Food plays a big role in the Singapore identity. Aside from laksa and chicken rice, we’ve also got nostalgic, old-school snacks such as iced gem biscuits and Apollo chocolate wafers. These snacks may not be as easy to find today, but we spotted them at Biscuit King, an old-school store with traditional snacks and games.
The sizing portion available here is rather flexible as the snacks can be sold in a la carte packages that come in packets or containers or sold in grams – 500g or 1 kilogram. If you’re set on buying in bulk, you can do so as well.
To make things easy to navigate, everything is labelled with a number. So, if you happen to see a tin of treats you’d like but want to get just a small packet, just look for the packet with the sticker number corresponding to the one on the tin.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Gen Z or Millennial. You’ll probably be able to recognise the nostalgic treats Biscuit King sells. Here are some of our favourites:
Are you the type who’d eat the sugar icing first followed by the biscuit or a “save the best for the last” type of person?
Of course, we made a beeline for the iced gem biscuits (from $2.50), one of Singapore’s nostalgic staples. As long as you grew up in Singapore, you’ll be all too familiar with the small iconic biscuits topped with sugar icing of various pastel colours.
For many, the fond memories associated with this snack are buying them after class at mama shops or looking forward to them during school events such as National Day when they’re handed out.
Price: $2.50 for a packet | $6 for 500g | $11 for 1kg | $32 for 1 tin
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of lemon puffs (from $3.50) isn’t the English pastries with lemon cream; rather, we think of the ones with a tangy lemon filling sandwiched between 2 sugar-coated biscuits. That’s the nostalgic lemon puffs that Singaporeans know.
Back in the good old days, lemon puffs were commonly given out to students as snacks or as a reward for good behaviour. On the other hand, the older folks would pair these lemon puffs with a cup of coffee in the morning for breakfast – some of them are still doing so today. You’ll be able to find these in huge tin cans alongside other nostalgic biscuits like the raspberry-flavoured and chocolate-cream ones at Biscuit King.
Price: $3.50 for a packet | $6 for 500g | $11 for 1kg | $34 for 1 tin
Since most children’s medicine is in syrup form, many 90s kids would have fond memories of pretending to be an adult by popping one of these eyeglass chocolate candies (from $0.40) as “pills” to eat. These eyeglass chocolate candies were common sights in goodie bags given out during school celebrations.
Back then, M&Ms and Smarties were more expensive since they were imported. Hence, kids on a budget would choose these eyeglass chocolate candies instead since they taste and look pretty similar to those 2 candy brands – both of which are available at Biscuit King as well. Today, these gems can only be found in some mama shops.
Price: $0.40 for the figure-8-shaped packets | $0.50 for the flower-shaped packets
Before Hershey or Mars Chocolate bars, we’ve got our Apollo chocolate wafer cream biscuits (from $4.50). This is another staple you’ll find in your goodie bag or during school events.
Those from the 90s would remember the struggle of making sure that the chocolate isn’t all melted when you open the iconic red packaging. And if you don’t already know by now, the solution to that is by putting the chocolate in the freezer and eating it cold. The taste hits different when it’s chilled out of the freezer.
Price: $4.50 for a packet consisting of 24 individually-wrapped wafers.
Besides nostalgic snacks, we also spotted some games that we used to play with our friends during recess, back before iPad was a thing.
If you dare use these country erasers (from $3) to erase any pencil markings back in school, you’d be cancelled. Despite their name, many of us didn’t use these precious erasers for erasing but instead, to battle it out with friends during recess and free periods.
There are 2 ways to play with country erasers. The first method is flipping the erasers with the goal of having your eraser over your competitor’s. If you manage to do so, you not only get to keep their eraser but also earn bragging rights. The second method would be adding staples to the back of the erasers, making it a beyblade. Spin the erasers – and the last one left spinning wins.
Price: $3.00 for 10 Singapore flag erasers | $2.00 for 10 mixed countries erasers
Back in an era when screen time wasn’t a thing, pick-up sticks (from $0.50) were what kiddos would play with to pass the time. Despite being a game, playing pick-up sticks can be a pretty stressful experience.
The game starts with one player holding the sticks in their hands vertically on the floor and then releasing it, allowing them to scatter. Players would then need to “pick up” each stick while ensuring that other sticks do not move an inch. The moment another stick moves, the player is out.
Price: $0.50 per packet
We were thrilled to find these plastic bubble balloons (from $1.40) at Biscuit King. While kids today are bragging about how many followers they have on social media, we were bragging about who could blow the biggest bubble and whose bubble could last the longest.
You’d need to master the art of getting the right amount of gel on the plastic stick before blowing. Too little gel? Your bubble will be weak and small. Too much gel? Your bubble won’t get big.
Price: $1.40 for a packet of plastic bubble balloons
A nostalgic party won’t be complete without these 2 iconic board games (from $1.20), Snakes and Ladders and Aeroplane Chess. Back in the day, these were the go-to entertainment options. Before Nintendo Switch and PS5 got popular, that is. They were the quintessential must-have at during every recess.
Price: $1.20 for Snakes and Ladders | $2.50 for Aeroplane Chess
If you’re heading to Biscuit King via public transport, the nearest bus stop station that you should get to is “Before Yio Chu Kang Road”. After alighting at this bus stop, you’ll see a big signage of Casuarina Curry. Keep walking ahead and turn left to see the signpost “Casuarina Road”. You’ll need to turn left again and walk straight through a row of shops and restaurants to reach Biscuit King.
For those driving, there are parking lots along Casuarina Road and Kebun Bahru Vista Neighbouring Committee. Turn into “Old Upper Thomson Road” and park at the available parking lots.
Biscuit King might be a bit ulu, but we think it’s pretty worth the trip. It’s not every day you can find these traditional, old-school treats. As we hustle, there’s value in slowing down and reminiscing about the good old days – take it as a break and a way to recharge.
Psst. They even got a selfie corner for the ‘Gram.
If you’re looking for more nostalgic snacks but want to buy them wholesale, check out Kian Seng Chun Confectionary. To reminisce about the past, read up on good old Peace Centre and Asian Village.
Photography by Emmanuele Loza.
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