Tong Seng Coffee Shop

Situated at the intersection of Liang Seah St and North Bridge Road, Tong Seng is a friendly coffeeshop offering halal Chinese food for our many Muslim friends. There is both Chinese and Malay food offered here, and an air-​conditioned room on the 2^nd floor for those seeking comfort. I hadn’t known about this place long, in fact I had only come to know of this place as a result of the coffeeshop art project, but I am glad we had been a part of the coffeeshop’s closing and learnt a lot more about the state of coffeeshops in Singapore through their experience. Although the sign said muslims only, they gave us free food anyway including side dishes and drinks, a generous gesture on the eve of hari raya haji. The chicken rice was tasty as usual and the service friendly, making their last day a joyous affair. There is the possibility they might relocate in the future, which we really hope it does, but it will never be the same from its bustling location at Bugis.

It’s pretty hard to get Halal Chinese food in Singapore — and Halal Chinese Laksa — even harder! My friend told me about Tong Seng on the corner of North Bridge and Liang Seah Street and now I’m addicted.
They are usually known for their Sliced Fish Soup and Chicken Rice but the Laksa is just as good if not the better choice. The prices are cheap for the Bugis area, and they aren’t stingy with the noodles and tau pok. The Laksa soup will make you drool. It’s so creamy and I’m sure fattening but trust me, you will be drinking the soup till you see the bottom of the bowl — it’s THAT amazing and worth the jog you’ll need to do after.
The place has two floors. If you can’t take the heat, I suggest you head upstairs, where there’s air-​con — but is usually packed during lunch and dinner time. Other than the Laksa, they also have other local foods on their menu like Mee Rebus and Prawn Noodles but somehow I always end up eating the Laksa anyway. Give it a try, you might have to wait for a seat, but it will not disappoint.

Have been patronizing this coffee shop since I was in Secondary School. Seats are packed as close together as possible and you basically sit by the road side while traffic — both human and vehicles pass you close by. Something that is rare to find in Singapore now.
The coffee shop sells a variety of foods but I always go for the chicken rice here. While not as amazing as those cult favorites, I like that it is dependably good — the rice is of the correct oiliness and the chicken is juicy. The coffee shop also sells typical Malay dishes like mee rubus, lon tong and tahu goreng and tyical Chinese food like fish ball noodles, lor mee and shredded chicken noodles.
Note that this coffee shop is one of the few in Singapore that is halal certified — and that applies to all the food stalls in the coffee shop.