Yahoo Finance Considering Moving To Ulu Punggol? Here’s Our Punggol Survival Guide
It’s true – Punggol is hardly anyone’s dream estate. But while it’s no Tampines or Bishan, it sure is getting there. There are waterfront HDB flats, the convenient Waterway Point mega mall, and even a second upcoming Punggol Coast MRT. Best of all, since it’s a non-mature estate that’s still recovering from its “ulu-marshland” reputation, Punggol BTO prices are relatively affordable.
I recently moved into Punggol, and like many young couples, it was part of my “grand investment plan”- get married, snag a BTO, and then sell it. But after living there for little over a month, I realise that it’s not half as bad as my awful friends make it out to be.
In fact, at the rate our taxpayer money is transforming Punggol, I think I might reconsider moving out in 5 years. For all its family parks and quaint cafes, the estate has truly grown on me. But until it becomes a full blown heartland central, here’s a survival guide of its most useful amenities and hangout spots.
Contents
Getting around: public transport in Punggol
In its early days, Punggol got a lot of flak for being a traffic bottleneck. However, thanks to new roads and public transport upgrades, it’s a lot better.
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Punggol MRT
On one end of the North East MRT line is Punggol MRT. A ride on the entire purple line – which runs from Punggol to Harbourfront – will cost $1.69 and take 32 minutes. Punggol MRT is also connected to Waterway Point, Punggol bus interchange, and the Punggol LRT.
Currently, Punggol is the only MRT station in the area. However, plans are already underway and a Punggol Coast is expected to be up and running by 2023. The recently released Punggol BTO (Punggol Point Woods/Cove, Aug 2018) is located on Northshore drive, which is just a traffic light away from this new MRT.
Punggol LRT
There are 15 stations on the Punggol LRT line, which is a “butterfly loop” that covers the east and west Punggol, intersecting at Punggol MRT. So if you stay in an ulu corner of Punggol, you can take the MRT to Punggol before changing to the LRT line.
There is one station, Teck Lee, which is not in operation.
Punggol bus interchange (Punggol Temp Int, 65009)
Naturally, there’s also a bus interchange at the main Punggol central. New bus services were added in 2015 to improve accessibility within the area, so “cycle everywhere” can finally be a joke (and not reality).
Bus number | From Punggol Temp Int to… |
3 | Tampines |
34 | Changi Airport (loop) |
34A | Opposite Tampines Stadium (weekdays only) |
43 | Upper East Coast |
43M, 82 | Serangoon Central (loop) |
50 | Bishan |
62 | Sims Avenue (loop) |
62A | Aljunied MRT (weekdays only) |
83 | Sengkang (loop) |
84 | Punggol Road End (loop) |
85 | Yishun |
117 | Sembawang |
118 | Changi Business Park |
119 | Hougang Street 21 (loop) |
136 | Ang Mo Kio |
381 | Punggol East (loop) |
382W | Sumang Link (loop) |
382G | Sumang Link (loop) |
386 | Punggol Plaza (loop) |
386A | Edgedale Plains (weekdays only) |
Grocery shopping: supermarkets in Punggol
One of the things I was initially quite concerned about was stocking up my fridge – got NTUC Fairprice not? Where will I get my groceries?
NTUC Fairprice stores in Punggol
Well, there are actually 4 NTUC Fairprice stores, 2 of which are open 24-7.
NTUC Fairprice stores | Opening hours | Address |
Waterway Point (Fairprice Finest) | 24h | 83 Punggol Central #B2-32 Waterway Point Singapore 828761 |
Punggol Drive | 24h | Blk 612 Punggol Drive #01-06 Singapore 820612 |
Punggol Plaza | 7am to 11pm | 168 Punggol Field Road #03-01/02 Punggol Plaza, Singapore 820168 |
Punggol Drive Oasis | 7am to 11pm | 681 Punggol Drive Oasis Terraces #B1-01 Singapore 820681 |
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Aside from those, there are also several other supermarkets in the area, including U Stars Supermarket, Sheng Siong and Ang Mo supermarket.
U Stars Supermarkets in Punggol
U Stars Supermarket stores | Opening hours | Address |
Punggol Way | 24h | 261 Punggol Way #01-02 |
Sumang Walk | 24h | 218 Sumang Walk #01-01 Singapore 820218 |
Sheng Siong supermarkets in Punggol
Sheng Siong stores | Opening hours | Address |
Sheng Siong (Punggol Central) | 24h | 301 Punggol Central |
Sheng Siong (Sumang Link) | 24h | 312A Sumang Link #01-04 |
Sheng Siong (Edgedale Plains) | 24h | 660A Edgedale Plains #01-01 |
Giant supermarkets in Punggol
Giant stores | Opening hours | Address |
Giant Express | 24h | 622D Punggol Central |
Giant Express (Edgedale Plains) | 24h | 671 Edgefield Plains #02-01 |
Ang Mo supermarkets in Punggol
Ang Mo supermarket stores | Opening hours | Address |
Ang Mo Supermarket (Punggol Drive) | 10pm | 639 Punggol Drive |
Ang Mo Supermarket (Punggol Field) | 9pm | 196A Punggol Field |
Shopping malls: Waterway Point & Punggol Plaza
There are two main shopping malls in Punggol – Waterway Point and Punggol Plaza. Waterway Point is the more central of the two, as it’s right at Punggol MRT. It’s also the bigger, better one – from an electronics megastore (Best Denki) to everyone’s favourite budget mart (Daiso), there’s everything there. There’s even a 24-hour NTUC Fairprice finest. Oh, and Shaw Theatres for movie nights.
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Punggol Plaza is more for the Punggol easties – it’s located at Punggol Field. It’s a heartland mall, with a wet market downstairs (B1) and a bunch of tuition/enrichment centres upstairs (L4). There’s also an NTUC Fairprice there, but it closes at 11pm.
Dining: places to eat in Punggol
Lots of people whine that there aren’t enough hawker centres in Punggol, and that’s something I can’t dispute. If you’re looking for good char kway teow, Punggol is simply not the place. (Sorry, the famous Punggol nasi lemak is no longer in Punggol. It’s at Jalan Besar.)
However, there are quite a few popular dining hotspots in Punggol. I can’t speak for the food, but the hip Punggol settlement and container park are at the very least quite Instagram-able.
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Punggol settlement
Perhaps the “coolest” area in Punggol is the Punggol settlement, which offers seafront dining at Punggol point.
Punggol container restaurant | What they serve | Estimated price per pax |
Georges By The Bay | Western fusion cuisine | $ |
Trunk 95 At Bay | Thai cuisine | $ |
White Restaurant | White bee hoon | $ |
Fusion Mookata | Thai bbq, karaoke & darts | $$ |
Just The Place | Western cuisine, booze | $$ |
Leong Ji Seafood | Seafood | $$ |
Siam Square Mookata | Thai bbq | $$ |
House of Seafood | Seafood | $$$ |
InSpirit House | Fusion cuisine | $$$ |
Izakaya 95 | Japanese cuisine, booze | $$$ |
Kampong Chai Chee | Halal seafood zi char | $$$ |
Ponggol Seafood | Seafood | $$$ |
Punggol container park at Tebing Lane
At the far east of Punggol is Tebing Lane, where the Punggol east container park is. It’s exactly as its name suggests – an enclave of container-cafes. There are 7 restaurants to check out:
Punggol container restaurant | What they serve | Estimated price per pax |
Big Fish Small Fish | Fish and crisps, western food | $ |
D’Grill | Local fusion cuisine | $ |
Pump Station 1965 | Beer, finger food | $ |
Seoul Good | Korean cuisine and fried chicken | $ |
Boost @ Banks | Drinks, bar food & darts | $$ |
L’Chaim Bistro | Beer, finger food | $$ |
Miami Bistro | Beer, western fusion cuisine | $$ |
Also near the container park in Tebing Lane are Uncle Leong Seafood ($$$) and Whisk & Paddle ($$), a brunch cafe.
Would you consider a future home in the up-and-coming Punggol? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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