Singapore Street Food and More

I really enjoy visiting Singapore for its food, the street food in particular, arguably the best in the world. With so many places, it is difficult to know where to eat. Do some research on the net and you get many opinions. As soon as I arrive and discuss options on where to eat, everyone had a different opinion. Who do I listen to? The best solution is to trust the opinions of people who have been there a long time and who love to eat. Luckily for me, my sister has been living there for six years; my parents lived there for three years making friends with people who have a genuine love for food.

First stop was Dimsum at Din Tai Fung at Wisma Atria. This was an easy choice because too many people on Facebook suggested to eat there, though some said I should also try Crystal Jade. This was easily the best Xiao Long Pao. There are many suggestions on how to eat this soupy dumpling. The best way for me is to eat in one bite on the spoon and the black vinegar sauce poured on top of it, then I let the soup explode inside my mouth.

Next stop was Fish Head Curry at Ocean Curry Fish Head at the central business district. My parents who were also visiting had a meeting late morning somewhere in the city so my father insisted on eating the fish head curry near there. It’s located at the corner of Amoy and McCallum streets. All tables were taken and there was a long line towards the counter. Fish head curry arrived quickly in a big clay bowl with the sauce still boiling. The fish head was expectedly very good with the right amount of sourness and it was spicy enough for adventurous non-locals to eat. What stood out though was the mutton rendang.

Next stop was 328 Katong Laksa. Here I had two bowls of delectable laksa with a side order of otah, a paste with fish cooked in banana leaves that is similar to bibingka in texture. Is this the best laksa in Singapore? More on this and laksa coming soon in another post.

Next stop was Maxwell Road Food Center. I had to come back here because I still remember having the best congee ever at that food court. I also wanted to try the Chicken Rice at the Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall. According to Anthony Bourdain and the Makansuntra Guide it is one of the best, if not the best in Singapore. People believe the hype, there was a very long line on a Sunday at 2pm. Verdict: Wee Nam Kee still rules.

One lesson I learned, before visiting a food court in Singapore is to make sure to visit all the stalls because the court maybe bigger than it is and you might miss out on something special. As I entered the Maxwell Road Food Center, I walked both ends looking for the corner stall selling the best congee ever but I couldn’t find it thinking it closed down because the last time I was there was 2001. I went straight to order chicken rice and carrot cake as my sister orders claypot chicken and another noodle dish. I am stuffed. As we leave we see a connecting pathway to another part of the food court. I then find the corner congee stall!

This is the best congee I’ve ever had. I’m a big fan of congee and it is one of my comfort foods tracing back to my childhood days of eating arroz caldo when sick or on a rainy day. Ever since my favorite mid priced Chinese restaurant in Manila started selling out by opening dozens of branches (they started with only two in Makati Avenue and Wilson) and making their food literally cheaper and more mass produced, I don’t have a good congee place to go. The Congee at this stall is for me the best ever. The soup is very tasty and they actually cook your choice of meat (I ordered the fish fillet) with the congee right before it’s served. There is a slight stickiness to the soup, which is beautiful and the texture of the rice is almost cereal like but still feels like rice. They also have side orders of raw fish that goes really well with the congee. Alas, I had to take it out because of my full stomach. Another lesson learned: congee, like burgers, steaks, fried chicken and many other foods, doesn’t taste as good the next day.

On my last day, I met up with my sister late afternoon at Orchard after a full day of shopping. She insisted I meet her at the food junction of Wisma Atria to try the Hokkien Mee (Fujian style fried prawn noodles) at the Thye Hong food stall. I was reluctant because we were scheduled to have black pepper crab for dinner and I didn’t think a food court in a big mall would have anything good to offer. Hunger from walking all day caved in and I ordered the noodles. Another lesson to be learned: listen to your older sister who has been in Singapore for almost ten years. The hokkien mee was just perfect: savoury tasting sauce with noodles cooked just right with ample amount of prawns.

My food trip in Singapore fell short of achieving all its goals: I did not get to eat black pepper crab, chili crab and prawn noodle soup. There was also an interesting Bak Kut Teh (pork rib herb soup) House near my sister’s apartment that looked interesting because it was always full, but was closed the day before I left. Two restaurants that have also been recommended to me are Crystal Jade and Oso. Someone swears the eight-hour roast lamb in Oso is to die for. Five days is definitely not enough for a food tour of Singapore. Next trip needs more planning and hopefully more friends to share the food experience with.

Din Tai Fung
#02-48 435 Orchard Road
S(238877), Wisma Atria, Orchard

Singapore

Tel: +65 6732 1383

Ocean Curry Fish Head
Amoy Street Food Center
Amoy cor McCallum Streets

328 Katong Laksa
#216 East Cost Road S(428914)

Tian Tian Hiananese Chicken Rice
Stall 54, Zhen Zhen Porridge
Maxwell Road Food Centre

Thye Hong Hokkien Mee
Food Republic Wisma Atria
435 Orchard Road

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant
275 Thomson Road
#01-05 Novena Ville