I’ll never forget my first bite of steamed fish head, a Singaporean street food specialty. Swimming in a fiery sauce with garnish, it did not look appetizing. In fact, it looked a bit unappetizing. But I cleared my throat and my first-look-fears, took a small bite from the cheek, and instantly my skepticism melted away as complex and delicious flavors flooded my tastebuds. Shezaad, having something akin to a religious experience while eating this fish head, was silent and overcome by emotions with his eyes closed. Soon, he remarked:
“This is why you never underestimate a fish head.”
Oh, Singapore. Glorious land of Crazy Rich Asians, the Marina Bay Sands, complex and rich heritage, and all of the food your little heart and stomach could ever desire. Singapore’s street food–housed in amazing, clean hawker centres, where sensory overload thrives–is one of its main draws, and it certainly lives up to the hype.
We spent four days eating our way through Singapore and by the end of it, we were uncomfortably full and generally apathetic toward all food other than plain vegetables and fruits, to be quite honest. We overdid it! I would recommend two or three days in Singapore–it’s the perfect amount of time to overindulge in some of the world’s best (and seriously cheap) street eats, with some sightseeing or even shopping in between.
Many of Singapore’s must-eats are rich and heavy, so eat with caution and plan to walk as much as possible between hawker centre stops. Like the fish head, some of Singapore’s most popular, must-try dishes–including the ‘carrot cake’ which is nowhere near what you might assume that to mean, but fried, sticky cubes of radish and rice flour–do not look appetizing in the least bit.
Many times, I felt as though I had to repeat Rachel Chu’s amazing line in Crazy Rich Asians (the movie) when they’re at the hawker centre upon arriving in Singapore and Nick orders them some sort of beverage concoction at one of the drinks stalls that she says, “Looks kind of puke-y”.
But of course, even the most unappetizing in appearance taste absolutely delicious or, at the very least, unlike anything you’ve likely ever eaten before.
Here are my top recommendations for eating your way through Singapore!
1. Hainanese Chicken Rice at Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown
Go to the Maxwell Food Centre at lunchtime for the Hainanese Chicken Rice at the stall called Tian Tian. There will almost definitely be a long line, but it moves quickly. Tian Tian was made famous by Anthony Bourdain and it completely lives up to the hype. Hainanese Chicken Rice was one of my favorite dishes I had in Southeast Asia, starting on one of our very first days in the region in Bangkok, and this was absolutely one of the best versions we had in our four-and-a-half months. (Just go early in the day—we tried to go at night and it was already closed at 6:30 pm.)
2. Michelin-recommended Hokkien Prawn Mee at Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre
The star of the show at the sprawling Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre (in one of my favorite neighborhoods) is the Michelin-recommended Hokkien Prawn Mee at a stall called Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee. Hokkien Prawn Mee is a Singaporean specialty with stir-fried noodles (typically a combination of noodles, including vermicelli and yellow wheat noodles) and delicious, fresh prawns, served with a side of sambal and a lime. This was the best prawn mee we had while in Singapore, no contest.
3. The aforementioned fish head of dreams at Chinatown Complex Market & Hawker Centre
This hawker centre in Chinatown is super lively and full of locals—mostly old Asian men drinking beer or large families eating a sampling of dishes from various stalls as served on brightly-colored plates. As you well know from the opening of this post, the steamed fish head is A MUST—look for yellow plates/bowls/dishes with a fish head swimming in a broth; the stall name is Xing Long. When we went, the stall was packed and housed near one of the corners of the hawker centre.
4. Delicious, cheap roti at ENAQ Prata
ENAQ Prata is a little (air-conditioned!) shop in the Ghim Moh area, near but not inside the hawker centre. It serves up really delicious and super cheap variations of roti prata–an Indian-influenced flatbread–perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a snack. T
5. The “world’s cheapest Michelin-starred meal” at Hawker Chan
“The world’s cheapest Michelin starred meal” is the chicken rice with soya sauce at Hawker Chan, which started out as a single, standout hawker stall but is now a bonafide chain with a few storefronts. This location in Chinatown is really good. We somehow got so lucky as to be there when the owner himself was sitting in a booth leading an interview. He smiled at us–an amazing celebrity spotting!
6. Kaya toast and white coffee at Ya Kun Coffeestall
If you’ve read my love letter to my favorite coffees around the world, you know my obsession for kaya toast and white coffee is full-blown after our stint in Penang. I dream about it regularly. Malaysia and Singapore are not only neighbors but share much history, migrants, and food staples, so–lucky for everyone, me especially–kaya toast and white coffee has deep roots in Singapore as well. Ya Kun Coffeestall, which has been around since 1944, is a must to indulge in a traditional breakfast of kaya toast with runny eggs and delicious white coffee. It’s now a chain with quite a few locations; we went to this Ya Kun location and it was great but be prepared for a bit of a queue and quite a few tourists.
7. Get your satay fix on Satay Street
Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre’s Satay Street is named that for a reason. The street, just along the outside of the hawker centre, is lined with satay grill after satay grill. It is absolute insanity. Best Satay is one of the places, which all serve variations on the same menu–great, basic satay sticks that you can order in various quantities, all the way into the hundreds. We only had a few satay sticks of prawns and chicken–both were delicious! The hawker centre itself is cool as it’s housed in an old clocktower building right in the middle of Singapore’s Financial District, but the real star of the show at Lau Pa Sat is the satay street.
8. Singaporean chili crab at Momma Kong’s
Momma Kong’s restaurant serves up great Singaporean chili crab–a staple dish that everyone should try while they’re in Singapore–that is huge and really well-spiced. The cost feels especially steep compared with the price tags you’ll find at hawker centres, but it’s worth it.
9. Fresh sugarcane juice, fruit smoothies, and barley water everywhere
While in Singapore, you must drink as much fresh sugarcane juice, fruit smoothies, and barley water as possible! The only thing that will add to the amazing experience of eating at all of Singapore’s hawker centres is to follow this golden rule. Each hawker centre has multiple drinks-only stalls that will have these drinks, and some have special sugarcane juice stalls where you can watch them crush the sugarcane to make your juice. The barley water is really good, as well. And you can’t go wrong with fresh avocado and/or fruit smoothies.
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