SG Foodie
Each Hawker, or food center in Singapore is famous for their own specialities. Some are praised for a specific noodle, or known to have better Malay versions of dishes versus Singaporean or Indian. The cuisine in Singapore is and has always been syncretic, with dishes from all over Asia – not to mention some Western influence – contributing to the culinary repertoire and local palate. Food is a source of pride in Singapore, and each hawker distinguishes itself from the next somehow, even though it is not usually apparent to foreigners.
This unspoken knowledge surrounding the cuisine here is something I can’t even begin to understand, and you have to rely on locals to give you their own opinions and insider information. I am not such a foodie that I can discern a huge difference in taste or in the quality of the same dishes across all the stalls, so I only venture somewhere specific if it is a big deal – see the Roti Prata hit list compilation at the end of this post.
A Hawker I recommend for beginners is the one in Tiong Bahru. My friend Julia and her mom have brought me a few times, and this is where my memories of first being introduced to the full extent of the food scene in Singapore. Not only that, but I often go the area with my aunt and uncle, both who enjoy Western and European foods. Tiong Bahru is pretty central, and lots of white people, even young white people, or I should say foreigners, find themselves in the area anyways as it has become very hip. The first Merci Marcel is in Tiong Bahru if that makes it more familiar. The neighborhood is historic and is easily accessible by bike, car, bus, or MRT. There are a few famous stalls here (some hawkers have Michelin stars or the Michelin bib gourmand awarded to them) and the whole complex is pretty cool. There is a wet market and some local shops on the bottom, then escalators take you to the top floor with the communal seating and food stalls.
Before COVID, leaving a small packet of tissues on a table would save a few seats while you start ordering; usually stalls specialize in a few dishes only. Even though they aren’t actually mobile hawkers anymore they are tiny, and there is only enough room to fit one to three people inside.
What follows are suggestions for what you must try if you want to merely graze the surface of the local food scene in Singapore. It is pretty easy to figure what you like and adopt favorites after some experimenting… I order the same thing pretty much always.
*please note all of these stock-photos are placeholders until such time that the circuit breaker lifts and dine-in becomes an option. Then I will replace with my own photography.
Noodles
Hokkien Mee : Singapore’s famous seafood noodles. Stir-fried but still light, with vegetables and various seafoods in them
Fishball Noodles : pretty simple, just your choice of noodles with fishballs and a few vegetables. You get them for the sauce… it is amazing
Laksa : spicier, soupier, rich with a coconut cream base but warm and comforting with rice noodles so you feel pretty healthy. It is the best dish ever especially with pieces of tofu in it that have soaked up the flavor. To clarify, I suggest the Singapore curry laksa over the lighter, more sour Asam laksa that is popular in Malaysia
Char Kway Teow : basically just stir-fried noodles with pork, but you have never tasted a better flavor trust
Mee Siam : vermicelli rice noodles soaked in a sweet and spicy thicker gravy sauce and usually comes with some beansprouts, tofu, and a boiled egg. Very simply and very delicious.
Mee Rebus : made with thick yellow egg noodles, this is a another simple but satisfying and comforting dish that has a thick, peanut flavored sauce.
Side dishes
Chwee kueh : simple dish! smooth and soft steamed rice cake with amazingly flavored (savory) oily preserved radish on top
Carrot Cake : the most strangely named, but delicious dish I have tried. A simple fried ‘cake’ of radishes and egg. Can be “white” or “black” if the thick dark sauce is added that gives it a sweeter, molasses flavor
Popiah : can only describe it as being most similar to a spring roll, with a thin, crunchy, wheat flour popiah pancake that is wrapped around a cooked filling of vegetables and prawns
Rojak : in Singapore the Chinese version of this stir fried dish includes some dough fritters, bean sprouts, tofu puffs, radish, and then pineapple, cucumber, and roasted peanuts. It sounds like a very weird combination, but when everything is mixed together with a sweet/savory black, fermented sauce, with optional but highly suggested chili, it is amazing. The Indian version allows you to pick and choose your ingredients, usually doesn’t include the fried dough, and is made with a red gravy.
Desserts
Chendol : shaved ice drenched in syrupy palm sugar and creamy coconut milk, filled with green rice flour jelly and other small pieces of somewhat strange jellies and beans, and of course sweetened red adzuki beans. It makes for a sweet and refreshing but not too filling dessert that can be drunk or eaten with a spoon
Tang yuan : sweet glutinous rice balls with peanut, red bean or black sesame stuffing and often cooked in sweet peanut soups, ginger-flavoured soups or versions with pandan and rock sugar. In my opinion, ginger is the best.
Min Jiang Kueh : basically a Singaporean pancake, with two chewy but fluffy pieces of dough and a simple filling in the middle. Peanut, sesame, coconut, and red bean are the best
Drinks
Kopi : Singaporean coffee, so depending on how you usually order your coffee you should refer to the guide bellow. If you want the immersive experience just order a kopi, it will be sweet and rich and definitely will contain condensed milk. Most drinks do.
Milo : order a milo Dino if you really want to be cool. A malted chocolate drink that begins with a simple powder and hot water, but becomes so much more
Teh Tarik : warm and sweet milk tea that has been pulled to be more foamy
Chai : warm and sweet and spicy milk tea
Roti Prata
Indian origin, Malaysian twist, eaten by Chinese.
In my opinion, the absolute best kind of roti for those who prefer a crispy but extremely chewy texture that most other flatbreads don’t quite have. Here are some of the best shops for it in Singapore:
300 Joo Chiat Rd, ABC
6 Jalan Bukit Merah, Y.R.A. Rasool Fatimah
109 Bukit Purmei Road, #01-157, Master Prata
246 Upper Thomson Rd, The Roti Prata House Pte Ltd
26 Evans Rd, #01-02, Mr Prata (has to make the list even though everyone knows it is more of a late-night , post-clubbing destination)
