Paige Chua Feels Like “MP At Meet-The-People Sessions” When She Visits Hawker Centre Near Her Home
Actress Paige Chua, 42, is a creature of habit when it comes to food. You will always find her eating the same thing at the same places.
“I’m not adventurous at all. I like to walk into a place knowing what I want for my meal and not waste money,” she tells host Jernelle Oh on a recent episode of #JustSwipeLah. “If I want to try new things, I will get my friends to order them and I will take a bite. I would not order it myself.”
She can have economic bee hoon every day and another hawker dish that she has on the regular is black carrot cake, specifically the one from 美食全 (Mei Shi Quan) at Ci Yuan Hawker Centre in Hougang.
Run by Mdm Gao and her husband, the stall was previously located at the open-air carpark next to the now defunct Specialists’ Shopping Centre at Somerset before moving to Gluttons by the Bay, and then Ci Yuan in 2015. Besides chai tow kway, it also sells fried kway teow and oyster omelette.
‘Healthier’ chai tow kway
According to Paige, the chai tow kway ($3) here is slightly healthier than that of other stalls and the hawkers are also very generous with their eggs.
“What makes this different from other chai tow kway is it’s not so greasy. It is not very ‘black’, but you can still taste the sweet soy sauce and it’s very flavourful, so it feels less sinful,” she raves.
Though Paige counts her calories, she likes to have her (carrot) cake and eat it too. It’s all about eating in moderation, plus chai tow kway isn’t all that unhealthy, at least that’s what she claims.
“I have carrot cake about once a month. I went online to check and it’s not that high in calories. And it’s made with radish so if you think about it, you are eating a lot of radish so it’s quite healthy too. This is how I console myself,” she laughs. Okayyy.
Another reason she likes this stall? It’s near her home.
She frequents the hawker centre after work to tapow food and is such a regular, Mdm Gao knows her order. All she has to do is make eye contact with the towkay and the latter will start preparing her food. No words needed.
“I will go buy other things and when I return, my order will be ready. This is the privilege of a loyal customer,” says Paige.
Other perks include discounts and sometimes even free carrot cake.
“But I feel bad about it, so I will insist on paying. I will leave the money at the stall and run off,” says Paige. “I also keep track of the number of times she has given me a discount then I will pay her more at my next visit.”
She’s well-loved at the hawker centre; feels like “an MP”
And it’s not just Mdm Gao that’s dishing out the love. Paige gets a star’s reception when she visits the hawker centre.
“I’m very familiar with the stall owners here. Sometimes, I feel like an MP at Meet-The-People Sessions. I’ll be waving and saying ‘hi’ to the hawkers from the start to the end [of my visit],” she laughs.
“They’re very warm and it feels like a kampong. Even the hawkers whose stalls I rarely patronise will ask me when I’m going to try their food.”
The details
美食全 Mei Shi Quan is at #01-04, Ci Yuan Hawker Centre, 51 Hougang Ave 9, S677743. Open daily except Mon 11.30am–3pm; 4pm–8.30pm.
Photos: #JustSwipeLah
Watch #JustSwipeLah for more on Paige Chua’s favourite food haunts:
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