Top chefs reveal their favourite Singapore hawker stalls and cheap eats
“HAVE you eaten?”
It’s a common greeting in Singapore, where good cooking is treated almost like a strategic national reserve. The city-state’s gastro-diplomacy campaign has led to its “hawker” centres – markets packed with food stalls – being featured on the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Here, some of the country’s top chefs share their picks of the best dishes to be found at hawker stalls and other casual joints.
Liu Ching Hai – executive chef at Summer Palace, a one-Michelin-starred Cantonese fine-dining restaurant at Conrad Orchard
Liu likes the “comforting and wholesome” fish soup at King Grouper Fish Soup’s outlet at Changi Village Hawker Centre. The freshness of the fish really shines through, he says.
Try Pu Tien Ya Zhu Mei Xiang Xiao Chi at Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre for lor mee: Springy, flat noodles are cooked in a thick gravy and topped with lala clams, roasted pork and prawns.
The tender duck infused with rich flavours and herbs at Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck in Bendemeer Market & Food Centre keeps Liu coming back. Sides including braised eggs, pigskin and tau pok (tofu puffs) are worth trying.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Friday, 2 pm
Lifestyle
Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.
Woo Wai Leong – lawyer-turned-chef-owner at Restaurant Ibid, winner of MasterChef Asia 2015
The Springleaf Prata Place chain, with multiple locations including 1 Thong Soon Ave, gets Woo’s vote as Singapore’s quintessential post-night-out stop. The “extremely crispy” Indian flatbread is flavoured with ghee and served with a side of curry. Or get the pratas delivered.
Woo praises the har cheong gai (fried prawn paste chicken) at Feng Ji Chicken Rice of 225 River Valley Road. It also serves, as the name suggests, chicken rice, one of Singapore’s national dishes. Caution: You could get into a debate with a local over your preferred choice between steamed and roasted chicken.
Here’s another food fight: Does Singapore or neighbouring Malaysia have better nasi lemak? Sample the dish at Dickson Nasi Lemak (320 Joo Chiat Road). The rice is cooked in coconut milk and served with chicken, beef or cuttlefish. Sides include anchovies, egg, peanuts and a piquant chilli paste. Then walk off the meal among the colourful shophouses of Joo Chiat.
Sujatha Asokan – World Gourmet Summit’s Rising Chef of the Year in 2019, chef de cuisine at Artyzen Singapore hotel
Asokan recommends Chai Chee Pork Porridge at Bedok 85 Market, also known as Fengshan Food Centre, if you’re in search of something light and soothing. The traditional, savoury rice dish is cooked with meatballs and topped with dough fritters. For extra texture and flavour, add an egg.
Sliced fish soup is an office-crowd lunch staple. The one at Xiao Yu Cun Fish Soup in Market Street Hawker Centre is Asokan’s go-to. The fish comes boiled or fried. Ask for rice or noodles if you need carbs.
The assam laksa from Penang Seafood Restaurant at 32 Aljunied Road is a noodle dish with shredded fish, onions, pineapple, mint, tamarind and shrimp paste. It’s tangy, spicy, sweet and umami in one bowl.
Julien Royer – chef-owner of Odette, a three-Michelin-starred modern French restaurant
Tanjong Rhu Pau at 389 Guillemard Road and 611 Balestier Road, which Royer says is a “cultural landmark”, makes its steamed buns the traditional way, by hand. Savoury options include char siew pau (barbecue pork or chicken buns). If you prefer them sweet, go for the red bean or lotus paste.
Experience zi char – a popular, communal form of casual dining where dishes are fired out of high-heat woks. Tian Tian Seafood at 239 Outram Road is Royer’s pick for fish and more in a bustling, vibrant spot.
Bismillah Biryani, at multiple locations including 50 Dunlop Street, serves up dum biryani, a basmati rice dish cooked with herbs, spices, vegetables and meat. The Dunlop Street outlet is a seven-time Michelin Bib Gourmand winner.
Johanne Siy – head chef at Lolla, Asia’s Best Female Chef 2023 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
Savoury carrot cake at Heng Carrot Cake & Oyster Omelette in Newton Food Centre is a “no-brainer”, says Siy. A favourite in Singapore, it isn’t remotely like the dessert known in the US and the UK. White radish cubes are fried with eggs, garlic and spring onions. The black version has dark soy sauce and is a touch sweeter than the white.
Da Shi Jia Big Prawn Mee at 89 Killiney Road serves a broth that is simmered for hours with prawn heads and pork ribs, making it “super tasty and comforting,” Siy says. There’s a variety of noodles to choose from as well.
Fish balls, another ubiquitous food in Singapore, are especially popular with kids. Fish meat is mashed with flour and seasoning, then shaped into balls. Give them a go at Ah Hua Teochew Fishball Noodle (415 Pandan Gardens). For added oomph, add the homemade chilli paste.
Han Li Guang – chef-owner of one-Michelin-starred Labyrinth, which serves modern Singapore cuisine
Moonlight hor fun is named after the raw egg yolk dropped in the middle of this signature dish at Keng Eng Kee Seafood (124 Bukit Merah Lane 1). The wok-fried flat noodles are served with sliced fish, squid, vegetables and preserved Chinese sausage. The restaurant delivers, too.
Tai Wah Pork Noodle at multiple locations, including Hong Lim Market and Food Centre, does a mean vinegary noodle with pork balls, minced pork, sole fish and dumplings.
There’s a reason Swee Guan Hokkien Mee near Lorong 29 Geylang and Geylang Road usually has a line to get in. Charcoal-fried yellow and white noodles are steeped in a rich seafood-based broth. Eat it with a dollop of chilli and a touch of lime.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
