The neighbourhood of Yishun has gotten a bad reputation in recent years, what with the string of cat abuse and murder cases.
But anyone who lives in the north will have you know that there are a number of hidden food gems in the area that should be making the headlines instead.
One is a two-decade-old laksa stall in Yishun Central, which a friend told me about. She has been a loyal patron there since she was a schoolgirl.
Evidently, her enthusiasm for its noodles is matched by many other Yishun residents, as the stall has a constant queue in front of it, even on a quiet weekday morning.
The stall, with no name and housed in a shop at a Housing Board block, could have been easily missed.
But it was no challenge to locate it as I could smell the heady aroma of the fragrant laksa gravy even from around the corner. It is apparently made from scratch every morning.
I order a bowl (from $2.80) with thick beehoon - you can also opt for thin beehoon or yellow noodles - and am surprised by how generous the serving is.
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LAKSA
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01-155, 928 Yishun Central 1;
Open: 8.30am to 7pm, Mondays to Saturdays (closed on Sundays)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
The bowl is bursting with ingredients, from the usual bean sprouts, fish cake, tau pok, cockles and boiled egg, to the more unique offering of crab sticks.
I slurp up the gravy and it is lighter than I expect - with none of that oily richness - despite the milky colour. It goes down so smoothly that I end up polishing off all of it - a rare thing for me since I usually find laksa gravy too rich.
The star of the show, however, is the chilli paste, which is intense with the flavour of dried shrimps.
It also has a real kick - just a small dollop is enough to get the sweat glands working. My tongue still tingles at the memory of how spicy it was.
Given how satisfying the laksa is, I am finally convinced to venture more often into Yishun and uncover other hidden food gems, even if strange things do happen in the neighbourhood.