Here’s what to eat if you’re visiting Singapore. I’ve eaten at all these places, and they’ve all been pretty damn great.
STREET FOOD / LOCAL FOOD
Where: Maxwell Food Center
What to eat:
- Tian Tian Chicken Rice – this is the place Anthony Bourdain made famous. The queues are ridiculous, but the food is really good.
- Hong Kong Roasted mixed meat noodles
- Zhen Zhen Porridge w/ century egg and chicken
- Char Kway Teow – very Singaporean – flat noodles with cockles, eggs and prawn / pork
Where: East Coast Park Seafood Laguna
What to eat:
- Stingray Forever (BBQ Stingray w/ sambal)
- BBQ Crayfish with garlic
- Carrot cake
Where: Toa Payoh hawker center
What to eat:
Char Siew – probably the best pork in Singapore
DIMSUM
Victor’s Kitchen (Sunshine Plaza) eat – salted egg custard bun, pork ribs, prawn and chive dumplings
Dimsum Buffet – Red Star (Outram Park) – dimsums only at lunch
Late Night – Swee Choon Restaurant
MUST-DO
Traditional Singaporean breakfast at any hawker center / local cafe (Toast Box / Yun Kaya Toast)
Kaya toast, two soft boiled eggs w/ soy sauce and white pepper
RESTAURANTS
- My Grandma’s Kitchen – Mosque Street, Chinatown (Blow your head off spicy Sichuan food – not for the faint hearted)
- Momma Kongs – Chilli Crab
- Uncle Leong’s at Punggol – order the Shimmering Sand Crab and the Black Pepper Crab
- Long Beach at Dempsey – (Black Pepper Crab, Fried bread, Whole Deep Fried Duck, Prawns in Salted Egg)
- Hot Pot – Jpot, Hai Di Lao (long wait – get a token and go out for a drink, amazing food. try the Mala (spicy) broth; the handmade noodles are a gimmick but good fun to watch)
- Honeymoon Dessert (Vivo City Mall) – unique desserts from Hong Kong. try the mango / durian / banana pancake
- Wang De Bak – Korean BBQ – great beef, drink Makgeoli
- Over Easy – (Modern western food, brilliant view of MBS)
- Masa (high end, Japanese beef and whiskey place)
- Hipster coffee: Soon Huat Trading Company – great cold brew
BOOZE
Mixology Bars:
- The Spiffy Dapper – bespoke cocktails, chill vibe, 20’s jazz music
- Operation Dagger – very cool underground bar, order the Gomashio
- The Horse’s Head – great Japanese inspired cocktails
- Native – excellent bespoke cocktails
- The Library – ultra hipster speakeasy
Others (if you have the time):
- Populus Cafe – good drinks, pretty great desserts
- Bingki Dessert – fun Korean dessert – shaved milk ice with fruit toppings
- The Old Hen – hipster joint selling good coffee
- Satay Street near Lau Pa Sat – lots of stalls selling roadside satay
Over and out.