Best Place to Eat in Singapore
If one is asked if there is a favorite thing to do here in Singapore, eating will probably be ranked very high on the list of things to do. And why not? With its cosmopolitan makeup of numerous peoples and cultures, there is an overwhelming selection of where to go for the breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. This post is an attempt to list the places to go in Singapore for the next meal...
Hawker Centers
Hawker centers are the go-to places for food in Singapore simply because the food is cheap and good. Depending on the location (prices are higher if nearer to the city center), this places is a collection of masters who has been cooking the same 1 dish every day for 10 years or more...some as long as 20-30 years. If you are not sure which stall is good, just look for the long lines.
Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre: located at Ghim Moh Road. Closest MRT is Buona Vista (exit and walk for 10 minutes). Most popular stores: chee cheong fun, Hakka yong tow foo, Chuan Kee duck noodles, beef hor fun and mee siam.
Note: Ghim Moh Market is most crowded in the morning and lunch. During dinner-time, probably less than half the stalls are open
Lau Pa Sat: the most centrally located hawker center in Singapore, the "old market" is located at Shenton Way financial district and near Raffles City MRT. While it serves the same foods as most others, the one unique feature about Lau Par Sat is the alfresco dining outside famous for stalls selling satay and stingray from the defunct Satay Club.
Old Airport Road: one of the top hawker centers in Singapore, this is one huge place where one easily gets overwhelmed by the selection of stalls, with most stalls having been in the business for over 20 years. If you are here for the first time, a good recommendation is the fried Hokkien noodle and the prawn noodle - only issue is the wait is at least 30 minutes or longer (over 1 hour during weekends). This is the place to go if you are attending a concert or event at the nearby OCBC Arena, Singapore Indoor Stadium or National Stadium. Closest MRT is Dakota MRT.
Redhill Market: possibly the oldest hawker center in Singapore, this place is a short 5-10 walk from Redhill MRT. Good stuff to try include black carrot cake, satay bee hoon, mee siam and lor mee. One of the few places with ample parking - there is a multi-storey carpark just beside the market or 2 mins walk away.
Tiong Bahru Market: this is unique because it is housed in a multi-storey pre-WWII building. The ground floor is the wet market (that also sells clothes and dried food) while the upper floor is an airy hawker center. The only issue is finding the place (it's 15-20 min walk from Tiong Bahru MRT), parking (3rd level) is limited and street parking is even worse - you have to parallel-park. However, once you get here, you can quickly understand why this is rated one of the top places for breakfast and lunch. Great place for chwee kueh, porridge and dim sum.
Maxwell Food Center: this places supposedly is the location of the number one chicken rice stall in Singapore (Tian Tian). In addition to this, some other unique stalls include oyster cake, the hum jin pang (join the line if you fry them yourself) and the homemade kueh. Because this is one of the more popular place in Singapore, we also do see new stalls being set up by the younger generation...esp. those who were trained in hotels but decided to be hawkers instead. The coolest thing? Maxwell MRT is right next to the market...easy!
Chomp Chomp Food Center: while most of the other hawker centers is typically most popular for breakfast and lunch, this place bucks the trend by being the place to go for supper. Most stall here open at 5:30pm, right after the normal working hours. Another thing that is different is the absence of long lines - this is because the stall will generally ask for the table number and then bring it to you...yes, table service. If you need a suggestion: go for the Hokkien me, satay, fried carrot cake and oyster omelet. Nearest MRT is Lorong Chuan but it is still 20 mins away - better to take the taxi if you want to visit.
Whampoa Market: this food center comprises of 2 blocks - Blk 90 and 91 and there are about 150 stalls here. While there is street parking available, it is almost impossible to find a vacant lot on weekends. Do park at Balestier Plaza instead (about 5 minutes away). If you have no idea what to order, just look for the long lines or the ones that that proudly displays Michelin Guide Pallette or Bib Gourmand logo - fish head bee hoon, duck rice, rojak, Hokkien mee, etc. Nearest MRT is Boon Keng about 800m away or 15 mins away.
Up next - food courts