As a young girl, I grew up and schooled in Clementi, a small estate in the Western part of Singapore. Our first matrimonial home was in Clementi, hence this town has a special spot in my heart.
While doing research for this post, I discovered with the help of Mr. Wiki that Clementi is named after Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner from 1887 to 1893. Among his achievements during his stint in office were laws brought into force to control in Singapore. Didn’t know Clementi is named after such an influential pioneer! Coincidentally, Clementi is the 8th town built by HDB in 1975 (the year I was born).
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Did you know that in its heydays, Clementi used to house two cinemas? The Commonwealth Cinema (with a huge Macdonalds on the ground floor) opposite the MRT station has been demolished in 2008 and rebuilt into a 3-storey small shopping mall named ‘CityVibe’ (with a mix-mash of shops selling mobile phone accessories, apparels and other trinkets). The other cinema, Eng Wah‘s Empress Theatre, has been closed and undergoing reconstruction. Its anchor tenant used to be KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) restaurant, which was immensely popular with families and students in the area.
The town central itself was revamped after the old open-air bus interchange was replaced by a fully underground air-conditioned bus interchange, with direct access to the swanky 5-storey ‘Clementi Mall’ which was officially opened by our President, Dr. Tony Tan on 21 May last year.
Many high rise flats have also mushroomed in the area, mostly 40-storey residential HDB flats. This is the first development in Singapore to integrate public housing, public transport, commercial facilities built together within a single complex.
Having gone through such great metamorphosis, what are some bits of the ‘old’ Clementi that have withstood the change of time?
A. The Glorious Food at Blk 448, Clementi Central Hawker Centre
Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre
Blk 448, Clementi Ave 3
#01-36 Singapore 120448
Opens 6am – 5pm
Closed on Sundays
Blk 448, Clementi Ave 3
#01-10 Singapore 120448
Opens 12pm – 8.30pm
Closed on Mondays
3. Nam Kee Fried Prawn Noodle Stall 南記炒虾面 – This is my 85-year old grandmother’s all time favourite prawn noodles with generous portion of squids, prawns and chives. She’ll always request for an extra spoonful of its chili to go along the flavourful dish to make it extra spicy.
Blk 448, Clementi Ave 3
#01-12 Singapore 120448
Opens 11.30pm to 3pm; 4.30pm to 9pm
Closed on Mondays
4. Golden Rooster (可爱鸡) Western Food Stall – a hot favourite among many tertiary students and families. Where you’ll get the most tasty BBQ half spring chicken accompanied by fragrant chicken rice and a dollop of coleslaw!
Blk 450, Clementi Ave 3
#01-305 Singapore 120450
Blk 448, Clementi Ave 3
#01-50 Singapore 120448
Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre
Blk 448, Clementi Ave 3
#01-24 Singapore 120448
1. NTUC Fairprice Supermarket – the place where we used to do grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. It has since become operational 24/7 round the clock. Clementi now has an additional NTUC Finest at Clementi Mall.
2. Clementi Polyclinic – where Dana had her first 5-in-1 (or was it 6-in-1) vaccinations as an infant. I like it that subsidized healthcare still remains within reach of its residents in Clementi.
What is gone forever?
1. The A&W Restaurant and the Playgrounds with sand – I remembered my mother brought me to the A&W once on my birthday and I was hooked on the root beer float! There were also many retro playgrounds dotting Clementi Central. How I wish we can bring these two icons back to this estate!
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5. Big Bookshop – Long before there was ‘Popular’ bookstore at Clementi Mall, this used to be THE Bookshop to go to for your stationery needs. I was sad to learn recently that it has since ceased operation in April this year.
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6. The Bengawan Solo Cake Shop at Clementi Central – As a teenager, I’ll make my way to this cake shop every year without fail after the CNY celebrations in school, just to buy my grandmother her favourite Pandan Chiffon Cake. This was also the cake shop where the hubs and I ordered 50 boxes of Walnut cakes as part of our customary Chinese Wedding Dowry Tradition. Bengawan Solo has now moved to a smaller shop at Clementi Mall’s basement. On our wedding anniversary each year, we’ll still buy a Bengawan Solo Walnut year to reminisce the day we drove island-wide from morn to dusk, just dispatching cakes to our relatives!
If we venture to the fringe of Clementi, we would reach WestCoast Park, our family’s favourite playground which I’ve dedicated the next Loving my spot blog entry to.
I never knew that there are so many spots in Clementi which evoke special memories in my heart. I’m so glad in the course of writing this post, I took time to retrace my footsteps of my growing years in this town. As I walked around, I was overwhelmed with so many pleasant nostalgic memories.
Nice to read a story about the place i frequently walk by. Soon Lee Porridge is the top target when we heading there for lunch. Don’t know why, we can wait for that, but can’t bear with other waitings, is the claypot rice.
One day must date you for that ;p.
I could identify with some of the places you singled out. Used to frequent Clementi as a Uni student since I always had to go to the interchange to change buses or take the MRT. I really must go try out the food you recommended at the hawker centre!
New visitor from the Friendship Friday blog hop.
Coming from a small town in Kentucky, USA, as I do, it is wonderful to have an introduction to a place so far away! And now, at 3:30 am where I live, I am HUNGRY! :O)
BTW, I usually use the Chrome browser, but couldn’t get your site to show up there. But it shows up fine in Explorer.
Hi PC,
I love Soon Lee’s Pork Porridge…perhaps we can date each other for lunch there!
Hi Mummybean, Clementi Central is undergoing some upgrading works so it’s a tad messy but the good food stalls are still around. Bring the hubs back to Clementi and relive those good old Uni days!
Hi LuAnn, welcome to Princess Dana Diaries and glad to have you stop by! I’ve been to Western parts of USA but never to Kentucky. Would love to read about it in your posts. Thanks for informing me about the browser incompatibility…I’m not sure how to fix it but will google. Hope to see you around here! 🙂
I am feeling nostalgia reading your post! I frequent Clementi a lot and still do now. I am still missing the A&W that you mentioned and The Big Bookshop & cinema. Now I only frequent Clementi Mall. Only just recently, we went further in and is rather taken aback at the changes there.
Wow, I grew up at Clementi too! Stayed at Ave 2!
I’m Clementi born and bred too. I stay in Ave 3.
Sad to report that Clementi Bright Photo Studio has closed for quite some time. It’s location is now taken up by some women’s clinic and a spa.
Massive development have happened in recent times. The old Town Council building has been demolished, Blk 445 next to the Town Council building has also been demolished, now a high rise flat is under construction. Blk 436 to 438 of Ave 3 have been demolished for new flats, a couple of my friends used to live there, they have since got married at lived elsewhere. Their parents have relocated to the flat above Clementi Mall.
There was a retro cake shop at Clementi central which predated Bengawan Solo, it was ‘Swee Lee’ (or ‘Swee Heng’) Cake Shop’, just next to the vintage Loong Shing pawnshop at Blk 442. It closed down (or relocated) long ago. I remember well because I used to get my birthday cakes from the shop.
Other noteworthy casualties: the clock tower at Clementi central (next to Bata), a couple of steel merry-go-rounds (if you know where they’re located, you’re definitely a Clementi veteran resident!), and a couple of shop ‘huts’ near the hawker centre (visit Blk 431A of Clementi Ave 3) to see the brick hut with a pointy roof).
There are more memories of what Clementi used to be but I think that’s enough for now. ;p
P.S: The new fountain sucks. On days when the wind is strong, a passerby might get soaked by a mist of fountain water.