Monday at Tampines Round Market

Monday is rest day for many stall owners at Tampines Round Market but Sarawak Kolo Mee and Quan Fang (泉芳) drink stall are still opened on Monday. These two are my favourite stalls. Quan Fang has Mickey Mouse illustrations on the signboard and the noodles stall narrowly missed the Michelin Star this year.

The husband from the noodle stall likes to dye his hair in bright brown or gold and auntie has very smooth complexion. I notice auntie bending her neck forward more and more over the years and sincerely wish her free from pains and sufferings. The media report on the left states that they were selected into 2026 round of Michelin Guide. They are many nice yummy food in this market even some are not awarded with Michelin Stars.

Michelin or not, there is a strong sense of camaraderie amongst the hawkers at this round market. Some of whom have been operating their stalls for more than three decades. In 1983, 72 stallholders moved together from Block 176 in Toa Payoh, Lorong 2 to make way for an MRT line, bringing their established culinary traditions to the East.

The fountain pen on this sketch had smoother ink flow compared to my last sketch at Marine Terrace Market.

An exterior sketch I did for this round market: https://tiastudio.blogspot.com/2018/08/tampines-sketches.html

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

Intermediate Class at Brahm Tampines

Today we concluded another successful intermediate class on Pen and Ink Drawing at Brahm Tampines. There were over 24 young seniors and one young lady producing such impressive sketches for 6 lessons over 6 weeks. Some of them didn't take the beginners' class and they were able to follow and produce great sketches!

Round Market at Tampines

October Sketchwalk at Our Tampines Hub

Credit: sketch by Tony Chua

Where can you find a stadium, indoor running track, sports complex, swimming pool, 5-storey library, hawker centre, shopping centre, recreation centre, playgrounds, etc. all in one place, and next to a couple of iconic mosaic playgrounds? Tampines Hub, that’s where! It’s literally a city within a city and Singapore's largest integrated community hub (https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-opens-our-tampines-hub-singapores-first-integrated-community-and-lifestyle-hub).

While the hub is just 2 years old after its opening in 2017, the park just next to it has some vignettes of yesteryear. Two mosaic playgrounds and an iconic sculpture call it home.

So journey to the East with us this month as we explore the new and old at Tampines!

Trivia: Did you know in the past, Tampines was spelled "Tampenis" (also "tempinis" in Malay)? The spelling was standardized as "Tampines" in 1939 (perhaps for obvious reasons), but the pronunciation remained unchanged (no, it's not pronounced as "Tam-pines"). (https://mothership.sg/2018/04/tampines-name-tampenis-spelling/)


DATE: Saturday, 26 Oct 2019

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Tampines Hub (Tampines St 82 side)
(https://goo.gl/maps/wQG9RkEM6tEGDYnx6)

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Tampines Hub (Tampines St 82 side)
(https://goo.gl/maps/wQG9RkEM6tEGDYnx6)


Nearest MRT: Tampines (EWL, DTL)

Note: NOT "Tampines West" or "Tampines East" on the Downtown Line. Just "Tampines"


Locations to sketch:

- Tampines Regional Library (https://www.littledayout.com/2017/08/08/tampines-library-tampines-hub-stories-beyond-books/). Great place to sketch in air-conditioned comfort.

- Tampines Hub (http://qrcgcustomers.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/account3444219/4228001_1.pdf?0.14719489794619478)

- Tampines Central Park (with watermelon and mangosteen playgrounds and a very special sculpture!) (https://roots.sg/Content/Places/landmarks/tampines-heritage-trail-tampines-town-trail/Tampines%20Central%20Park)

Places to eat and shop:
- Many options in the hub itself and around Tampines Central

Bring:
- Hat, sunscreen if you're going to sketch the playground or outdoors. The hub itself is sheltered.

Tampines Round Market

Breakfast at Tampines Round Market near my office. Many old folks chilling around with their marketing trolleys. This place is a very popular landmark in Tampines. I did a sketch in August and you can find it here.

You can check out more about this landmark at this link.

Sushi Express

This soft spoken confident lady was sitting across my seat with plates of sushi and sashimi separating us. She had an artificial left eye.

Late Lunch at Sushi Express

I was hungry at 4pm after a class then I remember I had not taken lunch today. So I went to Sushi Express at Tampines One for a meal.

At Tampines Park

Sushi Chefs

I don't think so much of lunch place when I am working especially on the last day of an intensive 3-day course. Sushi Express at Tampines One has all the favourite food that I need on any work day. However, I think it is the freedom of picking up any plate on the belt in front of you that makes it an unique dinning experience. I also like to watch so many sushi chefs in action so I can sketch them after my meal. It will be a bonus if I can have a cup of Kopi O at Toast Box after lunch but the queue is always very long that I give up.

Kuriya Japanese Restaurant

I was desperately trying to get out of office after intense training at work. We are preparing for the new teaching materials for the new subject in the new semester in mid-October. I like to have a bowl of hot soup for lunch so I headed to Kuriya at Tampines One for their Ramen. A quick sketch after my meal.

Tampines Sketches

I am sketching Tampines Town for a project and it was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience to sketch these three different locations in Tampines on three separate days.

The Watermelon playground situated behind Blk 858 of Tampines Avenue 5 is one of the second generation of old playgrounds designed by Housing and Development Board in the shape of tropical fruits.

Second sketch is the Tampines Round Market at 137 Tampines Street 11. In the photo on the left, these two nice and talented helpers are from the Philippines and Vietnam I met at the shop opposite the market. Both speak Mandarin (with Malaysian slang), Singlish, a little Malay and even Hokkien to the uncles that walk past. Impressive!

The last sketch is Tampines Central seen from the comfortable interior at Kopitiam at Tampines One around 5:30pm during the golden hour.

Kuriya at Tampines One

Very busy interior at the Japanese restaurant. Open ceiling and yet full of decorative elements.