Geylang Bazaar Ramadhan 2017 – #AskTheQuestion

Salam everyone and hope that Ramadhan is going well for you so far!

As always, during Ramadhan, there is inevitably plenty of buzz about bazaars around Singapore. Everyone is fulfilling their religious duties but at the same time, a festive mood is upon us and we do tend to indulge in some (and by some I mean A LOT) of snacking on goodies from the bazaars and such.

As long as I can remember, the Bazaar Ramadhan at Geylang Serai has been the highlight of Ramadhan for many many years past. It may not be the original (I know that’s at Kampong Glam) but it has definitely become the most popular in Singapore. With the emergence of more bazaars in the heartlands like Tampines and Woodlands, people still find themselves being drawn to Geylang Serai and will make the trip there and brave the crowds at least once I’m sure. After all, nak tengok Lampu Raya! 😛

But this year, more than ever, it seems like more and more questions are being raised about particularly the food being sold at the Bazaar Ramadhan at Geylang Serai. From the many people we have spoken to, the general assumption is that since it’s a ‘Bazaar Ramadhan’ at Geylang Serai, then pretty much almost all the food sold there should be Halal and okay to eat right? Errrrrr……

I will be honest and say that in the past, it was really that simple. People seldom paid any mind to such matters and most of the time, there was actually no issue to worry about when it came to the Bazaar Ramadhan. But these days, we see plenty of videos and write-ups online about the latest and most trendy foods to be found at the Bazaar. Yes, it’s all good and nice and definitely Instagram-mable. But what exactly are we consuming? Is it Halal and/or Muslim-owned? Is it Halal just because someone puts up a sign saying ‘HALAL’?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUmFurZByDE/?taken-by=halalfoodhunt

I guess it’s fair to say that it’s an amazing things that we’re seeing a record number of stalls at the bazaar this year. we’re talking like about 1000 stalls and quite a large number are selling food and drinks. But it seems like the bazaar has begun to raise some… doubts.

So what do you do when you have doubts? You ask. So that’s what we did.

One hot afternoon on the first day or Ramadhan, I met the ladies from the Halalfoodhunt.com Team at Geylan Serai and we walked. We walked and we asked all the stalls (that were open) about whether they were certified Halal or Muslim-owned.

Guess what – it seems like just around 50% of the stalls could be verified as Halal or Muslim-owned.
The other half were either not Halal/Muslim-owned OR when we asked, they were not able to justify whether or not their stall was Halal.

For example – stall has a makeshift sign that says “HALAL” / “HALAL FOODS”. (I kid you not.) So we ask them if they are Halal and the answer is “Yes”. But they are not certified and they cannot justify that ALL their ingredients are Halal. They just said it’s “no pork no lard”. LOL then how like that?

A lot of people are saying that the organizers should have stricter measures to ensure that the foods sold are Halal etc. But in my humble opinion, I find it hard to pin it all on the organizer or the person selling the event space/stalls.

I feel that the person who sells the space wants to do just that – sell the space. There is no check or restrictions on whether or not you are Halal-certified or Muslim-owned even if the Bazaar is at a place like Geylang Serai.

In the end, it’s just one giant pasar malam and the promoter wants to fill up as many stalls as possible to make as much money as possible. In fact, the more popular your product (eg went viral last year) then the higher your rental the next time around.

Would it be nice if there measures to curb the high number of non-halal stalls? Yes.
Will it happen? Probably not.
Why? Because. Money.

But I think I’d better make something clear…
We are not here to stir up any trouble. We are not here to adversely affect people’s business at the bazaar. In fact, on the contrary – we are trying to boost the business of the stall at the bazaar. But I feel we cannot sit idly by if there are such things going on.

So the Halalfoodhunt.com Team and we have compiled a list of stalls at the Bazaar Ramadhan at Geylang Serai. We covered all the stalls* and this is the list sorted out by area and also indicated if it’s Halal and/or Muslim-owned. We are not going to name the stalls that are not Halal/Muslim-owned. As a general guide, take it that if the stall does not appear in the list below, then we were not able to verify it as Halal/Muslim-owned.

Some stalls were not open when we visited and some stalls still need a bit more probing. So we will be visiting often and the list below will be updated accordingly.

That being said, Halal is still an individual responsibility. It’s up to us to decide whether or not the food is suitable for our consumption. Nowadays, with people abusing the Halal logo (yes, there is a stall using the MUIS Halal logo even though they are not certified Halal) and abusing peoples’ trust, it’s best to check. There’s no harm. Just check.

Anyways there are SO MANY Halal and Muslim-owned stalls so let’s support them!

You can read the in-depth article with a lot more explanation on how we did our checks and how the stalls’ status was determined by reading this article by Halalfoodhunt.com okay!

In the end, the choice is still yous. But perhaps it’s best that we #AskTheQuestion now.
Because in the end, when WE are asked the questions, we’re gonna have to answer for ourselves 🙂

List Updated 31st May 2017 10.59PM
(if you’re gonna share the list, please do so with the full article)

JOO CHIAT / ONAN ROAD

Matin’s Special Benjo Burger (Stall 7 Muslim Owned)
Kathira Shiok by Makanshiok (Muslim Owned)
Softnade (Stall 9 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Mr Teh Tarik Kathira and Ayam Percik (Source: Their own Halal-certified shop)

DARUL ARQAM AREA

Meat My Meat (Stall 63 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Famous Vadai (Stall 137 Muslim Owned)
O’Braim (Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Katoshka (Stall 74 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
WORD (Stall 50 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Kalye Manila + Kentang Korner (Stall 19 Muslim Owned)
UYI (Source: Their own halal certified shop) – Facebook & Instagram
Istanblue (Stall 38 Muslim Owned)
Kambing Golek (Stall 43 Muslim Owned)
Apam Balik Power (Muslim Owned)
Dendeng Duo (Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Turkish Kebab House (Stall 44 Muslim Owned)
Carnivori (Stall 40 Muslim Owned)
Eats My Life Co. (Stall 40 Muslim Owned)
The Saucy BBQ (Stall 58 Muslim Owned)

HAIG ROAD AREA

Cafe Patani (Stall 141 Muslim Owned)
Da Hai Shan (Muslim Owned) – Instagram

TANJONG KATONG COMPLEX (TKC) AREA

King Kentang (Stall 310 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Mr Tiga Layer (Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
DNS Specialist (Stall 314 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Fritters Alchemy (Stall 303 Muslim Owned)
Burock Nasi Bukhari (Stall 306 Muslim Owned)
Authentic Turkish Kebab (Stall 308 Muslim Owned)
Club FJR Iced Jeruk (Muslim Owned)
Belgaufra (Stall 313 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Ramly Burger (Stall 304 Muslim Owned)
Chulop! (Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Homemade Delights (Booth 116 Muslim Owned)
The Bulb Station (Booth 6A Muslim Owned)
ChinCaLook (Stall 368 Muslim Owned)

TANJONG KATONG COMPLEX (Facing Tanjong Katong Road)

Perghh Corn Dog N Carnival Food (Stall 63 Muslim Owned)
Tehtarikchic.sg (Stall 50 Muslim Owned)
Bröke Buddie$ Funnel Cake (Stall 62 Muslim Owned)
Ramen Craze (Stall 61 Muslim Owned)
Broz Exciting Sandwich (Stall 65 Muslim Owned)
Kuih’Z (Stall 64 Muslim Owned)

ENGKU AMAN (Sim’s Drive Side)

The Halal Boys (Stall 228 Muslim Owned)
Istanbul Turkish Kebab and Grill (Muslim Owned)
Macarons SG (Source: Their own Halal-certified shop) – Instagram
Mak Sity’s Kitchen (Stall 189 Muslim Owned)
Serve It Up (Stall 191 Muslim Owned)
Warna Warni Kueh Raya (Muslim Owned)
Simply Lamb (Stall 212 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Bakers Lab (Macarons.sg) (Stall 181 Source: Their own Halal-certified shop)
Hangover Drinks (Stall 210 Muslim Owned)
Sweet Freez (Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram

ENGKU AMAN (Haig Road)

Kathira Shiok by Makanshiok (Muslim Owned)
Apam Balik Power (Muslim Owned)
Meat My Meat (Stall 51 Muslim Owned) Facebook & Instagram
Poffertjes by Cake Love (Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Coco2Go by yangoriginal (Stall 53 Muslim Owned)
Pisangkeju Putupiring (Stall 54 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Aledya Slushies (Stall 55 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Tasconis Pizza (Muslim Owned)
BOOM Briyani (Stall 59 Muslim Owned)
BROTI (Stall 38 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Zapalang (Stall 51 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Word (Stall 8 Muslim Owned)
Ice Burnz (Stall 13 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Potion Labz (Stall 51 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Roti Boyan by Mas Creation (Stall 38 Muslim Owned)
Lamb and Cucur Station (Stall 62 Muslim Owned)
On-stick Grills Yakitori (Muslim Owned)
Briyani Point (Muslim Owned)
Togok by ZB (Stall 64 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Terang Bulan Murtabak Manis (Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Pisang Melokek from Adam Road (Stall 66 Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Koh Nangkam (Stall 109 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Ramly Burger and Goreng-Goreng (Muslim Owned)
Kaw Kaw (Stall 90 Muslim Owned & Sourced from their own Halal-certified shop) – Facebook & Instagram
Istanbul Express (Muslim Owned)
El T Ra flying noodles (Stall 43 Muslim Owned)
Dendeng Duo (Muslim Owned) – Facebook & Instagram
Shelburnz (Stall 13 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Mr Kebab (Muslim Owned)
Yummers Colossal Churros (Stall 20 Muslim Owned) – Instagram
OL Blend (Muslim Owned) – Instagram
Over the Rainbow SG (Stall 61 Muslim Owned)
Smoolot by NOE  (Muslim Owned)
Banana N  Cheese – Chix Cajun Roll / Banana Cheese / Keria (Stall 18 Muslim Owned)
King of Kebabs (Stall 3 Muslim Owned)
The Original Pisang Keju (Stall 42 Muslim Owned)
Sotong Brothers (Stall 42 Muslim Owned)

Stalls which are not listed above are not Muslim-Owned and not Halal Certified or meet halal risks as described in Halalfoodhunt’s article. You should also read their official statement. And remember that if you’re gonna share the list, do so with the entire article to avoid any confusion okay.

We also want to add a note of caution for stalls with no name, as these stalls are often not held accountable for the Halal status of the food that they sell. We caution our Muslim brothers and sisters before the purchasing food, as some of these stalls which do not meet our Halal classification have been featured in other halal (and travel) publications we know locally.

If you are a stall owner and would like to clarify your halal status, or find the above lists inaccurate, please email hello@halalfoodhunt.com or thehalalfoodblog@gmail.com and we will respond as soon as possible.

If you’re visiting the bazaar, travel light, take care of your belongings, be safe and ENJOY! 🙂

All information (including prices, availability of item on menu and Halal status of establishment) are accurate at the time of posting. All photos used in this site are property of The Halal Food Blog unless stated otherwise.