T TALK STREE
HOOD ’ THEIR IN TO LIFE GUIDE R’S INSIDE AN
THE SPECIFICS Where do you live?
Minbu Road.
Exact words you tell a taxi driver to get home?
“Minbu Road, off Mandalay Road, near Balestier.”
What’s the name of your neighbourhood?
We’re on the Balestier side of Novena.
Closest MRT station?
Novena.
How long have you lived here?
One year.
Why here?
In a desperate attempt to be halfway between each of our workplaces, we thought this location would make our commutes a similar distance. In the end, I think both of us would prefer a shorter commute!
THE SUPERLATIVES
Your favourite neighbourhood joints are:
Wheeler’s Yard, the hipster choice; it has an awesome setting, although it’s somewhat overpriced – but then where in Singapore isn’t? I’d also like to give a shout-out to Tandoori Corner, a great little Indian place that has come to my rescue on many a Sunday night!
You won’t find better local food than at:
Little India, a 15-to-20-minute walk away.
We love a good bargain. The best deals in your neighbourhood are:
Whampoa Wet Market around the corner, and if you brave the crowds on a Saturday morning you can cut your weekly grocery-shopping bill in half!
The guiltiest pleasure in your area is:
Awfully Chocolate, just outside the Novena MRT station; it calls out to me every time I walk past!
One thing you’d never change is:
Our condo apartment and pool – we love it here!
But one thing you wouldn’t mind seeing go is:
The 15-minute walk to the MRT station in the morning.
The city gives you $5 million to soup up your street. You use it to:
Build an MRT station on Balestier Road – and a nice big park nearby would be very welcome, too.
Are there any good fitness routes you recommend?
The run around Mount Pleasant Road is a good option, and you can enjoy a lovely jog along the canal at the back of Wheeler’s Yard (28 Lor Ampas) – just follow the Whampoa Park Connector all the way down the river to Kallang. However, we mostly stick to the condo pool and gym for our fitness fix!
Why should your neighbourhood be featured in a guidebook?
Probably for nothing more than a few budget hotels along Balestier Road, though it used to be a large sugar cane plantation owned by an American called Joseph Balestier. As with most places in Singapore, the history is slowly being forgotten.