Food and Dining in Singapore

[Simon Lewinson]

I can second the outram park char kueh teow and also maxwell rd food center. I was there last August and want to return for the food. The pork hock at Makansutra was also brilliant.

Simon

[KennethT]

The last time I was there, I went to that char kway teow place 2-3 times... my doctor still has not forgiven me!

[huiray]

Have you considered going to Penang or Ipoh or even Kuala Lumpur for better hawker food, or "non-hotel" food?  I myself have not sampled the stuff in all these places (including Singapore) for many years [i grew up in the area] but from what I read (especially in CH, in posts by well-regarded and knowledgeable posters there) the hawker food in Singapore - in general - has deteriorated over the years to a shadow of what it used to be, whereas the stuff in Malaysia retains the "hands-on"'/"old-style"/painstakingly-done characteristics typical of excellent "hawker food" now apparently missing from a lot of Singaporean "hawker food".  I remember reading several comments about how S'porean hawker food seems to come from some central processed food facility with dialed-down tastes and so on – although there are exceptions to be sure, but one needs (again, so I understand) to be aware of WHICH stall or vendor is good and not simply try out one at random.  There are many discussions on this matter as well as specific recommendations for good hawker food in S'pore (with said limitations in mind) on that other food forum.

 

ETA: I would clarify that "hawker food' includes food plied by vendors in places like kopitiams or small shops, let alone "sanitized hawker centres with roofs" as is increasingly common.  Food sold by itinerant vendors pushing carts around or setting up "shop" on some street side of course would qualify for "hawker food", duh. :-)

Edited May 18, 2015 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

I would also remind folks that the terminology for various dishes may seem to be the same but are, in practice, quite different in reality.  "Hokkien Mee", for example, means QUITE DIFFERENT things in Singapore versus Kuala Lumpur versus Penang.

 

ETA:  Sigh.  I really, really miss a GOOD plate of KL Hokkien Mee.  No, I DON'T mean "Hokkien Mee" as found in Singapore.

 

ETA2;  I presume folks here are aware that "Singapore Mei Fun" as commonly found in both Chinese takes-outs and various restaurants in the USA is an invention (some say originally of HK cooks) which is not found in Singapore itself  :-) and has been RE-IMPORTED into the region as a novelty of Western Reconceptions of "ASIAN" cuisine.

Edited May 18, 2015 by huiray (log)

[KennethT]

A few years ago, another member who lives in SG, also recommended a day trip to Ipoh further up in this post. Unfortunately, we're not there that long and don't feel like jumping around that much. One day we will have a trip devoted to Malaysia and will definitely hit those spots.

It was true when we were there a few years ago - some vendors are certainly much better than others, and this was true not just for cooked food, but the juice vendors as well!

We never went to the heavily touristed hawker centers - like Gluttons Bay or Newton circus, but we enjoyed some of the stalls with lines of locals at maxwell, hong lim, golden mile, and the hawker center on the east coast parkway... also some in the more "suburban areas" like off the Lavender MRT stop.

At all of the places we went, you could easily see people (typically they were older and appeared to have been doing their job forever) cooking away using raw ingredients, so I don't know about the whole central processing facility thing everywhere. But you make a good point - which was why I posed my question - hoping to get any remaining local's opinion as to which stalls/kopitiams are worthwhile.

[jsager01]

you may want to check out this blog - by a GP who writes this blog as a hobby.

 http://ieatishootipost.sg/local-food/

 

as previous posters have pointed out, food in Malaysia, especially hawker centers,  is much better in terms of variety, quality and  value for money, etc., when compared to singapore. For Malay and Indian cuisine, Malaysia wins hands down. Malaysians go to Singapore for shopping, but Singaporeans go to Malaysia for the food. 

 

as for central processing facilities, it depends on the type of food or ingredients.  Char kway teow and similar hawker foods are cooked 'fresh' and on the spot, but roast meats like char siu, siu yoke, roast duck, and even the chicken in Hainanese Chicken rice  is unlikely to be cooked from scratch in situ. Similarly for dim sum, the fish and other meat balls. Personally, i dont have a problem with central processing facilities.

 

ETA: and yes CH has some knowledgeable posters on this topic. 

Edited May 20, 2015 by jsager01 (log)

[KennethT]

Thanks for this blog recommendation...

I understand that hawker food may be better in Malaysia, but, as the case may be, I will be in Singapore - and since I come from NY which has plenty of French, Italian, Spanish, etc., I would like to concentrate on having things that I can't get at home. And, I've found that the best "local" food is not found in hotels or most restaurants that are featured in guide books.

Like Jsager, I understand if certain things can't be done on the spot - it is very difficult to do roast meats in a hawker stall. Doing the several day process offsite wouldn't bother me at all, so long as the finished product is good.

[huiray]

Like Jsager, I understand if certain things can't be done on the spot - it is very difficult to do roast meats in a hawker stall. Doing the several day process offsite wouldn't bother me at all, so long as the finished product is good.

 

Yes, true enough, if the final product is good.

 

FWIW, the best siu-yoke and char-siu in Kuala Lumpur which is better than in S'pore or Penang (which the posters on CH agree on) are all made on-site, in the back of the shop.  No they are not at hawker carts on the street – but are in kopitiams/shops/covered premises – which fall under the rubric of "hawker stall".  I had an exchange with a poster on CH some time ago regarding which place to visit first (in KL), for example, if one wanted to sample excellent siu-yoke and char-siu in the same meal (meaning which one to "ta-pow" (carry-out)), with the two corresponding places at opposite ends of town – and it was commented on that getting the char-siu first would be the way to go, because the shatteringly crispy skin on the siu-yoke would degrade much faster (after coming from the roasting bin to the shop front) than the desirable characteristics of the char-siu.

 

ETA1: As for things like beef balls and fish balls, the last I knew of it the best places in KL would be doing them in the back of the house.

 

ETA2: At a place like Hutong Lot 10 in KL, yes the fish/meat balls may well come from the "mother stall" premises; although the folks manning the stall (often Burmese transients) in THAT space may not be entirely engaged in putting out what the owner/proprietor of the "named stall" may have desired – with one or two exceptions.  There were also various discussions about how the absence of the owner-proprietor at Hutong Lot 10 resulted in a product far, far below what was obtained at the original stall where said owner-proprietor did the cooking himself.  All of which factors into what one experiences at a "hawker stall", whether in Singapore or KL or Penang, depending on what sort of quality control is exercised and/or what is being eaten or discussed.  (There was a particularly glaring example, in KL, of the difference between the stall-owner at an Imbi Road kopitiiam (which I also used to patronize) and its off-shoot elsewhere, for pork ball and pork innards/spare parts noodle soup.  And so on and so forth.)

Edited May 21, 2015 by huiray (log)

[lemniscate]

I went to SG decades ago, it looks completely different now when I look at the current pics.   Even then, there was no language barrier, even at the most basic of food courts.   It was/is an amazing city.   I'd go back in a heartbeat, but I need a bigger bank account balance.  I have no recollection of coffee though, there was so much else to eat and drink and marvel at.  The Shopping was Magnificent.    I did do the tourist Singapore Sling at Raffles Long Bar.   I found out I do not like Singapore Slings also there.

[Beebs]

It's been several years since I was in Singapore, but I loved it there and plan on returning in the near future!

 

Here's one for flatbreads: Roti prata vs. Roti canai vs. Paratha vs. Roti.

 

My understanding is that roti prata/canai are Singaporean/Malay names for this type of buttery, layered, griddled flatbreads with origins in India/South Asia. Indian paratha is also layered. Indian roti is not layered and less rich than paratha. (I might be wrong, so feel free to correct.)

 

Then there's murtabak, which has a filling inside....

 

I ate mostly roti prata/canai while there. So delicious, dipped in curry gravy!

[haresfur]

A new one for me is kaya: Coconut jam. Flavoured with pandan and commonly served as kaya toast and eaten with boiled eggs mixed with soy sauce and white pepper. Ya Kun Kaya Toast seems to have stores everywhere so that's breakfast sorted.

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, haresfur said:

A new one for me is kaya: Coconut jam. Flavoured with pandan and commonly served as kaya toast and eaten with boiled eggs mixed with soy sauce and white pepper. Ya Kun Kaya Toast seems to have stores everywhere so that's breakfast sorted.

Kaya toast is tasty and there are lots of places to get it.  My favorite place is the original location of Killiney's Kopitiam - unlike just about everyone else, they toast the bread over charcoal which is nice.  But personally, I think the best breakfast there is the chicken curry with roti prata!

[haresfur]

6 hours ago, KennethT said:

Kaya toast is tasty and there are lots of places to get it.  My favorite place is the original location of Killiney's Kopitiam - unlike just about everyone else, they toast the bread over charcoal which is nice.  But personally, I think the best breakfast there is the chicken curry with roti prata!

 

That might have to be brunch!