Whampoa Makan Place

Whampoa Makan Place is a hawker centre and wet market on blocks 90, 91 and 92 along Whampoa Drive in Whampoa, Singapore. The centre is divided into two sections, with one being the hawker centre, and the other being the wet market. It was opened in 1973, replacing the earlier Rayman Market.

History

Rayman Market

The Municipal Special Markets Committee had begun considering the construction of a market off Balestier Road to serve the Rayman housing estate by 1949 "as an experiment." However, the committee felt that the need for a market serving the Tiong Bahru area was greater and so the construction of the Seng Poh Road Market was prioritised instead.[1] Construction, began in December 1951, with the hawkers who had previously occupied the site being given until 2 December to vacate the space. The market was to be completed by the middle of the following year, and it was to house the displaced hawkers. Half of the market was to sell fish and meat while the other half was to sell vegetables, fruits and eggs. The tenants were to be given the "lowest possible pitch rentals".[2] The market opened in November 1952 with 173 pitches and stalls. The building was reportedly similar in structure to the Seng Poh Road Market, though it was cheaper to construct, costing $235,000.[2][3]

In March 1971, Chua Sian Chin, then the Minister for Health, confirmed that the market would be demolished following the construction of a newer market in the area.[4] It was demolished in 1973 along with the opening of Whampoa Market.[5]

Whampoa Makan Place

The hawker centre, initially known as Whampoa Market and Food Centre, was opened 1973, replacing Rayman Market.[5][6] The food centre went under renovation in 2016,[7] an was upgraded in 2007, being renamed as the Whampoa Makan Place.[5] The food centre is also known for some of its stalls, such as Balestier Road Hoover Rojak, Beach Road Fish Head Bee Hoon, Huat Heng Fried Oyster and Liang Zhao Ji Duck Rice, all of which have been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand award.[8] The market was included in the Balestier Heritage Trail in 2018.[9]

On 12 February 2017, a fire broke out in the Hi Leskmi Nasi Lemak stall in the food centre. The fire was extinguished by members of the public before firefighters arrived, and no one was injured.[10]

The food centre was temporarily closed on 22 July 2021, along with the Clementi 448 Market, as COVID-19 clusters at the food centres were linked to a COVID-19 cluster at the Jurong Port Fishery.[11] The food centre was reopened on 6 August 2021, after deep cleaning and disinfection.[12]

The market was named after Hoo Ah Kay, a Chinese merchant who was commonly known as Whampoa.[5]

References

  1. ^ "$160,000 MARKET FOR TIONGBAHRU". The Sunday Tribune. Singapore. 18 December 1949. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b "New market for S'pore". The Straits Times. Singapore. 3 December 1951. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Rayman Estate Gets Brand New Market". The Singapore Standard. Singapore. 28 October 1952. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  4. ^ "New market". The Straits Times. Singapore. 10 March 1971. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Whampoa Makan Place". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  6. ^ Khoo, Hedy (January 4, 2020). "Under The Radar: Enjoy the old-school charm and hidden gems of Whampoa". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  7. ^ Gan, Eveline (1 December 2006). "fire it up". Today. Singapore. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  8. ^ Tan, Hsueh Yun (15 July 2016). "Hawker's galore on Michelin's Bib list". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Balestier Heritage Trail - Faith, Film and Food". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  10. ^ Chew, Hui Min (12 February 2017). "Fire breaks out at Whampoa Makan Place; no injuries reported". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  11. ^ Chan, Emil (22 July 2021). "Clementi, Whampoa markets close after being identified as COVID-19 clusters linked to Jurong Fishery Port". Channel News Asia. Singapore. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  12. ^ Ganapathy, Kurt (4 August 2021). "Chong Pang and Whampoa Drive markets to reopen this week after COVID-19 closure". Channel News Asia. Singapore. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

1°19′24″N 103°51′08″E / 1.3232°N 103.8523°E / 1.3232; 103.8523

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