Singapore has 4 national languages, that already speaks volumes on how multicultural this country is and the vast amount of food it offers. From the fragrant curries to the pungent durian, your taste buds are in for a treat! While you are in Singapore, you MUST try:
Hawker Center
I don’t think you can go to Singapore and not eat at a Hawker center. The food is cheap, delicious and fast! A hawker center is like a massive food court with aisles of food stalls to choose from. Food at hawker centers are very affordable so while you’re here, be sure to try ALL of these!
- Chicken Rice – This is done the best in Hawker centers! My favorite place for chicken and rice was at Tian Tian Hainese Chicken Rice at the Maxwell Hawker Center near Chinatown. You’ll be able to spot this location as there is usually a long line due to Anthony Bourdain’s visit and seal of approval.
- Rojak – This is a Singaporean fruit salad as it has fruits and vegetables mixed together in a sweet, sour and spicy paste. It has an interesting array of flavors and textures.
- Popiah – This savory wrap reminded me of a larger version of a non deep fried spring roll. Each place will make Popiah slightly different but it usually always has vegetables, garlic, eggs, and peanut pieces.
Tip: The cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world (Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice Noodle) is a chicken and rice food stall at the Chinatown Complex Market and Food Center. They recently expanded and there is now a 2nd location at Hawker Chan.
Nasi Lemak
This is a well known Malaysian dish but since Singapore is only a bus ride away from Malaysia, the Singaporeans have a similar version of this popular dish. Nasi Lemak is a rice dish that is made differently depending on where you get it from but it will always incorporate coconut rice, a choice of meat, cucumbers, eggs, peanuts, fried fish and sambal (chili sauce).
Laksa
Can’t go to Singapore and not have some hot creamy laksa! This noodle soup is a must have and can be found at all hawker centers. With Malaysia in such close proximity, there are food influences that the Singaporeans adopted – laksa being one of them. The Singaporean laksa differs slightly from Malaysia’s as Singapore has more of a creamy coconut soup base and incorporates more seafood ingredients.
Kaya Toast
This breakfast staple is delicious and worth the try. Kaya is a a coconut jam that is spread onto toast and commonly eaten with soft boiled eggs. It is usually offered as a value pack with toast, eggs and kopi (Singapore’s coffee). Be warned that these are NOT hard boiled eggs as I had made that mistake in the past.
The traditional way of eating this is mixing the soft boiled eggs, soya sauce, salt and pepper.. And then dipping the toast into this egg mixture.
Chili Crab / Black Pepper Crab
If you google chili/black pepper crab, you will find everyone tells you to go to Jumbo. My personal opinion is that this dish is delicious no matter where you go! The sauce on the crab is what will lure you back for more. I bet you will be slurping the remainder of the soupy goodness even if there is no crab left!
Old Chang Kee
This is a popular chain serving deep fried pastries with savory flavors inside. It will be hard to choose just one flavor, but my personal favorite was the chicken rendang.
McDonald’s
I don’t know about you but I enjoy trying McDonald’s in every country I go to. I love to see the twists every country has on the popular American fast food chain. As far as i’m aware, the McSpicy can only be found in Asia making this a must try! McDonald’s also had a limited time Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Burger, a must try if it comes back!
Prata
Prata is a thin dough that is fried and served with a dipping curry. It can be found anywhere but is easily spotted on any corner of Little India. Do you prefer savory prata with curries? Chocolate prata? It can be done!
Mos Burger
I discovered this chain while in Japan but it’s been so popular it can now be found all over Asia! When in Asia i always make an effort to find Mos Burger and get a rice burger!
Bread and Ice cream
While walking around you’ll probably find uncles selling ice cream. This isn’t the regular ice cream sandwich you’ll find in North America. This is literally an ice cream sandwich… as in plain bread and ice cream inside. As strange as that sounds, it’s pretty good!
Din Tai Fung
This chain originated from Taiwan and is a popular spot for soup dumplings. Soup dumplings are dumplings that are filled with a warm delicious broth! My personal must tries at Din Tai Fung are:
- Truffle soup dumping
- Chocolate soup dumpling
DURIAN
How can we not have Durian while in Asia! Despite the smell and texture, I’ve grown extremely fond of this fruit and I really do think that it tastes the best in Asia. It is the King of fruits and grows on trees. Now if you have seen a Durian, you can only image how terrifying it is to know that this fruit does NOT grow on the ground. With it’s spiky hard exterior, it can really do damage. Surprisingly the inside of the fruit is mushy and soft with a distinct pungent smell that deters people from coming close. Despite the smell, this sweet soft fruit is a must try!
TehTarik
While walking around Little India you will find uncles with 2 buckets of tea, pouring the tea from 1 bucket to the next as far as the arms can stretch. This is the art of pulling tea, it is delicious and affordable – grab a couple cups!
Bandung
Probably the most bubble gum pink drink you will find in all of Singapore. It is made of milk and rose syrup and is a great refresher for those hot humid days.
Warning – if you’re not into sweet sweet SWEET drinks, I would avoid this as it is liquefied sugar.
Chin Chow Grass Jelly
I think I had this every day. I’m personally obsessed with grass jelly so this drink was right up my ally. This cold refreshing drink has grass jelly and is lightly sweetened.