Eating in Singapore

Eating in Singapore is an adventure. Not because you never know how your stomach will react to the food, but because there is so much on offer that something new and exciting can always be found. With large Malay and Indian populations, several Chinese ethnicities, there are many styles of cuisine to choose from. There are also several styles of cooking that are a fusion of these cuisines. It’s a little more expensive tom eat in Singapore than in, say, Penang, but the endless choices and universal quality make Singapore a definite eaters destination. Add upscale restaurants with world-known chefs to the mix, and you have one of the best places to eat in Asia.

Since Peranakans are a mixture of Malay and Chinese, their cuisine is a fusion between Malay and Chinese cuisine. Sinagporean Laksa is an example of this. Light rice noodles are mixed with a sweet coconut milk broth and spiced with curry paste. If you want satay (barbecues meat on a stick) made with pork, Peranakan cuisine has what you’re looking for. While Peranakans are culturally very similar to malays, they, for the most part, have not adopted the muslim religion that is ubiquitous among malays. Therefore, pork can be eaten and alcohol consumed.

Malay cuisine is typically hearty and spicy. The best is Rendang, a meat stewed in spicy curry paste for hours. The meat, bee, chicken, or sometimes mutton, soaks most of the flavor. A bite of Rendang can be quite an intensely flavorful (and spicy) experience. For more an Malay food, see my article on Penang.

Since Chinese immigrated to Singapore from different regions of china, there are distinctive differences between chinese cuisines.

Cuisines from northern and coastal central China are heavy on garlic and more hearty that one might expect. Peking duck, roasted duck meat that is rolled into pancakes is a favorite. Szeshuan Cuisine is spicy, with distinct flavors. Hot and sour soup and spicy, sesame flavored stir fries are signatures of this cuisine. Of course, there is dim sum, a Cantonese invention where many small dishes are combined to make a meal. Cantonese food is well known to most westerners.

Indian food is largely inspired by the cuisine of the Tamil-Nadu region of Southern India. Perhaps the most memorable to see and taste is Fish Head Curry, which is exactly what it sounds like. A great snack is Murtabak, a pancake with spiced chicken, topped with curry sauce and veggies. For those who enjoy Indian cuisine, Little India offers tasty and reasonable priced fare.

Where to eat:

Food stalls in Chinatown and Little India are reasonably priced and good. Food stalls are organized into Hawker Centers, the most popular being Newton Hawker center (near Newton train station) and Maxwell Road Food Center in Chinatown (on, you guessed it, Maxwell Road). Doc Cheng’s restaurant is an expensive, but good, fusion restaurant near Raffles Hotel. Visiting chefs offer their own creations, meaning the menu is not static. This is one of the coolest places to dine in Singapore.

The cuisine of Singapore are a great reason to visit, even if it’s your only reason you are visiting.