West Mall beside Bukit Batok MRT Station has reopened
Westies – especially those from Bukit Batok and Tengah – now have an upgraded mall closer to home than spots like Westgate, thanks to the newly revamped West Mall. We popped by for its official reopening to check out what’s new; here’s what you can look forward to.
In the past, there wasn’t any direct shelter connecting the mall to the MRT station.
Image credit: Karthig Kunasakaran via Google Maps
Located in the heart of Bukit Batok Central, West Mall has been serving residents since 1998. In 2023, the mall’s owner, SingLand, decided it was high time that it got an upgrade – in both size and functionality – to better cater to the current community and incoming batch of Tengah residents.
The mall’s new design is much sleeker and modern, with a fully sheltered path connecting the mall to the MRT station.
The mall has gotten a glow-up in mainly 2 areas: the basement floor and an open-air community plaza. The basement, which used to be the main carpark save for a Cold Storage and a few shops, now houses over 30 F&B outlets and a couple of retail stores.
As for the community plaza, it’s basically an open-air atrium that’ll be used to host community events and seasonal celebrations. Right now, it’s hosting the J’Kids Funland Carnival, featuring rides like Ferris wheels and bouncy castles. The carnival runs from now till 6th July. Entry to the carnival is free, but access to the rides and games would require a Funcard with a minimum first-time top-up of $25.
For a more wallet-friendly way to let your kids have fun, just head down to the kiddie rides section in the basement floor, with merry-go-rounds, vehicles and Hello Kitty-themed rides starting from $3.
On the edges of the plaza, there are some steps for you to take a breather, catch any ongoing events, or watch over your kids. You can also have your takeaway meals here with your friends or date for a heartland al fresco dining experience.
Image credit: NLB
Slated to open in early 2026, Bukit Batok Public Library will be twice its original size, at more than 29,000sqft. Located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the mall, bookworms can expect a much more spacious spot to bury their noses in the next big read.
As a heartland mall, you can expect to find the usual food spots like Burger King, Subway, Encik Tan, Koufu, and Crave. Heck, there’s even a KFC and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf that’s open 24/7. Of course, there’s also a good mix of bubble tea and kopi spots like Mixue and Luckin Coffee.
What you can’t find in any other mall, however, are a couple of brand new F&B launches in Singapore: Gochiya and Lao Ma Ban Mian. Here’s what you need to know about them.
Foodies on the lookout for a new teppanyaki experience can check out Gochiya (#B1-14). They serve a variety of individual teppanyaki set meals (from $14.90). We got the Signature Hamburg Combo set ($22.90): a Hamburg steak with mozzarella cheese and black pepper or mushroom sauce, Japanese rice, Iberico jowl, pork, veggies, and a chawanmushi.
Alternatively the chicken katsu ($14.80) – chicken katsu, Japanese rice, chawanmushi, shredded cabbage, miso soup, and sesame seeds with tonkatsu sauce – is a more wallet-friendly option that still packs a punch.
Founded in 2013, Lao Ma Ban Mian (#B1-K10/K23) quickly garnered fame in Taiwan for its atas instant noodles before expanding into Hong Kong, and now it’s here in Singapore. It’s even been given the celebrity stamp of approval by famous Mandopop stars such as Selina and Hebe.
Image adapted from: Lao Ma Ban Mian (Singapore) via Google Maps
Crowd-favourite dishes to try are their Chili Oil Preserved Egg & Meat Sauce Noodles ($12.50) – wavy Guan Miao noodles with a century egg, minced meat sauce, and some chili oil to give you that umami kick. Soup lovers can tuck into their Garlic Fermented Soy Pork Chop Noodles ($16.50) – where the pork has been marinated for over 24 hours, creating a tasty dish that’ll have you slurping every last bit.
There are also other F&B outlets around, such as Maki-San (#B1-K21) and Zhang Liang Malatang (#B1-21). The former serves DIY sushi salad, while the latter is famous for its wide selection of over 60 ingredients – more than most malatang spots.
Image credit: Syahiran Sean
Just right beside Maki-San, you’ll spot Hatsumi Donburi & Soba (#B1-K19/K20), a Halal-certified Japanese joint serving flavourful rice bowls from $5.90. While it’s not exclusive to West Mall, it’s still a pretty rare find, given that it’s their only outlet in the west and 1 out of only 3 in Singapore.
It was raining quite heavily here when I arrived, but I made it to the mall relatively unscathed, save for a few drops of rain.
West Mall is located just a stone’s throw away from Bukit Batok MRT Station. Rest assured that the walkway connecting the MRT station to the mall is sufficiently sheltered to shield you from whatever the weather.
If you’re taking a bus, you may alight at Bukit Batok Bus Interchange, which is just a 5-minute walk to the mall.
With West Mall’s latest rejuvenation, Bukit Batok peeps will have many more choices to refuel after exploring Bukit Batok Town Park. Tengah residents will also have another mall to visit aside from Plantation Plaza.
For more mall-related reads, check out:
Photography by Vivien Del Valle
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