50 Must Eat In Singapore (Part 1: 1 - 25)

Since next year is Singapore's 50th birthday, I decided to do a 50 must eat in Singapore. 

Let's say you come from overseas and you would like to try some local food, this post covers most food that is commonly found in most places (Newton food centre/East Coast Lagoon/Old Airport Road food centre/Chomp Chomp/ Maxwell Food Centre) just to name a few. The good thing about Singapore food is that you can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper.

I cover mostly hawker food and some restaurant food. These foods are not exclusive to Singapore as some can be found in neighboring S.E.A countries also. In order not to make my post too boring. I decided to split the post. 

Disclaimer: Photos are just an example of where you can find the food. Pictures of the food may vary due to different cooking technique. Places covered does not mean it's the best in Singapore. All photos are taken by me. 

Enjoy reading!!!

Noodles

1. Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

There are two types of prawn mee found in Singapore. One is the soupy type (point. 11), another is the fried type. A mixture of yellow and white noodles, together with prawn stock, this version is dry yet wet. Comes with cuttlefish and prawns. Has a sweet flavor. Squeezing the lime juice over it enhances the taste, and when there's really nice chilli paste, it's super delicious.

Kim's Fried Hokkien Mee (62B Jalan Eunos Singapore 419510)

2. Char Kway Teow

A very unhealthy but also very delicious dish. A nice dish of char kway teow is normally slightly wet, sweet and slightly spicy. Mainly has ingredients such as beansprouts, pork lard, egg and "lup cheong" (A type of dried Chinese sausage)



Fried Kway Teow (#01-01, Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road)

3. Curry Chicken Noodles

Curry Chicken Noodles is a great meal on a cold day. Normally I would go for bee hoon/mee and ask for chicken thigh. A big bowl of noodles normally comes with potatoes, tau pok, beansprouts and tender pieces of chicken, all in a big bowl of piping hot curry gravy. The curry gravy is slightly thinner than normal curry so it acts like a soup base. It is also not as spicy.



Hock Hai Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Noodles (#01-37, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, 207 New Upper Changi Road

4. Laksa

The way of eating laksa is very different from eating other type of noodles. Laksa is only eaten with a spoon as the noodles are snipped to a scoop size. It is easier to eat and is fuss free. Normally eaten with thick bee hoon, laksa is a a bowl of noodles in a sweet & spicy broth. Normally accompanied with cockles, tau pok, beansprouts, prawns and fish cake.




Sungei Road Laksa (31 Kelantan Lane #01-12 Seng Chuan Eating House Singapore 200031)

5. Fishball Noodles

Fishball noodles is one of the most frequent dish that is eaten in Singapore. You may order it dry with chilli as per below photo or you may order it with soup. There are different types of noodles to choose from such as: Mee Pok (thick, flat yellow noodles), Mee Kia (thin, round yellow noodles), Kway Teow (flat, super thick white noodles), Bee Hoon (super thin noodles), Yellow Noodles etc.

Hock Seng Choon Fishball Kway Teow Mee (#01-50 Bedok South Food Centre)

6. Bah Chor Mee (Minced Pork Noodles)

There are 2 types of Bah Chor Mee in Singapore. One, similar to fishball noodles above, but with big lumps of minced pork on the noodles and braised mushrooms. Two, Bedok 85 Bah Chor Mee (below) which tastes better with the soup version. The soup is really sweet and together with thoroughly minced pork and pork balls, it's a delicious meal. Add a little chilli padi to spice things up. 

Seng Hiang Bah Chor Mee (Blk 85 Bedok North St 4 Fengshan Food Centre)

7. Wanton Mee

Wanton Mee is one of my favourite dishes. Unlike those you find in Hong Kong, Singapore's version is is best eaten dry with chilli. Always eaten with mee kia (skinny noodles), a nice plate of wanton mee lies in the chilli used, the texture of the noodles, the wanton and the char siew. Most famous places make their own char siew and wanton. Some places like pontian wanton mee comes with fried wanton on top of the usual boiled wanton.



Koung's Wan Tan Mee (205 Sims Ave Geylang Lor 21A)

8. Lor Mee

Lor Mee is something very special. It is a bowl of noodles in a thick gooey soup base, accompanied by some pork, beansprouts, shredded chicken meat, fried fish, ngor hiang and half a braised boiled egg. Normally I would eat with bee hoon and yellow noodles. Adding vinegar, garlic and red cut chilli enhances the taste.



Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee (#02-80, Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road)

9. Ban Mian

Ban Mian is translated as board noodles because it is as flat as a plank. Normally made with pork bone and ikan bilis soup stock and topped with pork balls and some seafood. 

Yong Xiang Home Made Noodle (#02-88 Amoy Street Food Centre)

10. Kway Chap

Kway Chap is a plate of braised pork organs (big/small intestines, pork belly, stomach, skin and liver) eaten together with a plate of flat white noodles. 

Hai Fa Guo Zhi (Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road, #01-67 Singapore 460207)

11. Prawn Mee Soup

Prawn Mee Soup made famous by the Beach Road Prawn Mee stall. One tiger prawn sliced into halves, together with bee hoon/mee and some pork ribs. Prefer the soup version instead of the dry as the prawn soup is what makes the dish so tasty.

Beach Road Prawn Mee (370 East Coast Road)

12. Economical Bee Hoon/Wu Xiang

Wu Xiang is one of the more expensive stuff to eat at a hawker centre. A few items could come up to be about $10. Popular items are the fried prawn crackers, the wrapped prawn roll and the century eggs. Some places have the pink sweet sauce, but it's mostly the peanut chilli sauce that people would enjoy dipping into. Normally eaten with a plate of bee hoon.



Beach Road Prawn Mee (370 East Coast Road)

13. Satay Bee Hoon

A plate of bee hoon covered in satay sauce. Normally with shredded chicken, cuttlefish, cockles, beansprouts and vegetables

14. Beef Noodles

Beef noodles is a special dish that even though when you order it dry, it comes wet with a thick gooey sauce. You could choose a dish with just beef balls, or a mixture of succulent beef meat. Normally eaten with thick white bee hoon and some pickled vegetables to get rid of the beef smell. Add a dash of lime for added flavor.

Joy Feast Beef Noodle (#01-36 Maxwell Food Centre)

15. Frog Leg Porridge

Frog Leg porridge is normally cooked with a dark sauce and dried chilli, a.k.a Gong Bao. That's the most popular. Normally the sauce would be poured over the porridge to make it more tasty. Frog leg basically tastes like chicken but it is more tasty.



16. Porridge with Fish Salad

There are many types of porridge (cuttlefish/fish/chicken) in Singapore. Personal favourite is the pork with century egg porridge. I would also order a plate of fish fillet. The fish fillet would be "drenched" with soy sauce, olive oil, spring onions, a dash of pepper, ginger and chilli padi.



Hao Ji Cantonese Porridge (98 Circuit Road #01-114, Circuit Road Market and Food Centre Singapore 370089)

17. Roasted delights (Roasted Chicken Rice, Duck Rice, Roast Pork, Char Siew)

Roasted delights are great food to indulge if you don't mind getting fat because these food would normally be very oily, but at the same time very delicious. A good roast pork would have a nice crisp but at the same time not taste dry. Char Siew would be roasted in a sweet sauce. Fatty parts would be the nicest because they literally melt in your mouth. Then we have roast duck which normally has a nicely roasted skin that crumbles in your mouth.



Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine (L2-04 Atrium 2, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands)

18. Hainanese Chicken Rice

One of the most famous dish in Singapore. One that has made Gordon Ramsay scratching his head on how to perfect it. A nice plate of chicken rice is really tender and the chilli is not too spicy but addictive at the same time. One most famous stall is Tian Tian Chicken Rice from Maxwell food market.

Shenton Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (#02-104 Amoy Food Centre)

19. Mutton Soup

Mutton soup comes in 2 different types: Chinese and Indian. 

Chinese one has the herbal smell and taste and uses ginger to get rid of the smelly mutton smell. Normally eaten with rice. 

Mutton Soup Herbal Soup Ramen (94 Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre)

The Indian one normally comes in a thick brown broth that is sweet, topped with shallots. Normally comes with a bone marrow that you can use a straw to suck out with. Normally dipped and eaten with bread. 

One of the Indian stalls in Seah Imm Food Centre at Harbourfront

20. Popiah

Popiah is a popular dish made popular by peranakans. Popiah skin made from wheat flour is used to wrap a combination of sweet bean sauce, bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, egg, peanuts and the most important: finely grated steamed turnip. 

Serangoon Gardens, Chomp Chomp Food Centre

21. Peking Duck

Peking Duck in Singapore and Peking Duck in Beijing is totally different. In Singapore, we have the skin wrapped up in a roll with a piece of spring onion/cucumber and dipped in a sweet sauce. Some places accompany it with crackers such as Asia Grand Restaurant.

Asia Grand Restaurant (331 North Bridge Road, #01-02 & #01-05/08 Odeon Towers)

22. Half Boiled Egg

A typical Singaporean breakfast normally would be kaya/butter toast with 2 half boiled eggs and a cup of coffee/tea. Most places offer it as a set meal. Normally dark soya sauce and pepper would be added and then mixed up and slurped down. 

Can be found in most coffeeshops at the drinks stall.

23. Dim Sum

Hong Kong is where Dim Sum originate from. However in Dim Sum Singapore in singapore tastes very differently than those you find in HKG. We have a few Dim Sum places that are as delicious/if not more than those in Hong Kong. Places such as Swee Choon and 126 Wan Dou Sek are famous places which open through the night and people throng the place for dinner or for supper after a late night of partying.

Wen Dao Shi

126 Sims Avenue S(387449)

24. Nissin Instant Noodles

Nissin has a few flavors of instant noodles that are only found in Singapore. Flavors such as laksa, black pepper crab and chilli crab are local delights. Infusing them with instant noodles is a stroke of genius for people who need a quick meal. Of course, instant noodles should be consumed in moderation. 

Can be found in most convenient stores or supermarkets. 

35. BBQ Stingray

This is really a delicacy as a piece of stingray is wrapped with banana leaf and barbecued over a pit to perfection with really awesome chilli. Really tender meat when cooked nicely

Ah Liang Seafood BBQ  (20 Kensington Park Road #01-30, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Singapore 557269)

Stay tune for Part 2