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DINING
IN SINGAPORE
With food
tours and festivals taking place throughout the year, eating or makan in
local lingo, is a passion Singaporeans take very seriously. This is a
country proud of its culinary heritage, and of its wide sampling of Asian
and international cuisine.
Connoisseurs of Italian, Mexican, Indian, Thai, Brazilian, Chinese,
Mediterranean, Turkish, and even African cuisine will have their palettes
titillated. Fusion cuisine -a chic pairing of Asian and Western culinary
styles- has wowed gourmets with its creativity and aesthetic sensibility.
Singapore's assortment of eateries range from non-air conditioned hawker
centres - for a value-for-money meal- to seafood restaurants, gourmet
delis, theme restaurants, sushi bars and fine dining establishments. Take
a stroll through the spontaneous mayhem of Little India, with its
excellent vegetarian eating outlets. Clarke Quay Satay Club and Marina
South Hawker Centre are other good places to visit.
The humble hawker centre is a national treasure in Singapore - offering a
unique dining experience that is hard to beat. Serving great food at
affordable prices, hawker centres range from air-conditioned food courts
to grubby but good open-air stalls. Some of the local delicacies served
are nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), Hainanese chicken rice, chao
guotiao (fried wheat noodles) and roti prata (fried Indian pastry with
curry).
Choice Spots for hawker grub:
Newton
Hawker Center
(Take to Newton MRT station and follow signs)
Hours: 6pm - 4am (only some stalls are open for lunch
All types of cuisine, but well-known for seafood. Prices may be slightly
more expensive than other hawker centers
Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre (literally"Old Market")
(Take to Raffles Place MRT and follow signs)
Hours: Noon - 4am
Astonishing number of stalls to choose from. At night, al fresco satay
stalls are open.
Clarke Quay Satay Club
Hours: 7pm - 3am
Many of the original Satay Club stalls moved here after they were
relocated a few years ago. Most agree the best satay on the island can be
found here.
Marina South Hawker Centre
(Take to Marina South MRT station and transfer to bus service 400; more
convenient to take a taxi)
Hours: Noon - 2am
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Well-known for both its seafood and steamboat stalls. Steamboat is a way
of cooking whereby a pot of water is placed over a small stove on the
table and brought to boil. You then cook your own food, buffet style, in
the boiling soup, or fry meats on a hotplate coated with butter. Steamboat
is popular at family and friend get-togethers.
Chinatown Food Centre
(Take to Outram MRT station and walk toward Chinatown)
Hours: 7am - 9pm
An excellent example of the wide variety of Chinese food that can be found
in Singapore. Prices are ridiculously cheap but be prepared to bear with
the heat and the crowds, especially during lunch. Take a walk around this
huge complex to soak inthe atmosphere, including a wet market at the
basement. Particularly well-known are the colourful Cantonese cold dessert
stalls.
Little India
Be prepared to walk around a bit as there is great food all over the
area. The food outlets here range from cheap S$3-meal places to posh North
and South Indian restaurants. The best bet is to start with the cheap
places and discover what kind of food you prefer before "graduating" to
the restaurants. The vegetarian food here is especially good.
East Coast Park Seafood Centre
(Not immediately accessible by public transport, best bet is to hop into a
taxi; parking almost non-existent on weekend nights)
Hours: Dinner only
Many say the best seafood in town can be found here, whether you fancy a
spicy black pepper crab or juicy lobster. You will see why when the crowd
starts pouring in, especially on weekends. A big attraction here is that
you can dine pretty close to the sea and enjoy the breeze. But as with
most popular eating places in Singapore, prices can be slightly higher
here.
Bencoolen Street 24-hour rotiprata
Located below a backpackers lodge and a popular haunt with both locals
and foreigners in search of a 60 cent roti prata at 2 am in the morning.
Don't forget to try the teh-tarik as well. After a late-night meal here,
you are guaranteed to feel truly Singaporean. In the wee hours, this is
also a great place to people-watch, as colourful Singaporeans from all
walks of life converge here.
Visit
Makansutra for more popular dining
options.
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