Ever wondered what you’d eat if you only had one day in Singapore? I can’t tell you how many times I get asked what people should eat if they’re only here for a day. And now that I’ve started doing food tours I’ve had an opportunity to see first hand what people love the most about eating in our fabulous city. What I’ve realised too is that there are some tough decisions to be made, so I’ve come up with a list that a) assumes you’re a glutton like me, and b) gives you options, and options are always good 
I also read the other day that most Singaporeans eat five meals a day instead of three. My version, that I do whenever we have visitors, is; first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, late afternoon snack and dinner. Which is lucky because there’s so much food to choose from that you need at least five meal opportunities. As my research progressed I also realised that I couldn’t just choose one dish for each meal, so I’ve listed options, you can then pick and choose depending on your location and other activities. So loosen your belt buckles and prepare to gorge!!
First Breakfast
My favourite breakfasts are savoury, usually involving eggs. I’m actually just trying to think of a country in the world where eggs don’t feature in some format for breakfast. India has egg curry, France has French Toast, England has an English Breakfast, Lebanon has hard boiled eggs and Singapore has very soft boiled eggs with kaya toast.
Kaya toast is toasted white bread slathered with butter and coconut jam, it’s quite tasty and dipped into the super runny eggs makes a lovely combination. Eggs sometimes come in the shell and sometimes on a plate, either way they are VERY runny. Locals mix up their eggs in the saucer and add soy sauce to create a brown and gooey concoction. When you dip in the kaya toast the savoury and sweet complement each other well and then they’re washed down with a cup of kopi (local coffee). This combination is usually called a Kaya Set. I’ve also seen locals forgo the toast and slurp their eggy contents straight from the saucer. Whatever floats your boat I guess. I know my Dad wouldn’t be impressed if I did that
A slight variation on the Kaya Set is to include local style French Toast instead of kaya toast. The local French toast is effectively the same as the French Toast you get in a western cafe, and the white bread they use in Singapore does make for a very tasty version.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Tong Ah Eating House
35 Keong Saik Road (formerly on the corner of Keong Saik and Teck Lim Road)
$4 for a Kaya Set (kaya toast, eggs and kopi)
Good Morning Nanyang
Hong Lim Community Centre
20 Upper Pickering Street
Around $4.30 for a Kaya Set
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Roti Prata is an excellent alternative to a ‘typical’ Singaporean breakfast (remember that Singapore is a country of immigrants, so people from different backgrounds enjoy different foods). Roti Prata is a fried bread that is perfect for dunking in a slightly spicy curry sauce. The porous bread is perfect for dipping and you’ll find yourself embracing the concept of eating with your hands to soak up the most curry sauce possible. A variation on plain prata is Murtabak, a prata bread filled with spicy chicken or mutton curry. Any of these options are great enjoyed with a freshly squeezed juice and a kopi at Al Tasneem.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Al Tasneem
709 North Bridge Road
Breakfast will cost you less than $5
Second Breakfast
Second breakfast, or morning tea as most would call it, is time for a snack to tide you over before lunch time. If you’re visiting Singapore then you may have been wandering around and it’s easy to work up a hunger in this heat. The perfect solution is to visit Tiong Bahru and try one of the famous Tiong Bahru Pau (bun).
Char Siew Bau, as they’re known, are BBQ pork buns with a soft and fluffy bun that has an ever so slightly chewy outer, filled with subtly sweet and soft BBQ diced pork loin and sauce. They come in different sizes you can choose depending on your hunger levels. Sometimes they even have a baked version, golden on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum!
Where to eat in Singapore:
Tiong Bahru Pau
237 Outram Road or #02-18 at Tiong Bahru Market, Seng Poh Road (closed on Mondays)
Bun costs vary but are less than $2
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Popiah are one of my favourite snacks in Singapore. They tick several boxes; they’re cheap, healthy, tasty and easy to find. Many hawker centres or food courts in Singapore will have a Popiah stall, and you can watch as the aunties and uncles make the fresh popiah skin into a mountain of bread ready to be filled with tasty ingredients. Once the skin is laid out, the hoisin sauce, maybe chilli sauce, peanuts, fried egg, shallots, bean sprouts, and the main ingredient, cooked turnip, are all added. This is all rolled up, burrito style, to create a delicate little package of yum.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Ann Chin Popiah
Smith Street Food Centre, Block 335 #02-12
Bee Heng Popiah
Newton Food Centre #01-12
Popiah cost around $3 for a pair
Lunch
There are some really serious decisions to be taken at lunch time in Singapore. Not the least of which is how long you want to line up for your food. At most hawker centres, if you want the good food, you’ll have to wait in a line if you visit any time between about 11.45am and 1.15pm. A good idea is to go in a group so someone can mind a table whilst others line up for different foods (of course you can use your packet of tissues to mind a seat, you can read more about that in my Guide to Hawker Centres).
Chicken Rice is one of the most famous Singaporean dishes, and I confess to still not really getting it, it’s just chicken and rice after all. But the chicken is super succulent and the rice that has been cooked in the chicken stock is delicious. And it’s only around $4 for a serving so you can’t really go wrong.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
#01-10 at Maxwell Road Food Centre
1 Kadayanallur Street (closed on Mondays)
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Carrot Cake is another famous Singaporean dish, and it’s very different from the western version you eat with coffee. This one is cooked radish that is made into a ‘cake’ with rice flour, then the soft squares are fried up with egg, scallions, chilli and garlic, a bit like an omelette, and served up. It’s pretty tasty and kids love it!
Where to eat in Singapore:
Heng Carrot Cake
Newton Food Centre, #01-28
$3 for a small plate
Bukit Merah View Carrot Cake
Bukit Merah Food Centre, Block 115, #01-37
$3 for a small plate
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Bak Kut Teh is a pork rib soup that is also a Singaporean staple. You may have read that pork isn’t my favourite food, but I have to say, Singapore has by and large changed that for me. In Australia and London I didn’t like to eat pork chops, roast pork or plain pork dishes. But in Singapore pork comes in so many varieties, textures and flavours that it’s hard not to love it. Bak Kut Teh is one of those meals that is a perfect warming and soothing dish if you’re a) not feeling well, or b) the weather is on the chilly side (it does happen every now and again!) The soup can be a little salty but it’s very moreish and the pork on the bones literally falls straight off. Bak Kut Teh is served with rice and you mix in some of the soup with rice and a bit of meat and it’s a perfect mouthful. The soup costs $8 for a ‘combo’ mix of pork pieces and pork ribs. Bak Kut Teh is best found in a specialty restaurant to make sure you get the good pork ribs.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Founder Bak Kut Teh
154 Rangoon Road
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Yong Tau Foo is a big favourite of mine if I’m craving a healthy and hearty meal at a hawker centre. Yong Tau Foo is great because you get to pick and choose the ingredients you like included in your soup. There’s lots of greens to choose from; broccoli, bok choi, spinach, vegetables stuffed with fish paste and different types of tofu. There’s also yummy little fried meatballs that you can have served on the side. The soup itself is a clear broth, that’s tasty but not overpowering and not too salty. A bowl of Yong Tau Foo will usually cost you between $6 and $8 depending on what you add.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Foo
Smith St Food Court #02-88
Takashimaya Food Village
Basement 2 Ngee Ann City
My Favourite Cafe Lucky Plaza
6th Floor Lucky Plaza
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Biryani in Singapore is one of the staples you’ll find at most hawker centres. Tekka Centre and Geylang Serai are particularly loaded with Biryani stalls due to the larger Indian and Malaysian populations. Most Biryani stalls will have at least a choice of mutton or chicken biryani. In my experience the meat is often a bit difficult to eat as it includes bones and can be a little tough to get through with a plastic fork. The chicken also includes bones but is generally easier to handle. Biryani is perfect comfort food, the combination of spice and a well cooked basmati is very satisfying. The addition of nuts and/or eggs and/or pickles on the side really bring it all together.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Yakader Muslim Food
Tekka Centre #01-259
Geylang Briyani Stall
Geylang Serai Market #02-146
You’ll pay $5 for a plate of biryani
Afternoon Snack Time
Rice dumplings, or more particularly Nyonya (read more about Nyonya and Peranakan cooking here) Rice Dumplings, are little triangles of glutinous rice with a sweet and sticky pork tenderloin mix inside. They’re wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed and you usually buy them in bunches. I only discovered these during Dragon Boat Festival one year when there was a stall in Takashimaya, but you can get them any time on the East Coast.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Kim Choo
60 Joo Chiat Place
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Otah Otah or Otak Otak is another one of my favourite Nyonya treats. The little packages are a mix of fish paste and minced fish wrapped in banana leaves and charcoal grilled. I’ve only had these at restaurants but there’s a stall on the East Coast that is open 24 hours and serves fresh Otah.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Mackeral Otah
261 Joo Chiat Road
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Din Tai Fung’s Xiao Long Bao have to feature in a list of the things to eat in a day here. Unless you’re from Shanghai or Taiwan where you can actually get better dumplings, then a tray of Xiao Long Bao as an afternoon treat (or at any time of day really) is a must try addition to your dining repertoire in Singapore. I know Din Tai Fung is a chain but I still think the Xiao Long Bau are one of the best things to eat in Singapore.
Din Tai Fung are all over Singapore, click the link to find out where to eat in Singapore
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Bak Kwa is a pork lovers dream. Head to Chinatown to try one of the best Chinese delicacies in town. If it’s Chinese New Year in particular, there will be queues for Bak Kwa heading all the way down the street. Bak Kwa is essentially fried pork in various forms. Some of it is simply fried bacon, or even bacon with a candied chilli flavour if you want to go all out. Bak Kwa is traditionally dried on racks at high temperatures but in Singapore it’s more often cooked on a charcoal grill. You can buy small amounts to sample and even to take home as a souvenir if your destination allows it.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Bee Cheng Hiang
189 New Bridge Road (just near Chinatown)
There are other outlets scattered around Singapore
Dinner
Fish Head Curry tops my list for a dinner choice if I only had one day to eat in Singapore. The look of it might be unappealing, but the soft flesh at the neck of the fish is worth the staring competition with a large fish head. And if you’re with locals they’ll eat all the parts of the head as well. My favourite bits are actually the cheeks which aren’t too scary and taste really good. The spicy curry that has a slight sweetness to it packs quite a punch and the addition of okra (lady fingers), eggplant, tomatoes and other veggies makes this a meal in itself.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Blue Ginger
97 Tanjong Pagar Road. Phone +65 6222 3928 to make a reservation
Penang Seafood Restaurant
76 Geylang, Lorong 25A, ph+65 9688 9778 (near Aljunied MRT).
Fish Head Curry will cost you around $20
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Chilli crab makes it onto the list for anyone who can’t leave Singapore without trying one of our most famous dishes. I personally am not a mad fan, I love the mantou rolls that you get with the crab, and I love dipping them in the sauce, but really the whole palava of crab shells and legs and implements just makes it tiring. However, I do take all my visitors to eat Chilli Crab and this is our favourite place to go. Chilli Crab varies on market prices but is usually between $50 and $60 per kg.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Longbeach UDMC
1202 East Coast Parkway (on the water, near McDonald’s)
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Sambal Stingray is a recent discovery for me. I did have it once at Lau Pa Sat but it was mediocre at best. Then I found out what all the fuss was about when I visited Lucky Newton Seafood Stall. They make their own sambal (so they say) and all I know is that the soft and delicate fish, combined with spicy but rich and tasty, not overpowering sambal really hit the spot for me. We had a small portion for $12 and I’d rate this much better than various prawn dishes that are around twice the price for a similar amount of food.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Lucky Newton Seafood Stall
#82 at Newton Circus Food Centre (only open in the evenings)
Dessert
Putu Piring is by far the best dessert I’ve tasted in Asia. It’s a little concoction of rice flour that is steamed inside individual steaming pots with gula melaka mix in the middle and served with shredded coconut. For $2 you get about six of these beauties. Although the gula melaka is undoubtedly sweet, there is a slight saltiness in the rice flour cake mix that takes the edge off. And fresh shredded coconut adds to the texture as well as the flavour. I devoured a whole serving of these one afternoon all to myself!
Where to eat in Singapore:
Traditional Haig Road Putu Piring
#01-08 14 Haig Road (East Coast)
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Ice Kacang is one for the kids (big and small). A mix of shaved ice with sweetened corn, red beans and possibly with peanuts or gula melaka or brightly coloured syrups, it’s very very sweet concoction but one that will cool you down on a hot day.
Where to eat in Singapore:
Mei Heong Yuen
65-67 Temple Street in Chinatown
Drinks
Sugar Cane Juice is often freshly made at the hawker markets. The sugar cane is crushed and a sweet, but not too sweet, juice is produced. It’s light green in colour and served with ice is a perfect drink with local food.
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Fresh Coconut Water is my favourite local drink. The lighter coloured and smaller coconuts are sweeter with the big green ones (above) being a little more watery and less sweet. They’re a refreshing accompaniment to any of the dishes listed above.
AS AN ALTERNATIVE
Lime Juice is often served sweet but you can ask for it unsweetened. Kalamansi, the small limes common to this part of the world, are what make the taste so good.
These drinks are all available in each food court or hawker centre you visit. Most often, once you sit down with food, a drink hawker will come along and ask what you’d like to drink. You pay once they bring the drinks to you.
Of course I’ve focussed on all the local Singaporean treats to eat in your one day, but as regular readers know, there are many other types of foods that I’d add to my list of favourites too. But I’m lucky, I’ve got more than a day to eat my way around this delicious city!
What are your favourite Singaporean foods? What did I miss?
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