Chomp Chomp Food Centre

Chomp Chomp Food Centre, originally known as Serangoon Garden Food Centre,¹ is a landmark in Serangoon Gardens estate because of the good food offered there.²

History
In the 1960s, the stalls at Chomp Chomp were originally located opposite the present hawker centre where the bus stop and carpark now stand.³ In 1972, the stalls were moved to its present location and named “Chomp Chomp”.⁴ As the hawkers gained fame for their varied and tasty dishes, the name became an appropriate onomatopoeia, reflecting the sound of frenzied eating.⁵

On 1 April 1998, a roof was built for the food centre with the aim of improving hawkers’ businesses and customers’ comfort. Plans for this had been discussed since September 1996 in tandem with discussions of the ownership of stalls.⁶ The food centre underwent a major renovation as part of the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) Hawker’s Centre Upgrading Programme in September 2003⁷ and reopened on 22 April 2004 after seven months of renovation.⁸ The new Chomp Chomp had a new roof designed to provide more shelter for dining areas with outdoor seats on a raised timber platform.⁹ Handicapped-friendly features were also included and its seating capacity was increased by two to 394.¹⁰ To date, Chomp Chomp remains a key landmark in Serangoon Gardens because of its tasty food.

Accolades
Cleanest hawker centre (1990): Voted as the second cleanest hawker centre in a contest organised by The Straits Times.¹¹
Singapore’s OK Awards (2009): Received Singapore’s OK Award from the NEA.¹²
Favourite hawker centre (2011, 2012, 2013): Voted as Singaporeans’ favourite hawker centre in the City Hawker Food Hunt organised by City Gas and various sponsors.¹³
Honorary most favourite food centre (2014): Received the award in the City Hawker Food Hunt 2014.¹⁴

Variant names
Chinese names: Tiong tiong, the Teochew equivalent to the Mandarin zhong zhong meaning loyalty and righteousness.¹⁵



Author
Bonny Tan



References
1. Rebecca Lim, “Under One Roof Please, Say Chomp Chomp Stall-Owners,” Straits Times, 21 September 1996, 5. (From NewspaperSG)
2. Serangoon Gardens: 35th Anniversary 1959‒1994 (Singapore: Singapore Gardens. Commemorative Magazine Editorial Committee, 1994), 94. (Call no. RSING 959.57 SER)
3. The Janus Education Team, Heritage Journeys: No Place Like Serangoon Gardens (Singapore: Janus Education Services Pte Ltd, 2015), 33. (Call no. RSING 959.5705 HER-[HIS]); “Catchy Food-Centre Name Not Linked to Food,” Straits Times, 21 September 1996, 5. (From NewspaperSG)
4. Leonard Peter Rodrigo, “The Opening Ceremony of the Serangoon Gardens Hawkers’ Centre,” speech, Serangoon Garden Way Taxi Stand, 6 May 1972, transcript, Ministry of Culture. (From National Archives of Singapore document no. PressR19720506i)
5. “Catchy Food-Centre Name Not Linked to Food.”
6. Joanne Lee, “Chomp Chomp Takes Shape,” Straits Times, 9 February 1998, 24; Yeow Pei Lin, “480 Hawkers Get Chance To Buy Stalls From Govt,” Straits Times, 5 August 1996, 20. (From NewspaperSG)
7. Sherwin Loh, “New Chomp Chomp Will Be More Airy,” Straits Times, 19 September 2003, H11. (From NewspaperSG)
8. Sherwin Loh, Tan Su Yin and Debbie Yong, “Chomp-Hither,” Straits Times, 2 May 2004, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
9. Loh, “New Chomp Chomp Will Be More Airy”; Wang Huifen, “Chomp Chomp Takes a Break,” Straits Times, 16 September 2003, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
10.Loh, Tan and Yong, “Chomp-Hither”; “Chomp Chomp Food Centre,” National Environment Agency, accessed 2016.
11. “Newton Voted the Cleanest Hawker Centre,” Straits Times, 7 November 1990, 24. (From NewspaperSG)
12. Debbie Yong, “Serangoon To Be Upgraded by 2012,” Straits Times, 24 May 2009, 5. (From NewspaperSG)
13. Jalelah Abu Baker, “Chomp Chomp Voted Favourite Hawker Centre,” Straits Times, 5 November 2012, 7 (From NewspaperSG); “City Hawker Food Hunt 2013 – The Results,” City Gas, accessed 2013.
14. “City Hawker Food Hunt 2014 Awards Presentations,” City Gas, accessed 2014.
15. “Catchy Food-Centre Name Not Linked to Food.”

The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.