Amidst rising costs of living, those residing in Singapore can still find S$3 economy rice, S$1 beverage, and S$1 desserts in the heart of the city.

The food court, Lian Xin Vegetarian Restaurant, is well-known among regulars, but less so among the general public, as it is located away from the street level in basement one of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown.

When Mothership visited the air-conditioned food court at around 1pm on Jan. 22, 2024, patrons of various age groups were seen dining there, with almost no empty seats in sight.

In addition to economy rice, desserts, and beverages, Lian Xin also has stalls that sell noodles and Western food, as well as bakeries.

Specifically, a plate of economy rice with two side dishes will cost S$3, and diners can choose to replace white rice with brown rice or bee hoon.

Depending on the day of the week, patrons of Lian Xin can also enjoy desserts like Bobo chacha and Longan with Fungus for S$1.

Separately, a set containing an appetiser, a main, and a soup at the Western food stall costs S$5.

Patrons can also choose to take away their food and drinks by paying an additional fee of S$0.10 to S$0.30 for the containers.

Lian Xin accepts payment made in cash, Visa, and MasterCard.

Previously a dining hall for monastics and public

According to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple's website, the venue where Lian Xin is situated today used to house the "Five Contemplations Hall", which provided free meals for the temple's resident monastics and the public before 2022.

At that time, many diners would voluntarily make donations to express their gratitude for the meals.

The temple decided to open Lian Xin, which would incorporate the Five Contemplations Hall, after undergoing extensive renovation work in 2020 and 2021.

The food court, which could accommodate 222 diners, commenced its operations in early 2022, the assistant executive director of the temple, surnamed Chen (transliteration from Mandarin), told Shin Min Daily News.

Extended operation hours

While Lian Xin used to operate between 9am and 2:30pm daily, the food court started piloting new operating hours in January 2024.

Besides bringing forward its opening hours two hours to 7am, the food court also extended its closing hours by half an hour to 3pm.

According to Chen, the temple decided to extend Lian Xin's opening hours because it wanted to offer the public and office workers vegetarian options during breakfast hours.

Never increased prices since opening

However, Lian Xin's extended opening hours do not mean patrons will need to fork out more for their meals.

According to Chen, the food court has never increased the prices of its offerings since it opened in 2022 despite surging inflation and rising costs:

"As long as our food court can stay open, we will try our best not to increase our prices as we are a non-profit organisation, and we take into consideration the welfare of low-income families, seniors, and office workers. This is our way of contributing to the community. Quite a number of diners would also make extra donations."

A member of the public who visits the temple weekly also told Shin Min that he found the price of Lian Xin's offerings to be "reasonable", especially those of beverages.

"Usually, I would order a plate of bee hoon with three sides, which would cost me S$4 at Lian Xin. However, the same plate would cost me S$4.80 at other vegetarian stalls in coffeeshops nearby," added the 77-year-old.

Details of Lian Xin Restaurant

Address: 288 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058840

Opening hours: 7am to 3pm daily

Top images by Winnie Li/Mothership