Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre: ‘Ordering at a hawker centre has never been this easy’

Sembawang residents have a brand-new stomping ground for meet-ups and affordable eats — Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre (BCHC) — which opened officially on Dec 17. 

This is Sembawang town’s first hawker centre in almost 30 years, and a highly anticipated one among residents in the area.

The sprawling facility has over 800 seats and 44 hawker stalls across a wide range of cuisines.

Besides that, here are three things to look out for.

Healthier food and diverse cuisines

There’s Mexican-Indian fusion stall Snack That Food Up — cheekily shortened to STFU — and another selling Hainan and Harbin cuisine. Home-based business Liu Kou Shui has also set up its first physical store selling fusion donburi (from S$5) and its signature mala char siew (S$4).

Fans of lok lok, mookata and barbecued Melaka seafood will also find plenty of choices. If you’re looking for a light snack, there’re bakes from Muffin Homme and putu piring (steamed rice cakes) from Bege.rack.

Hawker stalwarts such as Yu Kee Braised Duck, Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodles and Habib’s Rojak are available, too.

Health-conscious diners will be pleased to know that there are healthier options at every food stall. These are called Canopy Nutrients Meals (CAN meal), and are prepared using healthier cooking methods and ingredients. 

One such meal is the minced meat ban mian (S$5.50), which is served with a wholegrain staple, and contains three essential food groups at recommended portion sizes.

The stalls have also listed the calorie count of your meal, to help diners be more aware of how often these dishes should be consumed. 

Dishes marked green contain 500 kilocalories or less, and are ideal for everyday consumption. By contrast, dishes marked red have more than 700 kilocalories — patrons are encouraged to reduce their consumption of these calorific meals.

Low prices

According to Vikram Nair, a Member of Parliament for Sembawang group representation constituency, each stall has at least two dishes that are priced below S$3.50.

Further discounts are available to blue Community Health Assist Scheme (Chas) cardholders, and members of the Pioneer and Merdeka generations. Simply flash your card while ordering to enjoy a 10 per cent discount at any stall.

On weekdays between 2pm and 5pm, students can also check in with the individual stallholders about student discounts.

A pay-it-forward programme is in the works, so that diners can belanja (buy a treat) for less fortunate members in their community.

No more queuing or ‘chope-ing’

Instead of the grand Singaporean tradition of chope-ing a table with a tissue packet, you can simply take your seat and make your orders from there.

According to BCHC’s website, ordering at a hawker centre has never been this easy. 

Diners are invited to download Food Canopy, the hawker centre’s mobile app, to place orders, make payment and be notified when it’s time to collect your food — all from the comfort of your seat. 

However, when HungryGoWhere checked the App Store on Monday (Dec 19), it seems that the app is still in its trial phase and may not be fully ready yet.

Yu Kee Duck Rice, Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodles, and Habib’s Rojak are on the GrabFood delivery service. Alternatively, book a ride to Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre.