Opened in 1974, Adam Food Centre started as a gathering of open-air food stalls located by the Bukit Timah Canal next to the A&W restaurant. To facilitate the construction of a flyover, the hawkers were moved across the road to the food centre’s present location, which was opened on 28 September 1974 by then Minister for Law Edmund W. Barker. In 2002, Adam Food Centre underwent upgrading and became the first hawker centre to utilise solar panels.
Today, Adam Food Centre is one of the most well-loved hawker centres in Singapore. Its most famous stall is arguably Selera Rasa, opened in 1998 by Hassan Abdul Kadir. Selera Rasa's nasi lemak (“coconut milk rice” in Malay), which includes ikan bilis (“anchovies” in Malay) and other ingredients such as chicken wings and fried fish has drawn many fans, including Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.
While working at Singapore’s Grand Hyatt hotel, which is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, Hassan gave the Sultan a packet of nasi lemak to sample. The Sultan was impressed enough to suggest that he open a food stall. Selera Rasa's nasi lemak has also been served to Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Istana, and the business has since expanded to include a chain of outlets.
Other popular dishes sold at Adam Food Centre include sup tulang ("bone marrow soup" in Malay), Indian rojak (a dish consisting of deep fried fritters and other ingredients), and prawn noodles, while other longstanding hawkers here include the Bahrakath Mutton Soup and Sathiyame Jeyam stalls.
