If you’re working in the CBD area around Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar, you’d better hope you’re getting paid a lot. Because it’s not cheap to exist in the land of the suits, especially if your own suit came from the bargain bin at Giordano. You might be working hard to build up your cash reserves, but the expensive lunch options in the area will bleed you dry just as fast.
Never fear. Here are 6 affordable places in the CBD where you have lunch for less than $10 without having to wield tissue packets and umbrellas just to get a seat.
1. Aussie Roll
30 Raffles Place #B1-05, Chevron House
Anyone who’s studied in Australia will be familiar with Australian-style sushi rolls—big, hearty, seaweed-encased, rice-filled wraps that you grab on the way home. Now you can find them right here in Singapore, at Raffles Place of all places. Each roll costs between $2.40 and $3.20, and two make a light lunch while hungry people might opt for three. After 6pm, get two rolls for the price of one.
Cost of lunch: $5.80
2. Angel’s Bistro
28 Stanley Street
If you’re concerned about the health consequences of eating at hawker centres every day, your fears of MSG poisoning can now come to an end. Angel’s Bistro uses no MSG and a significant portion of its ingredients are organic. The menu changes constantly, but lots of dishes feature brown rice, and you can find dishes that are traditionally damaging to health like claypot rice and “healthy” laksa. Mains generally cost between $7.50 to $9.50.
Cost of lunch: $8.50
3. Fresh +
39 Robinson Road #01-01 Robinson Point
Office people head to Fresh + if they’re still hungover after the weekend and want to eat something that’s not going to add even more toxins to their internal organs. Build your own salads at Fresh+ from ingredients that are brightly coloured, healthy looking and obviously naturally occurring. A small salad costs $6.50, a medium $8 and a large $10.50.
Cost of lunch: $6.50
4. Komala’s
30 Raffles Place #B1-06 Chevron House
Anyone who’s spent any amount of time at Little India will be familiar with Komala’s, the Indian vegetarian chain. The Chevron House outlet is always full of office workers tucking in to their tasty combo meals, which cost $6 to $7.70 and are so filling you’ll have trouble staying awake at your desk afterwards.
Cost of lunch: $7
5. Thai Smile Café
8 Lorong Telok
At the end of a long row of shophouses filled with joints where you’ll be charged $7 for a smoothie lies Thai Smile Café, where you can satisfy your pad thai and green curry cravings for less than $10. While you’re not exactly going to be wined and dined by waiters in bow ties, there’s a decent view of the steamy midafternoon streets off Circular Road.
Cost of lunch: $6.50
6. Coffee Hive
63 Robinson Road #01-02
Despite the rather strange sounding names, Coffee Hive is unlikely to give you any strange itchy skin conditions. In fact, their classic curry chicken is genuinely delicious, and at $5.80 very affordable. If you’re sneaking out of the office for an impromptu coffee break, kick back with a kopi, which will cost you $1.30 and comes in a traditional cup. A nice little joint with more personality than Ya Kun.
Cost of lunch: $6
Do you know of any other affordable CBD eateries? Share your finds in the comments!
Image Credits:
Choo Yut Shing