanton mee, so I had wanted to give their Signature Wonton Noodles ($4.30) a try.

The noodles were quite good; they were firm and had a spring to it. However I thought the wantons and char siew pieces could be improved. The soup was also quite mild and I felt it could also have had more flavour to it. The chilli sauce was mild enough, with a slight kick, but nothing that felt too spicy. 

For the budget conscious too, this stall also offers a Char Siew Noodle Soup dish for just $3. 

The Zichar Stall

We went for the prawn paste chicken (har cheong gai) from this stall. When it first arrived, the prawn smell was rather strong. However this smell didn’t quite translate to the flavour. The prawn flavour was present, but there was significantly more of a fried chicken flavour than a prawn one. In terms of the texture of the chicken, it was good. It was moist and juicy and addictive. 

T-Bar

To wash down our food, we went for the fruity offerings at T-Bar. This shop had quite long queues and it took me a while before I could place my order.

I went for the strawberry milkshake while my companion picked the iced fruit tea. The strawberry milkshake was sweet and fruity and the thickness was just right. It was not overly rich and could still easily be sipped through a straw. 

The iced fruit tea was on the sweet side when I tried some of it, and the flavours reminded me of mixed fruit punch. 

Conclusion

As a whole, I think the new-look Jurong West Hawker Center definitely appeals to both the young and old, with its wide mix of both trendy and familiar stalls and its colourful hip feeling.

Other thoughts

The food aside though, one thing that struck me was the large crowds and long queues. The place was crowded during the peak dinner time (7.30pm) when we visited and almost every stall had long queues. It was also hard to get a seat and we had to wait around for several moments before we finally managed to snag a table.

I would have liked to try more stalls that night, but I felt that the queues and waiting times largely put me off.

It could have been an outlier though, as I later found out that last Thursday night, when we were there, was the very first day of operation for the hawker center.

Nonetheless I enjoyed the food. So if I happen to be around the west side for an event, I would definitely check out the Jurong West Hawker Centre again to try their other offerings and stalls.

Jurong West Hawker Centre

(JW50 Hawker Heritage)

50 Jurong West St 61, #61,

Singapore 648202

Opening hours: 6am – 10pm. Note that the individual opening times of each of the stalls may vary.