The Kitchener Road area has long been associated with the local Heng Hwa community, well before the slicker Putien (their hometown in China) eateries began popping up about five years ago.

The oldest, most famous, and localised Heng Hwa eatery award goes to Ming Chun (67, Maude Road). Each night, this no-frills cze cha hall packs the local Heng Hwa community in.

It's loud, friendly and the dishes are no-brainer Heng Hwa icons like lor mee, clams and celery, deep fried mackerel slices and fried mee sua with seaweed.

They have localised the flavours and even included sambal clams and prawn paste chicken.

This place is just a shout away from the colourful Sungei Road, just 400m down Jalan Besar.

If you are looking for LP records to decorate your room, you can get Andy Gibb plus our homegrown Tony, Terry and Spencer records for just $4 each, and they come complete with plastic sleeve jackets.

I once bought a set of professional lens caps for my Mamiya mid format camera system there (which cost almost $50 at the pro shops). I just pretended and asked how much those strange-looking ash trays with lids cost, and the Ah Pek said '$3'. I bought all he had.

One of my favourite local Hokkien restaurants is not far from the Jalan Besar Stadium. Quan Xiang Yuan (250-254 Jalan Besar) is a no-frills air-conditioned eatery that is naturally designed for you to eat and go.

The only decor you get is the huge food picture menu on the wall that begs you to order their thick fish maw soup with some crab roe toppings, the rich and smooth Hokkien mee which uses a flatter Hokkien mee, their prawn roll 'hae cho' and their stunning pink pork leg roulade sausage simmered in five spice herbs, sliced thin and comes cold.

You'll be a fool to miss their kong bak bao, which comes dripping with fat (ask for leaner cuts if you want to live a bit longer).

This is one of the most controversial makan hotspots in Singapore. I unashamedly call this one of the food capitals of Singapore.

If you can handle the heat and cruise the stretch between Lorong 9 and 24, you will be rewarded with a couple of old household makan icons here.

The hugely popular No Signboard Seafood offers a good view of the busy Geylang and Aljunied Road intersection.

Everyone sits out at the semi al-fresco car park seating area and tucks into our national icons like chilli and pepper crabs.

Quietly tucked by the boisterous stretch along Lorong 15, is the old timers' favourite Sik Wai Sin (287 Geylang Rd). Many still brave this corner and patiently hunt down that elusive parking spot just to tuck into what may be the most popular steamed carp fish head dish in Singapore.

Not to mention their very agreeable tofu with prawns, one of the 12 Cantonese style dishes they specialise in.

At the slightly saner eastern stretch of Geylang, near Lorong 29, is a calm Nonya style vegetarian restaurant. The Whole Earth (593 Geylang Rd) is a calm oasis.

They have a 'chicken' buah keluak which is done heartily, and an 'eel' dish made with long strips of cut black mushrooms and simply stir fried. Their daily special double boiled soups are not to be missed.

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