What to eat in Singapore
Most Singaporeans love their food. Ranging from basic hawker fare to the upmarket hotel dining, there is a dish out there to suit every tastebud. Never is there another country in the world with hotels trying to outperform each other to lure a Singaporean to dine at one of their buffets. Almost each nation food is probably represented in Singapore, with focus in Asian and Western dining. The hygiene standard is pretty good as well, so you do not really have to worry even when dining out on the streets.
Singapore Hawker Food
Most working adults on a typical work day can be found having their lunch in a hawker center or a food court. The difference? A hawker center is generally not air-conditioned. Local favorites that are must tries are your Roasted Chicken Rice, Duck Rice, Fish Ball Noodle, Fried Kway Teow, Laksa, Fried Hokkien Mee, Mee Goreng, Mee Siam, Prata and Fried Carrot Cake.
To sample some of Singapore’s more famous hawker centers, try Lau Pat Sat, located in the financial district of Raffles Place. It is a 15 minute walk from Raffles MRT. During the evenings, the side streets are closed and stalls are set up by the streets selling satay, which is basically marinated beef, chicken or mutton kebabs. The best time to visit Lau Pat Sat is during the weekends on a Friday or a Saturday night. Apart from Lau Pat Sat, you can also try Newton Circus located 5 minutes away from Newton MRT or the East Coast Lagoon Food Center, located at East Coast Beach. The best time to for both is again, in the evenings when it is cooler to be outdoors for alfresco dining. Usual food consumed at hawker centers would be Hokkien Mee, Fried Kway Teow, Mincemeat Noodles 'Bak Cho Mee', Satay, Barbeque Sambal Stingray and Oyster Omelette ‘Orgh-Luah’. To wash down with all that food, try having freshly pressed sugarcane juice with lemon or coconut juice straight from the coconut. Expect to pay about SGD4 to SGD15 and above for your meal depending on what you order.
Map of Newton Circus
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If being out in the humidity is a little to much for you, try the air-conditioned food courts. Most major shopping malls in Singapore would at least house one food court to cater to hungry Singaporeans after all that shopping. Personally, I like Food Republic found in Wisma Atria. The food courts serve similar food as would in the hawker center, only that it is perhaps more hygienic and in an air-conditioned environment. The Food Republic at Wisma Atria located on the 4th floor is designed in a modern traditional fashion, giving us a peek into olden Singapore, yet the furnishings are all new. I enjoy eating the Yong Tofu (select your own combination of vegetables, tofu, and mice fishmeat with noodles), Fried Beef Kway Teow, Hokkien Mee, Fried Carrot Cake, and Tim Sum there. Another great food court to try is The Food Place located on the top floor of Raffles City Shopping Centre. Again, a great place to sample all Asian local fare all in one seating. I particularly like the dessert stall as it kind of reminds me of Hong Kong with the mango desserts. Both food centers are a little pricier than normal, thus expect to pay at least SGD7 to SGD10 for a meal.
Singapore Kopi Tiam
Singaporeans also like to start the day or end lunch with a cup of tea or coffee. Several local Kopi Tiam (coffee shops) chains have sprouted from humble single shop origins such as Killiney Kopitiam, Ya Kun, Wang Cafe and Toast Box. Order a ‘Teh’ which is tea with condensed milk and sugar or ‘Kopi’ which is coffee with condensed milk and sugar together with half-boiled eggs and kaya (fragrant coconut spread) butter. This is taken as breakfast, after lunch or during a tea break.
Singapore Seafood
Though Singapore is an island, there is nothing much of a catch to speak off. Most of the seafood is imported from overseas. Hence eafood is a luxury and enjoyed over a special occasion. The most popular place to have your seafood is at East Coast Seafood Center, located at East Coast Beach. It is a cluster of seafood restaurants, sometimes too many to choose from. The nearest train station would be Bedok MRT or the Dakota Circle Line and you will need to take a taxi from either stops. I would usually dine at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and Red House Seafood Restaurant as they have been around for a while. Popular dishes as you would probably have heard would be the Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab, both cooked with Sri Lankan Crabs. Expect to pay a minimum of SGD40 per kg for a crab. You can also try Sweet and Sour Sze Chuan Soup, Crispy Fried Baby Squid, Deep Fried 'You Tiao' (flour) stuffed with Cuttlefish Paste, Drunken Prawns or Cereal Prawns. Always check the pricing as based on seasonality, different seafood would be pricier. I would keep the dishes few, skip the steam fish or lobster recommendations by the waitress and let the focus be the crabs. These days, seafood restaurants like Long Beach and Jumbo have also ventured into town. You can find them along Clarke Quay and even in Demsey, which are the two most popular hang outs of the young working professional both locals and expatriates.
