Halal Food in Circuit Rd (MacPherson Market & Food Centre)

MacPherson Market and Food Centre at 89 Circuit Road opened in 1967, making it one of Singapore's older hawker facilities from an era when the government systematically resettled street hawkers into purpose-built centres. The development comprises 40 cooked food stalls and 93 market stalls, providing a comprehensive marketplace for the surrounding Housing Development Board estates. Nearly six decades of continuous operation have allowed the centre to become woven into the daily rhythms of MacPherson residents who have relied on its vendors for fresh produce and affordable meals across multiple generations. The Circuit Road area has developed an unusual concentration of hawker centres, with three facilities clustered at blocks 79, 80, and 89, creating a food destination that draws enthusiasts beyond the immediate neighbourhood. Uncle Zhang's carrot cake stall, dating back to 1965, represents the pioneering hawker culture that defined Singapore's transition from street vending to regulated food centres. These long-established stalls carry institutional knowledge about preparation methods and customer preferences accumulated over decades of daily service. This centre should not be confused with the earlier MacPherson Road Market, completed in 1955 at the Upper Serangoon Road junction to serve Sennett Estate's 22,000 residents. That facility eventually converted into a kopitiam, while the Circuit Road location maintained its traditional hawker centre format. The survival of Block 89's market and food centre through Singapore's rapid urbanization testifies to the enduring relevance of hawker culture in providing affordable, diverse cuisine that remains accessible to working-class families even as the nation has achieved first-world economic status.