Singaporean food is plentiful. Everywhere you look there’s food of all types – traditional Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Western…it goes on and on.
Forget about dining at restaurants each night of your holiday, eat like locals at hawker food centres. A fulfilling meal can be as cheap as $4.
Local eats you have to try, in no particular order, are:
- Ice Kachang – sugary dessert comprised of shaved ice drizzled with colourful syrup with surprises underneath like jelly, sweet corn and sago.
- Cockles Kway Teow – Fried flat noodles with cockles or “phi phi” – shellfish with egg and beansprouts. This can be a bit oily but its very tasty!
- Chilli crab – The crabs here have massive claws. Cooked in a spicy chilli sauce, make sure you mop up the remaining liquid with your deep fried mantau or white bread.
These foods and lots of other delicacies are available at the below food courts and markets.
1. Food Village in Takashimaya
My favourite department store food court is a sensory overload. There are all kinds of eats – a bakery, Japanese octopus balls, poh piah, curry puffs, yong tofu soup, roasted meats, cakes… In Japan, the Takashimaya food courts are even more impressive but in Singapore this is pretty awesome.
2. Lau Pa Sat
I was about nine once when I wandered around these markets and discovered a plastic crate of croaking frogs waiting to be fried at a hawker food stall. Despite this, I put on my brave face and ate satay washed down with a coconut juice. The oldest “wet market” in Singapore has plenty of food for everyone. There’s also a 24 hour dim sum!
3. East Coast Lagoon Food Village
This is hawker centre is right on the beach. Gaze out at the South China Sea whilst you feast on egg noodles, tofu goreng – which is like a tofu sandwich containing vegetables best eaten with a healthy dose of peanut sauce, seafood and more satay. Satay in Singapore is the best, the lingering taste of the charcoal and barbecued meat is extremely satisfying. This place was recommended by the NY Times…
