8 Street Hawkers Market, Westfield Garden City - part 2

I saw on facebook that Gong Cha was still doing their 2-for-1 opening promotion, and when I mentioned it to the wife she suggested having dinner at 8 Street. Of course I readily agreed, and asked her to bring the 'big' camera from home so I can take some better shots. As a follow-up then to my menu-focused post the other day, here are more photos of the place itself and store(front)s within.

Main entrance flanked by a pair of faux stone lions (other one hidden by pram).
Gong Cha is the first store on the left.

The view from a few steps inside the main entrance.
The place does a 90-degree right turn at the end.

After the turn, partially looking out the other/side entrance.

Looking back in from the side entrance, with Teppanyaki Lovers on the left.

Right... so starting back at the front entrance, and working our way to the other entrance, looking at the stores on the left:

Gong Cha

Crazy Wings

BBQ by Burlington

Madtongsan (#5)

Congee Master

Other side of Congee Master

Drinks store with alcoholic beverages.
This is in the corner/elbow of the turn.

(After the elbow:) Won Ton Ton

Okonomi House

Dim Sum by Taste Gallery

Then brings us to the the end of one side (ie. we're now at the side entrance). Turning around and heading back to the main entrance, we have:

Teppanyaki Lovers

Noodle 8

Rice Town

Rice Town is in the inside corner.

Bun Vietnamese street food

Next to Bun (and nestled between it and grill n bao) is a recessed seating area.

Lanterns galore.

grill n bao

Apart for the Gong Cha drinks, we had

Stir fried rice noodle and beef (干炒牛河)
Noodle 8 - $10.90

We both thought the portion size was a bit lacking. My first impression about this store was based just on the menu and pricing (I wasn't impressed that everything is over $10). My second impression is based on seeing the serving size and tasting the food. I remain unimpressed, perhaps even more so. Maybe, hopefully, they have a kick-ass laksa that can redeem their standing in my eyes. Time will tell.

Signature braised beef (with rice)
Rice Town - $9.50

This was a much better portion size. I asked the staff member at the counter for recommendations from that store, and she said this was a popular dish. Having tasted it, I don't think it's all that special to qualify as a signature dish. It was ok overall, but I thought the meat could have been more tender. I suspect I'll enjoy some of the other dishes here more, so will be back to try those.

A few other points to note about 8 Street:

• It's located near Coles in level 1 of Westfield Garden City. The main entrace is roughly directly opposite Healthyworld Pharmacy.
• It opens 9am-9pm Mon-Sat, and 9am (or maybe 10am)-6pm Sundays.
• Seating is mostly along the centre of the "street", in between the stores on either side. There is one additional seating area that takes up the equivalent of a shop space between grill n bao and Bun Vietnamese.
• There's lots of additional seating in the general food court area just outside, and beyond, the front entrance of 8 Street.
• Seats are mostly of the stool/bench variety, with a smattering of taller tables/stools. There are also some seats with backs.
• There are no high chairs at all in 8 Street. They do exist in very short supply in the food court area outside. Those high chairs feel a bit low.
• The street is not very pram friendly, though you can push one through/around. The section nearer the second/side entrance is a better bet than the front entrance section.
• Quite a few stores are cash only - some perhaps temporarily so due to issues with their EFTPOS terminals. For example, one store had a sign saying they can't get mobile reception for their EFTPOS to work.
• Mobile reception has been problematic in some areas of the shopping centre.