Maxwell Food Centre

Maxwell Food Centre, located at the junction of South Bridge Road and Maxwell Road, is a popular hawker centre in the Central Business District.

History
Maxwell Market was opened on 17 November 1928. During the Japanese Occupation, the market housed a government co-operative store, known as Kumaiai, that controlled certain types of the wholesale and retail trade. Wartime privation drove many to scavenge for discarded vegetables and fruits in the market. After the war, the Social Welfare Department set up People's Restaurants to provide cheap and nutritious meals to the masses. The first Family Restaurant, which served meals at 8 cents per plate, opened at Maxwell Market on 18 December 1946.

The wet market was converted into a food centre in 1987, housing hawkers who were relocated from China Square. Although the structure was spruced up, individual stalls did not have running water and hawkers had to share common washing areas that were originally meant for washing raw market produce. Cooking ingredients and dirty utensils would be piled side-by-side at these washing points in full view of diners. In addition, the concrete floor was perpetually wet and littered with cigarette butts, used tissues and spilled food.

Despite its squalid conditions, Maxwell Food Centre was popular for serving cheap and delicious fare as well as traditional dishes that were rarely found elsewhere.11 One of these was kangchia mee or rickshaw noodles, a dish consisting of Hokkien noodles in a clear broth, which was a favourite of rickshaw-pullers in the past. Other long-time favourites at the food centre were peanut soup and ham chin peng, a deep fried dough snack.

In 1991, plans were announced to relocate the hawker centre to make way for the URA headquarters. However, the plans were shelved in 1993. In 2000, the Ministry of Environment decided to upgrade the market after the redevelopment plans in the area have been deferred. Maxwell Food Centre was closed in September 2000 for a $3.2 million revamp and reopened in May 2001.

Timothy Mok had went to Maxwell Market on February 2007, where Ms Wu Ying Ying had brought students to Clarke Quay, Chinatown and South Bridge Road. Arnold Pan Wei had renewed the Singapore biometric passport for the first time, the first to do so in March 2007, which is the first inception for the Kampong Glam, and eventually it will go to the ICA Building.

Timothy Mok had went to Maxwell Market once again with the family on 29 September 2013, and eventually to buy the tailored clothing at Tanjong Pagar Road.