How to savour Singapore

Singapore

From Michelin-star restaurants to local delicacies, Singapore is one of the world’s most gastronomically gratifying cities.

A country where food is intrinsically tied to its national identity and eating is almost a national sport, Singapore boasts a culinary scene as diverse as its people. Influences from Malaysia, China and Indonesia, India and Europe have melded to create a vibrant food culture that is as familiar as it is unique. Whether you prefer to eat with forks, chopsticks or fingers, Singapore’s 115 hawker centres – fuss-free open-air food courts with fastidious hygiene standards – are an integral part of Singaporean life, and the best place to begin exploring Singapore’s most iconic dishes.

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Trengganu Street and Smith Street, Chinatown, Singapore 2

1 Bak kut teh

2 Boon Tat Street, Satay

Lau Pa Sat, Singapore,

Enjoy satay at Lau Pa Sat’s sizzling Satay Street, oyster omelettes at Newton Food Centre, or slurp on seafood-stuffed laksa, chilli crab and fish head curry at East Coast Lagoon Food Village. Between the colourful wall art murals of Tiong Bahru, you’ll find bouncy chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes with preserved radish) and Hainanese chicken rice, Singapore’s succulent national dish. While at Chinatown Food Centre, the city’s biggest hawker market, you’ll find a dizzying selection of local dishes from char kway teow and dim sum to frog porridge, and the world’s cheapest Michelin-star awarded menu at Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle. Singapore’s other Michelin-starred hawker stall is Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork noodle in Crawford Lane.

Masjid Sultan, Singapore

There’s more on the menu in this multicultural melting pot. In Kampong Gelam, Singapore’s Muslim Quarter, halal Malay and Middle Eastern reign as the supreme cuisine amongst its 19thcentury shophouses. Or you might prefer to add a little spice at one of a multitude of fragrant Indian eateries secreted between the heady spice stores, saris and flower garlands of Little India.

On the flipside of Singapore’s celebrated street food scene is its galaxy of fine dining stars, of the Michelin variety, serving up epicurean delights in sumptuous style. Leading the charge with three Michelin stars are Odette, a timeless fine diner showcasing French cuisine with Asian influences, and Zén’s next level neo-Nordic cuisine with a Japanese twist. Two Michelin stars have been awarded to Thevar’s creative multi-course menu of Indian flavours transformed with European techniques, and Cloudstreet, where creative cuisine fuses western and Sri Lankan cooking. And for a sublime taste of Singapore, Candlenut, the world's first Michelinstarred Peranakan restaurant, is a must.

You can’t visit Singapore without sipping on exquisite teas and Champagne over afternoon tea towers of soft scones, delicate sweets and savouries at the Raffles Singapore. Stop in afterwards at the hotel’s Long Bar for a little iconic imbibing with a Singapore Sling, first created here in 1915 and considered Singapore’s national drink.

ATLAS, Parkview Square, Singapore

While we’re on the subject, Singapore is a quaffer’s delight, with a slew of sultry speakeasies and quirky cocktail bars. Start with the classics – Manhattan is the original sexy Singapore hotel bar and ATLAS is an impossibly grand art deco beauty housing the largest collection of gin in the world. For a sublime cocktail with an Asian twist, Mama Diam Speakeasy Bar is a hidden gem secreted behind the façade of an old school mama shop. For a one of a kind experience, Native fuses Asian spirits with fresh local ingredients in cool cocktails like Ants, which combines lemongrass gin, coconut yoghurt, basil and an acidic zing from foraged ants.

If you want to bring a little taste of Singapore home for later, pick up a bar of Fossa chocolate. The bean-to-bar chocolatier infuses the flavours of the city – from satay sauce to salted egg – into their internationally acclaimed chocolates.

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