Albert Street is a lane located in the Rochor area that starts at the junction of Queen Street and New Bugis Street and ends at Selegie Road. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the street was the site of a popular open-air dining area flanked by lively shophouse bars. One of the most popular food outlets along the street was the Wing Seong restaurant, commonly known as Fatty’s. The area underwent redevelopment in the mid 1980s, with most of the food stalls relocated to the hawker centre at the nearby Albert Complex.Hawker centres are food complexes consisting of stalls selling mostly local food. The first hawker centres were established in the 1960s as part of government efforts to clear the streets and public spaces of itinerant hawkers whose hygiene standards were not properly regulated. Stallholders in hawker centres are subjected to regular checks by public health officials to ensure that good standards of hygiene and cleanliness are maintained. Hawker centres, which are found in most housing estates, have become the place where many Singaporeans go to get their daily fix of affordable local delicacies.
