Step off Middle Road and into Fortune Centre, and you step into a different rhythm. The lunchtime rush here is a practiced choreography of office workers, students, and long-time regulars navigating narrow corridors and slow-moving escalators. The air is thick with a medley of aromas—the warm spice of local dishes like mapo tofu and char kway teow, the clean scent of steamed chive pork dumplings and rice noodles, the deep fragrance of thick mushroom soup and herbal broths. To us, and to readers of SG Dining Guide, the scene represents something essential about Fortune Centre Food: it’s a living archive of how Singapore eats. Not for trend or for show, but for the simple, honest necessity of a good, affordable meal. This is a place built for daily life, not for the highlight reel.
Fortune Centre: A Fixture in the City's Food Landscape
Fortune Centre has long been an anchor in the Bras Basah and Bugis precinct, situated near Waterloo Street and the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple. Its location makes it a natural hub for a diverse crowd, from the students of nearby arts schools like Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE to the professionals working in the surrounding office towers. Unlike the glossy new malls designed around fleeting trends, Fortune Centre feels like it has grown organically over decades. It is a mixed-use building where printing shops sit next to decades-old eateries, creating a sense of lived-in utility. This unpretentious environment is precisely what makes its centre food culture so authentic. It’s a bastion of budget dining Singapore, where a satisfying meal doesn’t require a significant investment, making it an indispensable part of many people’s daily routines.
Fortune Centre Food Places: Diversity of Everyday Meals
A walk through the building reveals a cross-section of everyday appetites. You see office workers queuing for mixed rice, pointing at glistening trays of stir-fried vegetables, pork belly, and fried chicken. Many diners opt for two dishes to create a balanced, hearty meal. Elsewhere, students huddle over steaming bowls of noodles, such as mushroom udon, cold natto soba, and udon noodles topped with cherry tomatoes and mock meat. Families share plates of handmade dumplings, including Yuen Kee Dumpling’s famous chive pork dumplings—Yuen Kee Dumpling is renowned for its handmade dumplings and often draws long queues due to its popularity. This isn’t a curated food hall designed by a focus group; it is a collection of stalls that have survived by serving real, everyday needs. The variety of Fortune Centre food places available here is a testament to the city’s practical palate. The offerings are not about chasing culinary awards; they are about providing nourishment, comfort, and value—the cornerstones of everyday dining Singapore, with local favorites like chicken rice serving as signature comfort foods.
Bao Er Cafe and Vegetarian Restaurants: A Stronghold for Vegetarian Food
One of the most significant aspects of the Fortune Centre Food scene is its role as a stronghold for Singapore vegetarian food. For decades, it has been a go-to destination for those seeking plant-based meals, rooted in a tradition that predates the modern wellness trend. Several long-standing stalls, including Bao Er Cafe, Pine Tree Cafe, Green Pasture Cafe, and New Green Pasture Cafe, serve Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, offering comforting and affordable options that have nurtured a loyal following.
Herbivore is a vegetarian restaurant that serves Japanese cuisine, including mock sushi and bento sets, and is highly regarded for its vegetarian sushi and bento sets. Pine Tree Cafe specializes in vegetarian versions of local dishes, including Hakka Leicha Rice. New Green Pasture Cafe serves healthy salads and rice sets using organic ingredients. Seva is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant that offers allium-free dishes, including a vegan Chicken Rice.
These vegetarian restaurants specialize in vegetarian versions of local delights like fried hokkien mee, fried beancurd skin, and thunder tea rice made with brown rice. This concentration of vegetarian eateries has made Fortune Centre Singapore a unique and important space. It preserves a specific culinary heritage, offering a quiet, consistent haven in a city where dining trends come and go with dizzying speed.
Many vegetarian places in Fortune Centre close around 7:30 PM.
Tracy Juice Culture and En Seeds: Health-Focused and Organic Ingredients
For those seeking lighter fare and health-conscious meals, Tracy Juice Culture and En Seeds offer refreshing alternatives. Tracy Juice Culture is known for its fruit juices, traditional desserts like yam paste and peach gum cheng tng, and vegan dishes such as mushroom udon and cold natto soba. En Seeds specializes in warm salads with organic ingredients, fresh pasta, and wholesome bowls featuring brown rice, baked sweet potato, and a variety of proteins including tempeh and chicken thigh. These eateries provide a welcome contrast to the more substantial meals found elsewhere in Fortune Centre, catering to those who want nutritious, clean eating options at affordable prices.
Local Comfort Food and Japanese Izakayas: Casual Dining and Nightlife
Fortune Centre is also a hub for casual dining and Japanese izakayas, with places like New Station Rice Bar (the successor to the famed Station Snack Bar at Orchard Plaza) serving local comfort food such as salted egg chicken with fried egg, pork belly rice, and sambal clams stir-fry. New Station Rice Bar is especially popular for its Salted Egg Chicken Rice with Fried Egg, priced at $8.50, and is known for serving modern interpretations of Singaporean favorites. The Mega Chicken Karaage Don and chicken katsu curry are popular choices at Japanese eateries like Sakedokoro Eizaburo and Kiiro-San. Sakedokoro Eizaburo is a favorite among Japanese food fans, offering dishes like don and sashimi. Izakayas here, such as Izakaya Hikari, are known for affordable, traditional izakaya dishes like yakimono skewers, gyoza, and unagi, and offer grilled dishes, craft beers, and a lively atmosphere perfect for dinner time gatherings. Ume San 100 is a hidden izakaya serving specialty ramen and a wide range of umeshu (plum wine), and is known for its extensive collection of umeshu and Japanese comfort foods.
In addition to these, other restaurants at Fortune Centre highlight the diversity of dining options, with a variety of Japanese and Japanese-inspired eateries, as well as local and international food concepts. Pasta & Co is recognized for its artisanal pasta, including squid ink tagliatelle and beetroot fusilli, which are popular choices among food aficionados. Wawa Lala Bee Hoon is a hidden gem known for its authentic clam noodles with Chinese wine, fresh clams, and fresh cockles served with their signature wawa special sauce; their clam noodles can be served with either rice noodles or glass noodles for added variety and texture. These venues provide light bites and substantial meals alike, satisfying cravings for both Japanese dishes and local flavours.
Korean food is also a popular cuisine at Fortune Centre, with Hangawi Korean Food offering a well-loved Kimchi Fried Rice Set and other affordable dishes. Madness Nasi Lemak serves a unique version of nasi lemak featuring crispy pork belly instead of fried chicken, while Fortune Centre features several eateries that serve local Singaporean dishes, including Nasi Lemak and Yong Tau Foo.
Mentaiyaki salmon don is a comforting and flavorful Japanese donburi option available at some Japanese eateries here. The third floor is a key area for dining, housing unique eateries and specialty cafes, making it a must-visit for food explorers. With so many choices, diners often find themselves browsing menus before they finally decided on their meal.
Top recommendations include New Station Rice Bar for zi char, Herbivore for vegetarian Japanese food, Izakaya Hikari for authentic Japanese bites, and Tracy Juice Culture for fresh juices. Many eateries at Fortune Centre are known for their affordability, making it a popular choice for casual dining. The variety of Japanese cuisine here includes donburi and ramen dishes, and Fortune Centre boasts a diverse range of cuisines, including Japanese, Korean, and local Singaporean dishes.
Traditional Desserts and Coffee Cafe Bar: Sweet Endings and Relaxed Spaces
No meal at Fortune Centre is complete without stopping by dessert spots like Yat Ka Yan, famous for traditional Chinese desserts such as yam paste and durian chendol, or Duke Dessert with its handmade durian cendol and sesame paste. For those wanting to linger over coffee or light bites, the Coffee Cafe Bar offers a cosy diner setting with quality brews and freshly baked pastries. These spaces provide a relaxed setting to unwind after a substantial meal or to enjoy fruit juices and other local delights, rounding out the rich culinary tapestry of Fortune Centre.
Why Fortune Centre Still Matters
In a landscape dominated by sleek, modern food courts and celebrity-chef concepts, places like Fortune Centre are more important than ever. They are not glamorous, but they are essential. The Fortune Centre Food scene survives and thrives because it serves a fundamental need with consistency and affordability. As stories on SG Dining Guide often show, it is a reminder that the heart of a city’s food culture is not always found in its most celebrated restaurants, but in the everyday places that quietly and reliably feed its people. It is a living, breathing archive of our habits, our history, and our enduring love for a simple, satisfying meal.
