We ate a lot of food in our three days in Singapore. There’s heaps of western food to be eaten, Asian delights and even ice-cream vendors on every other street. But not all food in Singapore was created equal. Oh no. We had some hits, but we also had some misses, even at famed Michelin star hawker stands that left us feeling hugely deflated. Don’t worry, we’ve kept those out and these places are the ones we’d recommend.
1. Swee Choon Tim Sum
Happening upon Sween Choon was one of the best things for us in Singapore. We were staying in Little India (more here), arrived latish in the day and after settling in, hit the streets to find some much needed sustenance. The hi-tech queuing system on the street outside let us know the place must be decent and we didn’t have to wait too long before we were ushered into the back alley, behind the kitchen, to enjoy our steady flow of tasty morsels. The pork belly was out of this world, the dumplings were phenomenal and Mike liked the congee. We didn’t really mind not actually sitting inside the restaurant either.
191 Jln Besar, Singapore 208882
2. Tiong Bahru Bakery
The call of a decent coffee and freshly baked goodness was too much after 3 and a half months on the road. The western prices came as a bit of a shock though to the dwindling budget, but the coffee was good, the pastries were delightful and the setting was a little reminder of home. Head here for breakfast or a mid-morning pick me up.
www.tiongbahrubakery.com 56 Eng Hoon Street
3. Maxwell Road Food Centre
We headed to the Maxwell Road Food Centre after wandering Chinatown to head the call of the famed Tian Tian Rice. As it turns out, the Chicken on rice is just the tip of the iceberg and you’ll be able to find pretty much any Singaporean delicacy in this market place. The Haiwanese Chicken on rice was delectable as you’d expect (having queued for at least 30mins), but I recommend getting a couple of dishes and sharing them between you to make the most of what is on offer. We liked the prices here too, proving you can still eat cheap in Singapore after all.
Maxwell Road, Singapore 069113
4. The Singapura Club
If you’re in town on a Sunday afternoon, we highly recommend heading to Haji Lane and the surrounding area to lap up the street art, chilled atmosphere and buy yourself a bevvy or two. We liked the look of the Singapura Club and sat in the sun, giving the weary legs a rest. It’s where the expats hang out too, so if you’re like us you might find a local to fill you in on the Singapore tidbits you didn’t know about before.
facebook.com/thesingapuraclub/ 26 Haji Lane
Tiong Bahru Market
Cheating a little bit here, as 5 and 6 are both found in the famed Tiong Bahru Market, but they’re just two of the many stalls you can choose to buy food from. We originally visited the market on a very busy Sunday morning and had already filled up at the bakery down the road so really couldn’t fathom standing in queues to eat anything else. But we came back on a much quieter Monday morning and set about tucking in to all the food that we could possibly put away for breakfast. Would recommend turning up here with an empty stomach.
Tiongbahru.market 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898
5. Lee Hong Kee Roasted Duck
By this stage of the trip, I really thought I would have eaten more duck than I had. We’d missed out experiencing the Michelin star duck in Hong Kong which we had planned to get, and while I’m not the hugest fan of meat hanging from a hook in the window, I thought I’d give this a go. It was decent.
6. Hwa Yuen Porridge
We’d spent much of our time in Asia wondering what the heck this chicken porridge thing was all about. Mostly it probably should have been described as congee, but the whole porridge thing just made Mike a little more than intrigued. He finally gave it a go here and wasn’t disappointed.
7. Plain Vanilla
Deep in suburbia of Tiong Bahru, you’ll find the most gorgeous café, full of tasty cakes, divine looking cookies and tasty drinks of the coffee variety. Perfect for a mid-morning coffee and cake.
www.facebook.com/pvbakery 1D Yong Siak St, Singapore 168641
8. CE LA VI
Marina Bay Sands is on the top of everyone’s list when you head to Singapore. If you’re like us you won’t have the budget to actually stay there, so the next best thing is to, buy a cocktail voucher and head up to Ce La Vi to avoid the viewing platform. It’s an ok bar, with views to die for and beautiful wee cocktails. Head up late afternoon and enjoy the change from day to night and a few nibbles before you head back down to the real world for dinner. It’s more laid back than you think it might be.
celavi.com Marina Bay Sands 1 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018971
9. Ice cream vendors
Big fan of ice cream and the ice creams in Singapore take me back to being a kid and going to Gran’s house. They’re blocks of ice cream between two wafers, so simple and so good. You’ll see them being sold all around the place, on the street, really straight forward and cheap. Enjoy.
10. Oxwell & Co.
We eyed this place up on our first trip to Chinatown. It just looked so charming and a little bit of English pub life in the middle of Asia. The interior was a bit of us and we liked the chilled-out atmosphere that would have been perfect for a tinder date if you were that way inclined. The cost of drinks is a little steep, but again, that’s Singapore and you’ll have to get used to the alcohol taxes pretty quickly if you’re going to survive the city. A fitting place for our final beverage in Asia.
Oxwellandco.com 5 Ann Siang Rd, Singapore 069688
If you’ve saved all the food places to google maps, here’s what else we got up to. Have you got any fave places to eat in Singapore? We’d love to hear.