Top 5 Must Try Food in Singapore
Last summer we went to Singapore and lived there for one month. That was possible because we stayed there housesitting. Take a look at what is housesitting and how to make the best houesitter profile to get the best homes and pets for your travels.
https://youtu.be/NcFCTC0b7oY
One of the things that we loved the most about Singapore was the food.
The mix of culture, Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, European is all reflected on its food and Singapore is a food heaven for visitors and locals!
So, to make things easy for you, here is our Top 5 best foods to try in Singapore!
Before we begin, we would like to mention that these are our personal choices and there are many other foods out there. Got try them!
Take a look at the video we made with this Top 5!
5. Xiao Long Bao
Xiao Long Bao might be the most magical of all dumplings. These are little steamed buns from Jiangnan region of China, and it’s especially popular in Shanghai. The buns are usually steamed and served in a “xiao long” which means small basket.
The Shanghai version that is so popular in Singapore restaurants usually has meat and a broth within.
These days the xiao long bao has become somewhat fancy food in upscale restaurants and chain eateries like Din Tai Fung or Paradise Dynasty, but you can also find authentic Xiao Long Bao in many stalls in hawker centers with cheaper price.
Here is a tip! When you eat Xiao Long Bao, make sure to eat with a spoon so you can enjoy the broth within the bun and also add a little bit of ginger strips and vinegar. You will fall in love with the juicy tender meat and rich flavour of the broth. You can also check one of our favourite Xiao Long Bao at China Town Food Center on our China Town episode.
4. Wonton Mee
One of the most popular menus in all hawker centers in Singapore would be the Wonton Mee, Wonton noodles.
This simple but flavourful noodles is a Cantonese dish commonly found in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Wonton Mee is dry egg noodles dressed in a dark sauce and chili mix, topped with a little bit of barbecued pork, a few wontons and vegetables. The mix of all flavours and different textures coming from the chewy noodles, crispy wontons and barbequed meat is pretty amazing.
If you are a fan of noodles, you should definitely go for this. Wonton Mee is always a safe choice. We tried Wonton Mee in several hawker centers and they tasted all great. You can also check our reactions on Wonton Mee on our Zion hawker center episode.
3. Bak Kut Teh
As you know Singapore is a food heaven, we got so many food recommendations. And among our local friends recommendations, one of the most mentioned dishes was Bak Kut Teh. What?? We had no idea what kind of food was.
BAK KUT TEH is a pork rib soup cooked in broth, popular in Malaysia and Singapore. It literally means 肉骨茶 Meat Bone Tea.
Bak kut teh comes in either a peppery broth or a herbal-based broth.
If you search Singapore Bak Kut Tea, you will be overwhelmed by the full list of restaurants from a small food stall at a hawker center to restaurant chains. To help you with the selection process, we recommend you to try two of the most popular restaurants: Song Fa and Ng Ah Sio.
We really loved both of them and they are unique and flavourful on their own ways. If you want to find out which one we liked better, check our Bak Kut Teh episode.
2. Chicken Rice
Widely considered to be the national dish of Singapore, Chicken Rice is something you shouldn’t miss! Chicken rice typically comes with tender and surprisingly soft chicken slices, aromatic and oily rice that is cooked with chicken stock, fat, ginger and pandan leaves, and accompanied by condiments such as dark soy sauce, tangy garlic-chilli and ginger dip.
Make sure to mix little bit of everything to enjoy it with more flavor.
Singapore’s chicken rice comes in various forms: steamed, roasted or braised in soy sauce. Recently, soy sauce chicken has become more prominent, thanks to Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle receiving a MICHELIN star for the past three consecutive years. This style of chicken is braised in soy sauce, herbs and spices. Check out our episode in Chinatown to know more about this dish!
1. Chili Crab & Black Pepper Crab
Once you try this chili crab or black pepper crab, you might find yourself keeping dreaming about it. They say Chili Crab is the king of all crab dishes. Chilli crab consists of crab in its shell, stir-fried and heavily coated in a rich, sweet, savoury and spicy tomato based sauce. Meanwhile the Black Pepper Crab is cooked in…guess what? Black pepper sauce. (Duh~~)
Normally they are served with this steamed or fried buns named Mantou.
Make sure to dip the buns and let it absorb the sauce. You don’t want to waste any of that heavenly sauce.
You can try them in a fine dining restaurant or in a hawker center with cheaper price. We tried Black Pepper Crab in Long Beach King Seafood Restaurant. They say the pepper crab there is the one of the best in the city. The price was quite expensive but it was really good. If you wanna find more about this, check our black pepper crab episode.
And we also tried the chilli crab in the Newton Food Center, where the price was cheaper and it was great! You may find cheaper options in other hawker centers since Newton Food Center is quite touristy and prices are more for tourists. Anyway, we highly recommend you to try both Chili Crab and Black Pepper Crab, they taste very different and for us, it’s very hard to choose which one is better.
