As I was in the area yesterday, I used the Fave (a.k.a Groupon) app to find a deal for dinner. And Scoop Burger was it. I don’t usually have makan at or near Kallang MRT so I didn’t even know this eatery existed (thank you, Fave)! For $8.50, I received a beef burger, 2 sides and a drink. There was a Malay couple (I suppose) manning the shop and I was the only customer having an early dinner then. Seated on one of the bar stools facing the bus stop and the main road, with the duo bantering in Malay behind me, it felt like I had entered a Malay family’s home – very cosy, very homey.
I guess one word sums up the burger: hearty. After eating one, and possibly downing a glass of Coca-Cola *burp*, you’ll be feeling full for the next couple of hours. The burger buns are a little dry so I guess that’s why there’s so much sauce. I asked for mushroom sauce with my beef burger, but I think there was probably mayonnaise and some other sweet sauce too. Like one of those burgers you can get at pasar malams, or anywhere Ramly burgers are sold, be prepared for a dripping mess if you pick up the burger. I used the teeny weeny set of plastic cutlery provided to cut up the burger in a bid to reduce the possibility of said mess happening. The mashed potato was decent. I brought the nachos home for my nacho-loving partner to enjoy. (I don’t like nachos very much)
Somehow, I was drawn to the colorful display of beverage cans on the wall. And in case you were wondering, I did not order Coke. I had mineral water instead. Too much sugar and I’ll have a “food coma” after.
Here’s the Scoop Burger menu for your reference:
I didn’t see any other food stalls at Kallang MRT. I thought there was a Mr Bean outlet, if my memory serves me well. But it seems like everything else has shut down except for Scoop Burger which has been in operation (according to the Malay dude) for a year and a half. If you’re in the area, go in and support this small business! 
I like Groupon / Fave very much as it serves as encouragement to venture into new places. What I’ve also noticed, unfortunately, is that the merchants who choose to advertise via such websites are either (1) new entrants (they’ve just set up shop and need to tap into Groupon’s database of customers), and to get the word out, or (2) those struggling to keep the business afloat. Because of this latter group, many Groupon vouchers we’ve purchased had to be refunded because the businesses had already folded by the time we went by – such as the Milkissimo gelato shop at Nex.(They sell bubble tea now)
It’s a little upsetting that I have no Malay friends. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure why. I do have one pal who’s Indian and I make sure I pop by his place for Deepavali every year when he invites me.
And there are certain things we don’t realize immediately when it comes to race + food. Such as when a new coffeeshop opened near my place and we saw all the Malay families seated in front of the Western food stall run by a Muslim man. The majority of food stalls in the new coffeeshop are run by Chinese folks and are not Halal certified. What does this mean? While us Chinese folk can order from any stall we want… there’s only 1 stall which can serve the Malay community. I guess this is also why halal food blogs do well here in Singapore – that’s a niche which serves a real need. Many people like to eat out, but few notice that our Muslim friends may not enjoy the same convenience that we do.
