Top 5 Must Try Food in Singapore

One of the best things about being in Singapore, is the food. Our multi-cultural diversity is reflected in the variety of local cuisine it has to offer, from Chinese to Malay, Indian to Peranakan. I often get emails from readers overseas asking me for food recommendations. So, I decided to sort of my list of 5 must try food in Singapore.

These food are very common in Singapore and you can find it almost everywhere. They may not be the top favorite for some of you. After all, food is a very subjective matter. And you may have other recommendations for your overseas friends. But to my overseas readers, I hope these food let you have a taste of the local culture and have a uniquely Singapore experience.

1. Chicken rice

Chicken Rice is the most unique iconic Singaporean dish. It is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Hainanese and Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia.

The chicken is usually boiled and the stock is used for rice preparation, producing an oily and flavorful rice. The succulent steamed white chicken is then cut into bite-size pieces and served with the fragrant rice. It is often drizzled over with light soy sauce and sesame oil, topped with sprigs of coriander leaf, sliced cucumber or achar (spicy pickles).

Variants include roasted chicken or soy sauce chicken. The dish is usually served with several dips, including premium dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and pounded ginger. Play around with different combinations to discover new tastes.

Where to eat?
1. Yishun 925 Hainanese Chicken Rice: Blk 925 Yishun Central 1 #01-249
2. Ah-Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice: 1 Kadayayanallur Street, #01-07 Maxwell Food Centre
3. Yet Con: 25 Purvis Street, Tel: +65 6337 6819
4. Boneless Chicken Rice: Katong Shopping Centre #B1-85/87
5. Leong Hainanese Chicken Rice: Blk 320 Shunfu Road, Shunfu Mart #02-22

2. Chili crab

Another national signature, chili crab is one of the most requested dishes for anyone who comes to Singapore. It is listed at number 45 on World’s 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.

Despite its name, chili crab is not a very spicy dish. The crabs are cooked with thick tomato and chilli based gravy and usually eaten with fried ‘man-tou” (fried buns). But there are more ways to do the crab now. If you aren’t a fan of chilli, you can choose to cook the crabs with black pepper, salted egg yolk, steamed with wine etc.

Where to eat?
1. Roland Restaurant: Block 89 Marine Parade Central #06-750. Tel +65 6440 8205 (Blogging soon!)
2. Mellben Seafood: Blk 232 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #01-1222, Tel: +65 6285 6762
3. Labrador Seafood: No. 8 Port Road Tel: +65 6273 2779

3. Laksa

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Malaysia and Singapore. It consists of thick rice vermicelli in a rich, spicy coconut gravy. Katong Laksa is a variant of lakes from the Katong area of Singapore.

So what’s so special? The noodles in Katong Laksa are normally cut up into smaller pieces so that the entire dish can be eaten with a spoon alone (that is, without chopsticks or a fork). The soup is thick and made from ground dried shrimp. Stir in the dollop of sambal and fragrant laksa leaves and enjoy!

Where to eat?
1. Famous 49 Katong Laksa: 49 East Coast Rd（Hock Tong Hin Eating House）
2. Katong Laksa: 1 Telok Kurau Road
3. Roxy Laksa: 1220 East Coast Parkway, East Coast Lagoon Food Village Stall #48

4. Kaya toast

Kaya is a coconut custard jam that is sweet and fragrant. When slathered onto thin slices of warm toast with ample butter, paired with a cup of thick coffee, the toast is simply divine. Many locals here have this for breakfast supplemented by two soft-boiled eggs.

In the olden days, the workers who served the British ships started selling the food they prepared for the British when they settled in Singapore and Malaysia. The only difference is, they replaced the western jams with Kaya.

Where to eat?
1. Chin Mee Chin Coffee Shop: 204 East Coast Road, Tel: +65 6345 0419
2. Good Morning Nanyang Cafe: Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre Speaker’s Corner, 20 Upper Pickering Street
3. Coffee Hut: 166 Jalan Besar, Jalan Berseh Food Centre #02-43

5. Bak chor mee

Bak chor mee is actually a dialect for minced pork noodles. A good rendition of this popular Teochew dish will have fluffy minced pork, succulent stewed mushrooms, springy noodles in a dark vinegary sauce. Let the hawker know if you wish to omit the sliced liver pieces.

Where to eat?
1. Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle: Blk 51 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-62 (Blogging soon!)
2. Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle: Block 466 Crawford Lane #01-12
3. Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee: 531A Upper Cross Street #02-42 Hong Lim Food Centre