It took me a year to finish this second article on my trip to Singapore, which I took last year, back in 2016… But hey, I figure better late than never…
My first article was more of a general introduction to the city-state with some sightseeing ideas. This second piece will be more focused on gastronomy and my selection of great addresses (restaurants, bars) in Singapore.
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Where to eat?
Singapore tries to claim the title of Asia’s gastronomic capital, and I can assure you that there is a plethora of great addresses and specialties to discover in the city.
Table of Contents
The Last Austrian Sausage kiosk before the Equator
Our first restaurant upon arriving in Singapore. An Austrian man with a cheerful and imposing personality who offers sausages and sauerkraut right in the middle of Chinatown. Go say hello to him; he will be delighted by your visit!
Wuerstelstand
BLK 28 Dover Crescent 01-97, Singapore 130028
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Liao Fan
With its Michelin star, this little stall in the Chinatown Complex Food Centre attracted quite a crowd the day after it was awarded. We were there on site and had to wait in line for almost an hour to taste the famous chicken prepared by the master of the house.
Very little choice here, but Liao Fan’s specialty is one of the best of its kind, or so we were told. In any case, it’s not in France that you’d find a one-star restaurant at this price…
Price: only between $2 and $3 SGD
Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle
78 Smith St, Singapore 058972
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Yum Cha
A good Cantonese Chinese restaurant in Singapore’s Chinatown district. The idea is to order lots of dishes placed on a rotating tray in the center of the table and share everything!
Yum Cha Restaurant
20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street), Chinatown, Singapore 058479
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Long Beach Restaurant
An institution in Singapore that has existed since 1946. You go there mainly to eat the Chili Crab and Pepper Crab, two local specialties, along with all the seafood-related dishes. The establishment now has 5 different restaurants across the state.
Long Beach King
Singapore 397803
open daily from 11 am to 3 pm and 5 pm to 11 pm
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Eating with a real local with Jeffrey Yeo
This dinner was an incredible experience! Jeffrey and his friends had prepared a feast for us, with family recipes from Jeffrey‘s family, accompanied by delicious French wines, as our host is a great enthusiast in this field and a true connoisseur.
On the menu:
- a Hokkien style soup with chicken, mushrooms, fish, and dried Hokkaido scallops, a recipe from Jeffrey’s family for 60 years.
- duck breast smoked with cherry wood and Xihu Longjin tea with Sichuan pepper and 5-spice.
- a little mango and yuzu pudding to wash it all down and get ready for what’s next!
- Another traditional dish, the Kin Men Hokkien Popiah, a family recipe mixing 13 ingredients like turnip, cabbage, shrimp, pork belly, a homemade chili, all wrapped in a type of wrap that we made ourselves.
- The highlight of the meal, certainly the best crab of my life, the Singapore Pepper Crab, an incredibly delicious dish! The crab is prepared with Cambodian pepper and cilantro, soy, an 8-year-old Shaoxing wine, and vinegar. I won’t forget that dish anytime soon; my taste buds tingle just thinking about it. Obviously, since I had chosen a beautiful, pristine white dress for this lunch, the job wasn’t easy, but I managed the feat of not staining my dress!
- For dessert, Jeffrey‘s wife’s pandanmisu, a Singapore-style tiramisu with Pandan and Gula Melaka. Accompanied by a wonderful Sauternes, we were clearly in paradise, gustatorily speaking.
If you are passing through Singapore, know that he organizes this type of lunch once a month. It is truly an experience I recommend, because it is certainly the most authentic way to discover Singaporean cuisine.
Ovenbird’s Home Cooking Adventures
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Restaurant Labyrinth
In a slightly more chic and upscale style, this restaurant offers a discovery of Singapore’s culinary habits, but always revisited or twisted.
- Tingkat: radish cake, rojak, nasi lemak
- Hokkaido Scallop: bak chor mee, a Malaysian specialty with noodles and pork normally.
- XO fish cod
- Flaky and spicy curry
- The chef’s chili crab
- Lardo: a revisit of the famous chicken rice
- Boston Lobster, “hokkien mee”
- “teh tarik” meringue
- Soft-boiled eggs with mango and sticky rice
Price: discovery menu in 12 bites for $98
Restaurant Labyrinth
8 Raffles Ave, 02-23, Singapore 039802
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Have a typical Singaporean breakfast
Kaya Toast is a Singaporean institution and also a typical Singaporean breakfast dish, a layer of toast with kaya jam, accompanied by coffee and soft-boiled eggs.
Ya Kun Kaya Toast
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Where to have a drink?
Here is a small selection of great addresses to have a drink, enjoy tea time, or sip a delicious cocktail…
Tea time at the Vagabond hotel
This hotel where I stayed during my trip to Singapore offers a High Tea menu with:
- Sandwiches – Tuna, Ham & Cheese
- Raisin Scones
- Gula Melaka Panna Cotta with toasted coconut flakes
- Macarons – Pandan, Banana and Rosemary, Black Sesame and Peanut Butter
- Kaya and White Chocolate Profiteroles
- Carrot Cake
- Walnut Brownies
Hotel Vagabond
39, Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207630
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I hope all this has made you want to discover Singapore, perhaps during your next stopover, and if you also have your own great addresses in this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Photo credits: Mademoiselle Bon Plan with the Kodak PixPro AZ526
