Ochre Room
A cook tossing ingredients in a wok over an open flame at a market kitchen

Broth noodles · Clay pot rice · Charcoal skewers

A small stall that cooks one pot at a time.

Ochre Room is a two-burner corner of the market hall. We simmer one broth, grill one tray of skewers and stop when the pot is empty — which is the whole idea.

See the menu Big orders
Diners eating together at a narrow counter in a busy food hall
Fourteen stools, one long counter

The stall

Cooked close, served fast

The room is named for the colour the walls turned after a decade of steam and chilli oil. Nobody repainted it. The recipes came from a family kitchen, were rewritten twice for a stall this size, and now fit on a single chalkboard above the burners.

Everything is cooked to order in front of you, which means the queue moves in bursts and the food arrives hot enough to wait a minute for. If you are eating alone, the counter seats are the good ones.

  • Broth from six

    One stockpot, started before the hall opens, skimmed through the morning and never topped up from a packet.

  • Chilli made here

    Dried chillies, shallots and belacan pounded each week. Ask for it mild, ordinary or the one we keep at the back.

  • Small batches

    Two trays of skewers a day and a fixed number of clay pots. When they are gone the board gets wiped.

Menu

What is on the board

Prices are what you pay at the counter. Portions are stall-sized: one bowl is lunch, two are a good afternoon.

Bowls

  • Ochre broth noodles$7.20

    Pork-bone broth, thin egg noodles, spring onion and a spoon of our chilli oil.

  • Clay pot rice$8.40

    Charred rice, sweet sausage, dark soy, and an egg cracked in at the counter.

  • Green chilli laksa$7.80

    Coconut gravy, rice vermicelli, beancurd puffs and shredded torch ginger.

  • Morning congee$5.60

    Slow rice porridge with ginger threads and crisp shallots. Served until eleven.

Plates

  • Charcoal skewers, four$6.00

    Marinated overnight, grilled over coconut shell, peanut sauce on the side.

  • Sambal fried rice$6.80

    Wok rice with house sambal, long beans and a fried egg on top.

  • Turmeric chicken plate$8.20

    Leg quarter rubbed with turmeric and lemongrass, rice, cucumber, achar.

  • Vegetable nasi set$6.40

    Rice with three vegetable dishes from the day's tray. No shrimp paste in this one.

Sides & drinks

  • Prawn crackers$2.20

    Fried at midday, kept in the tin by the till.

  • Achar pickles$2.60

    Cucumber, carrot, peanut and sesame. Sharp enough to reset a rich bowl.

  • Iced kopi$2.40

    Dark roast, condensed milk, plenty of ice. Say the word for it black.

  • Barley and lime$2.20

    Boiled each morning, lightly sweetened, poured over lime.

Vegetarian bowls can be made without the pork broth — ask when you order and we will build it on the vegetable stock instead. Chilli is served on the side unless you want it stirred through.

Visit

Hours and how it runs

  • Tuesday – Friday11:00 – 20:00
  • Saturday & Sunday09:00 – 20:00
  • MondayClosed — market day off
  • Congee serviceUntil 11:00, weekends only

Quiet times

Before noon and after three the counter is calm and you will get a stool. The half hour after one is the busiest stretch of the day.

Containers

Bring your own tin or tiffin and we will fill it. Broth travels separately so the noodles keep their bite on the way home.

Catering & big orders

Feeding an office, a family gathering or a market event? Tell us what you need and we will write back with what the stall can cook and when.

We read enquiries between services and reply by email. Big orders need a few days' notice so the broth has time.

Questions

Asked at the counter

Is there a vegetarian option?

Yes. The vegetable nasi set is made without shrimp paste, and any noodle bowl can be built on vegetable stock instead of the pork broth. Say so when you order and the pot is kept separate.

Can I bring my own container?

Please do. Anything clean with a lid works. We pack broth on its own so nothing goes soft, and skewers go in paper rather than plastic.

How long is the wait?

Most bowls are a few minutes because they are cooked to order. Clay pot rice takes longer — it has to catch on the bottom — so we tell you the wait before you pay.

Do you ever close early?

When the pot is empty, yes. We cook a fixed number of portions each day rather than stretching them, so late evenings can be a short menu or a closed shutter.