Singapore is known for its food courts, also known as hawker centres. Popular with locals and budget-savvy travellers, these open-air complexes offer quick, traditional Singaporean and Asian dishes at very affordable prices.
During my visit to Singapore, we tried street food from a variety of food courts, markets and cafes in different parts of town. Here are some of the wonderful places we visited…
Lau Pa Sat
The first stop was Lau Pa Sat (translated as ‘old market’), housed in a historic Victorian building in Singapore’s downtown business district.
The market is full of food stalls offering different dishes and combos including noodles, roast duck, seafood, laksa, bento boxes and the Singaporean national dish, Chicken Rice.
Singaporeans tend to eat smaller dishes more frequently during the day, so you can expect reasonable portions at a lower price. Given the hot, humid weather, and lack of air-conditioning in the market (apart from a few ceiling fans) this is a pleasant, manageable way of eating.
I went for the Chicken Katsu Gyoza Bento Box with pickled ginger, fresh watermelon and a bowl of miso soup, washed down with a Calamansi lime juice. It was a tasty, satisfying lunch and at most of the stall, you can eat well for under 10 Singaporean dollars (around £4.95).
Singapore Food Trail
After taking the Singapore Flyer, we had lunch at the 1960s-themed Singapore Food Trail. The quality of the food was good, but this food court caters for tourists who flock here for the Flyer, so it doesn’t feel quite as authentic as Lau Pa Sat.
I ordered Vegetable Satay with noodles, which were drowned in spicy peanut satay sauce, and a Calamansi Lime Juice (which became my staple Singapore drink). More adventurous foodies might be tempted to try a can of Kim Genuine Bird’s Nest drink, made from the saliva of cave-dwelling birds that solidifies to form a nest.
Tiong Bahru Food Centre
A Singapore breakfast can range from sweet Chinese pastries to a fiery bowl of laksa, or even pig organ soup. We fuelled up for our second jam-packed day at Tiong Bahru food centre. We bought a selection of char sui buns, egg custard tarts, sweet barbeque pork pastries and steamed prawn and pork dumplings for the table.
The idea of having chicken noodles for breakfast appealed, so I picked up a bowl for just 3 Singaporean dollars and got my caffeine fix from a cup of hot, potent milk tea infused with ginger.
Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Kaya Toast is another popular choice for a light breakfast on the go. Kaya is a sweet and creamy spread made from eggs, sugar and coconut milk flavoured with pandan. We visited Ya Kun Kaya Toast, a small chain of cafes that began in 1944 as a tiny coffee stall.
Two slices of toasted brown bread are packed together with a generous spread of kaya and lashings of butter. Other dishes include French toast, peanut butter toast and soft-boiled eggs, to be served very runny and mixed with soy sauce. We tried a selection of toast and a milk tea, so strong that it made builder’s tea appear bland – my perfect cuppa!
The staff are rather spirited and hurl the dishes on your table without any ceremony – in a friendly, unpretentious way.
The food markets around the city are a good source of new food discoveries. At the Albert Centre Market and Food Centre, there are plenty of colourful fruit stalls where you can try Singaporean fruits such as mangosteen, jackfruit, longan and the pungent ‘king of fruits’, durian.
One of my favourite foodie finds was Bakkwa, a thin sheet of roasted pork marinated in honey and soy sauce, then dried.
The trick with finding great street food in Singapore is being adventurous, stepping away from the tourist trail and asking locals. Singapore is a very clean city (tap water is drinkable) and food establishments are regulated by the government to meet hygiene standards. There is a lot of transparency with signs clearly displayed outside, so you can easily find outlets marked A or B.
A familiar saying is that Singaporeans have immaculately clean kitchens, because they always dine out! So eat like a local and work your way through Singapore’s street food dishes.