Food and Dining in Singapore

[Julian Teoh]

I should also add the following:

During a three-hour stop in Singapore on my way home, I discovered the most wonderful chicken rice at Bukit Panjang Plaza's "Kopitiam" cash-free eating outlet.

A fortunate occurrence in a way, as I had previously spent a week in Singapore before that and couldn't find chicken rice of any noteworthy calibre.

The rice dude probably thinks of himself as a bit of an artist; he slices off thin fillets from the breast, thigh and drumstick areas and chop them up. The pieces all end up looking the same (even the colour contrast of the dark meat is somewhat lost) but the flavours and textures are remarkably different.

It goes without saying, of course, that the rice is absolutely divine.

[ShawnTripp]

"There's even a small Italian restaurant deep in the Rifle Range Road area (off Bukit Timah)."

As I ate here last weekend I'd be happy to elaborate...

Valentino's Restaurant, just off Rifle Range Road.

Had dinner there on Saturday night and it was a fantastic experience.

Service: Plenty of staff, always attentive and no waiting. And, I just found my favourite waiter in Singapore. Italian, passionate about what he is serving, kisses his fingers when he describes the specials...love it.

Price: Brought our own wine (3 bottles for 6 people, $35 corkage which is steep, but I find their wines overprices), had 4 courses and it was $100 per person, not bad for this kind of quality in Singapore (especially when I can walk to the restaurant).

Food: Amazing.

Starter was parma ham wrapped buffalo mozzarella which was then grilled....crispy ham and oozing cheese...delicious.

Pasta course, we ordered three pastas for everyone to share;

Ricotta and parma ham ravioli which were mealy, but the tomato cream garlic sauce on them was SO good.

Gnochi with cheese sauce

Fettucini with a spicy tomato and home made sausage sauce..mmmmm.

Saltimbocca for main course which was tender and a generous size, wonderful potatoes, and the most delicate, delicious, lick-the-plate-good sage butter sauce.

Tiramisu for dessert was homemade and very good.

Definitely a strong recommendation to check out Valentino's

[tb86]

going to singapore for a few days from bangkok, looking for the best singapores got any spots you guys can think of, dont care if its fancy or not actualy i prefer dives but as long as its good i dont really care price is no issue

[Julian Teoh]

going to singapore for a few days from bangkok, looking for the best singapores got any spots you guys can think of, dont care if its fancy or not actualy i prefer dives but as long as its good i dont really care price is no issue

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If you are talking Singapore seafood, I am guessing you might like to try the chilli crab, which is arguably the national dish here? I like No Signboard Seafood, 414 Geylang Road. Jump on the green line train to Paya Lebar station or catch a cab; cabs are still quite cheap here. The best chilli crab I've had in Singapore by a long way. Also try the steamed large clams. By weight, it's marginally more expensive than the other players such as Jumbo and Palm Beach, but well worth it. Try as I might, I could not spend more than S$25 a head; rice tea, towel, dessert etc included (around USD$19). Go at lunchtime as it's quieter and service is much less rushed.

If you are in the area, "Sin Huat", which Anthony Bourdain turned into a tourist trap, is just around the corner. Recent reports are that it's WAAYYYY overpriced and overrated. You're looking at around S$85 and above.

I used to like Jumbo East Coast but they've declined in the last couple of years - the last time I went there, my crab order came out in around 3 minutes, which suggests that it was pre-cooked and reheated. The texture of the flesh also bore this out - tired and with cornflour slush gilding the crab claws.

[tb86]

where should we go,, im gonna be with some famous nyc chefs,,, and any other must haves going to no signboard but kinda lost want to make the most of the time we have

[SDyson]

Our favourite is Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken (stall 10 at the Maxwell Road Hawker Centre in Chinatown), which we discovered by reading the print version of Makansutra. We haven't been there for many years (although we're looking forward to trying it again in about 4 weeks) but nothing we've read in the meantime suggests it's lost its reputation. You'll probably have to queue - but only briefly.

[miladyinsanity]

I like Boon Tong Kee in Balestier, and according to my little brother the chicken rice connoisseur (and believe me, my parents indulge him so he's had chicken rice from all over the little island), it's his favorite.

[Julian Teoh]

I would second Boon Tong Kee, though down the road, opposite Novena MRT station, you will also find Wee Nam Kee, which is slightly more dingy and dirty. By all accounts, BTK's chicken is better, smoother and more succulent, but I find WNK's rice more flavoursome. BTK's rice is also good but tastes much more "home-style". However, there's not too much between them and they are both very good choices.

Sue, I have not tried Tian Tian, but I have heard reports that it has become rather inconsistent and they are coasting along on their fame. The staff members, apparently inspired by the Soup Nazi and Sin Huat, have also become temperamental and generally unhelpful (even by Singapore standards). The queues at lunchtime remain some of the longest I have ever seen, though, so it is obviously still a favourite.

[orangeblossom]

where should we go,, im gonna be with some famous nyc chefs,,, and any other must haves going to no signboard but kinda lost want to make the most of the time we have

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Tian Tian, Boon Tong Kee and Wee Nam Kee are 3 of the best chicken rice stalls in town. They all have their merits and I think it comes down to a matter of personal taste. Also, given the different components of the dish (the steamed chicken, the rice and the chilli sauce), it makes it even harder to rate! (eg, I think the chilli sauce at TT is hard to beat). btw, to make eating in Singapore more interesting/confusing, this also holds true for most of the other local hawker favourites!

If you're only in town for a couple of days and want to maximise your intake of some of the best hawker food in town with minimal fuss, i'd suggest you head to some of the more popular hawker centres which tend to have some of the better stalls. As a start my suggestions are as follows:

Old Airport Rd Hawker Centre- rojak (a local salad with shrimp paste dressing; stall name Toa Payoh which is not to be confused with the neighbourhood of the same name); lor mee (noodles with a dark starchy gravy) stall opposite the rojak, look for the red bowls and the queue; kway chap (braised pork offal - large and small intestines, stomach, belly pork, pork knuckle etc, and wide rice noodles in broth) Tor Ricos which is nearer the back of the hawker centre; fried hokkien prawn mee (Nam Sing); wanton noodles (Cho Kee). Go for lunch since some of these stalls close by mid afternoon (but this is a large hawker centre and there's plenty of other local food stalls. Dinnertime is always a bustle)

Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre - chwee kway (steam rice cakes with a fried radish topping) Jian Po; chicken rice (Tiong Bahru), Cantonese style congee (Hua Yuan); Mian Chang Kway (Chinese pancake with peanut filling).

Serangoon Gardens Hawker Centre (not Chomp Chomp which is opposite and opens at night) - kway chap (the last stall at one end of the HC, near the toilets), even better than Tor-Ricos!; char kway tiao (fried noodles - an iconic S'p dish) Newton (1st stall at the other end of the HC); braised duck (a few stalls from Newton CKT).

Adam Rd HC - small HC with large concentration of Malay and Indian stalls. Good soup prawn noodles, nasi lemak (Malay coconut rice with assortment of side dishes) look for the one with the queue and has 5-6 different sets shown on its signboard; roti john (Malay style egg-onion baguette with sweet sauce), soto ayam (Malay style chicken soup with noodles), sup kambing (Indian-Muslim mutton soup). Go in the evening/night for dinner for the best "atmosphere".

The above are some of my favourites. There are tons of other good stalls which may or may not be found in hawker centres. Enjoy your trip. Let me know if you'd like more recommendations or maybe even meet up for a bite!

OB

[orangeblossom]

oh, I forgot!

Regd seafood - no signboard is known for their white pepper crabs. Very good.

Apart from the ubiquitous chilli crab and black pepper crab which I think rates high on the priority list of most foodie visitors, one of my favourite places to go is Sin Huat (Geylang Lorong 35). You may have seen other postings in egullet about it in topics on S'p. THE dish to eat there is the braised crab beehoon (thin rice vermicelli) which is out of this world. It's not a fancy place, in fact it's rather dinghy and for such a setting, prices are not cheap, but it's fantastic quality. When Pierre Herme was in town recently, I recommended it and he and his friends enjoyed it.

OB

[Stupid_American]

Knowing I liked chicken rice, our Singaporean friends took us to Pow Sing.

It is the only culinary memory I have of our 5 days in Singapore.

[Fat Guy]

I've read in a couple of places that the chef from Chatterbox left and opened a stall in a hawker center. If so, then surely that stall has some good chicken rice. Does anybody have the details?

[miladyinsanity]

Wee Nam Kee's not bad. I used to study close by, and we'd go there to eat pretty often--they gave us a discount if we were in uniform.

[nathanm]

I will be on a business trip in Singapore and want to sample the cuisine. I am mainly interested in high end restaurants, but I would like to try some of the best of the street food also. I am trying to buy the Maknasutra book.

What is there on the high end dining scene? Will the book cover that, or is it mainly street food?

[Katie Meadow]

No help from me about high end dining, but if you haven't read Calvin Trillin's wonderful piece in the Sept 3 '07 New Yorker about Singapore street food, do so! Double treat! The variety of foods sounds completely amazing and his descriptions will make your mouth water. I was ready to get on the first plane and make a bee-line for those food courts. Recently I saw a physical therapist who grew up in Singapore and somehow our chatter during every session came back around to how much she missed that food.

[kermie]

Basically any hawker centre will be amazing - if you want a specific one i can get back to you on that - I can't remember the name of the one we usually make an effort to go to at the moment.

But if you want to eat something you really can't get anywhere else then go for Peranakan cuisine which is very local and quite different. The Blue Ginger (tanjong pagar road) is really good and its in an old shophouse (typical & historical). It is higher end as well - in the singapores top restaurants book.

You could also go for chilli crab (its famous) on the east coast on the beach.

Just mention some of these things and people will know where to send you.

Try the roti pratha which you can find anywhere (like a very flakey bread/naan/roti) realllllllly good. and also beef rendang is reallly good here.

I used to live there but there are sooo many choices its difficult. Just let me know if there's anything you need help with -I still have my Makansutra (a local food book that lists every type of food , restaurant and rating, in singapore)

mmmm i'm jealous

[orangeblossom]

I will be on a business trip in Singapore and want to sample the cuisine.  I am mainly interested in high end restaurants, but I would like to try some of the best of the street food also.  I am trying to buy the Maknasutra book.

What is there on the high end dining scene?  Will the book cover that, or is it mainly street food?

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Hey ya

Is this your 1st trip to S'p?

Fine dining in S'p generally revolves around the various international cuisines while street/local food is best sampled at hawker centres and stand-alone coffeeshop outlets. (Of cos, having said that, there are plenty of mid-priced eateries that serve good eats from both ends of the spectrum.)

I'll just give you my two cents worth on each end of that spectrum, mostly my faves

Fine dining:

Modern French - Gunther's (my favourite place for a nice meal - fantastic produce, clean flavours, discreet efficient service, simple comfortable dining room);

Chinese - Hua Ting / Shang Palace / Chef Chan;

Japanese - Tatsuya / Nogawa (Sentosa);

Italian - Garibaldi / IL Forlino

Modern Continental - Iggy's

Street/Local:

Makansutra is a good starting guide to the various local dishes and where some of the best stalls selling them are. It's organised by the dish but there is a short section at the back of the guide that cross references the stalls with the part of the island they are located. For visitors, it's probably best to head to the hawker centres for the best variety of food within one convenient compound. If you have some time and are adventurous, you may want to seek out some of the stand-alone stalls. Some of my favourite hawker centres are at Whampoa, Old Airport Road, Chinatown, Hong Lim, Amoy and Maxwell.

I'm assuming here that you've trawled some of the other threads regd S'p's street food, so I won't get into it here. But do let me know if you want some info.

Happy eating.

Cheers.

OB

[prasantrin]

Question about tipping--when dining in a real restaurant in Singapore (as opposed to a food court or hawker stall), do you tip?

We had a quick meal at a Chinese restaurant tonight. Although there was a 10% service charge (in addition to small charges for the boiled peanuts and even the moist towelletes), there was also a space to add a tip on the credit card slip. I wasn't sure what to do, and since the waitress was standing right next to me, I gave about 10%.

Can I not leave a tip, or will the waitstaff chase me down while calling me rude names? Does the tip actually go to the staff (I assume the service charge does not)?

[Jaymes]

And don't forget to try the local coffee at the hawker centers too--it's excellent.

I neglected to mention that I did have this. It came with sweetened condensed milk added into it, which was a bit of a surprise. But still dee-lish.

Speaking of coffee and Singapore...Ya Kun Kaya shops are quick and fun. The famous toast ("Same Menu Since 1944") is a treat. Last time there, I brought back several bags of the coffee. Now out. Miss them.

[prasantrin]

Ya Kun is on my google map for Singapore. Don't know if we'll make it there once we return to Singapore (we're in Cambodia now), but it's on my list! There are a lot of locations, so there's a good chance we'll at least drop by one. Will try the coffee--I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I do like a good cup now and then).

[Jaymes]

Ya Kun is on my google map for Singapore.  Don't know if we'll make it there once we return to Singapore (we're in Cambodia now), but it's on my list!  There are a lot of locations, so there's a good chance we'll at least drop by one.  Will try the coffee--I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I do like a good cup now and then).

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The coffee is also a great (and easy) thing to bring back as inexpensive gifts for any coffee-loving friends and family. Not only tasty and typical of the region, but a good story. I brought back several bags for relatives and they were a big hit.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Jaymes (log)

[Julian Teoh]

Question about tipping--when dining in a real restaurant in Singapore (as opposed to a food court or hawker stall), do you tip? 

We had a quick meal at a Chinese restaurant tonight.  Although there was a 10% service charge (in addition to small charges for the boiled peanuts and even the moist towelletes), there was also a space to add a tip on the credit card slip.  I wasn't sure what to do, and since the waitress was standing right next to me, I gave about 10%.

Can I not leave a tip, or will the waitstaff chase me down while calling me rude names?  Does the tip actually go to the staff (I assume the service charge does not)?

←

Prasantrin,

Do not tip when there is a service charge - you will spoil the fun for the rest of us.

You are correct - for the most part, the staff do not share in the service charge. There was an article in the Straits Times recently about how the service charge was dealt with. Some places use it for providing staff uniforms and training (whatever!!!) and one featured restaurant said it "guaranteed the staff a living wage". If it's a cash tip, it most likely will go to the staff, though credit card tips will likely meet the same end as the service charge.

There is no tipping culture here, so you are at liberty not to. I generally do not tip, unless I am feeling generous that evening or I have received truly stellar service deserving of reward. The former occurs with significantly greater regularity than the latter.

[prasantrin]

Jaymes--I was thinking of that. I need to bring back some gifts for my department, etc. and coffee is always appreciated. The only problem is that someone (who isn't me) has been buying up a storm in Cambodia and I'm already worried about our check-in allowance! We're now only allowed a max of 20kg total each (just a couple of years ago, I was still allowed 2 20kg bags), and we still have two short stays in Singapore, and one short stay in Kuala Lumpur left!

This is putting a serious damper on my purchasing of food items, and I'm not sure if I'll even get my Cambodian honey now!

Julian--Thanks for the info. I promise I will not spoil anyone's fun anymore. And the info certainly did not spoil my fun, and will only add to it! More money for food!

I still can't believe they not only charged a service charge, but even 30 cents for each moist towellete! Had I known there was a charge, I would have refused them--we always carry our own, anyway.

[Piglit]

Prasantrin - enjoy your travels in SE Asia! And no, don't tip above the 10% service charge in Singapore. That's what it is there for! It's Singapore in it's truly efficient style imposing the tip on all customers! In theory, the 10% service charge is supposed to be shared out amongst staff.

Some rare restaurants may choos not impose this charge (they'll just have the 7% other government charge), in which case, maybe leave your spare change for the waitress.

Hope you enjoyed Cambodia. I just returned from there today Truly amazing! I'm about to post about my meals in the Cambodia thread. I'll definitly be back, so I'd love to hear about your time too when you get home.

[prasantrin]

Hope you enjoyed Cambodia.  I just returned from there today   Truly amazing!  I'm about to post about my meals in the Cambodia thread.  I'll definitly be back, so I'd love to hear about your time too when you get home.

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We probably passed each other in the night! Or day... (you didn't fly Jetstar did you? We just arrived in Singapore on the 28th, too!).

No free wi-fi at Swissotel, so I'll be writing my reports after my return. I don't have very many pictures of food, because it was often too dark to take worthwhile photos. We're leaving for KL tomorrow a.m., and am returning here on the 3rd for a couple of more days of eating!

I must confess, we tipped again yesterday. There was no service charge, but we made a special request for a future take-away (they probably do take-away, anyway, but we weren't sure), so I thought we should tip so they'd be nicer to us when we return. I know I'm a wimp, but I couldn't help myself!