The Best Food And Drink In Singapore

Tasting local flavours is one of the best ways to really get to know the personality of a new city or country. Sometimes it can be daunting to try things that look and smell unfamiliar, and which you can’t liken to anything you’ve eaten at home. Occasionally, you try something that’s memorable for all the wrong reasons but for the most part, you’ll return home from a destination craving all of the new dishes you sampled on your trip.

Singapore’s food was unbelievable for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s so eclectic. Influenced by Malaysian, Indian, Chinese and Peranakan cultures, the cuisine in Singapore is bursting with different flavours and spices. Secondly, it’s impossible to go hungry in this city, as the locals are as passionate about food as I am, which means even the most humble corner cafe is bound to serve a memorable meal.

So if you’re looking for the best food and drink in Singapore, as I was, here are some of the dishes you can’t leave without trying.

Satay

How good can skewered, barbecued meat really be? You’d only ask that if you haven’t eaten satay in Singapore.

Topped with cucumber and onion, and served with a side of hot, sweet peanut sauce, satay is a dish best sampled from one of Singapore’s many hawker centres.

I visited Lau Pa Sat, an undercover food hall with outdoor seating amongst the sizzling, smoking, bustling barbecues. Making a beeline for stall number eight, which we were told by our taxi driver was the one and only stall to visit, we sampled chicken, lamb and prawn satay, complemented by a jug of ice cold Tiger beer.

Even writing about it is making my mouth water. Anyone know where I can get good Singaporean satay in London? I need more of this in my life.

Char kway teow

Admittedly, I had to look up the name of this dish as I’d been calling it ‘that delicious pad thai kinda thing’, which really doesn’t capture how delicious it really was.

I tried char kway teow at Swissotel Merchant Court (go there for dinner, it’s unbelievably good), and loved it so much I went back for seconds. And thirds. It’s a bit of a national favourite in Singapore, for good reason. Rice noodles are mixed with soy sauce, chilli, shrimp paste and prawns, then topped with beansprouts and chinese chives. It’s packed with flavour and texture, and the noodles are perfectly silky.

Pad thai is one of my favourite meals in the world, and because this reminded me a little of my beloved Thai dish, it was an immediate hit.

Want to try it at home? Take a look at this char kway teow recipe.

Chilli crab

Everything I read before I visited Singapore insisted that I tried chilli crab, and I happily obliged. Crab isn’t something you see on a lot of menus in London, so it brings me great joy to order it while I’m abroad.

The unofficial national dish of Singapore (although I have to admit I’ve seen a number of dishes making that claim, so I’m not sure if Singaporeans just can’t commit to one, or if no one really knows), chilli crab made it onto the CNN’s list of the top 50 best foods in the world. Having tried it for myself, I really can’t argue.

For something that includes the word chilli in its name, chilli crab really isn’t very hot. The crab, cooked in its shell, is drowned in a sweet, ever-so-slightly spicy sauce that makes staying clean while eating it impossible. Make sure you order some bread to mop up the leftover sauce once you’ve been defeated by the challenge of finding any more juicy white meat amongst the remnants of shell.

Oh, and bring a bib.

Singapore Sling

Image source: Raffles Hotel Singapore

Whether you’re into fruity cocktails or not, you quite frankly can’t visit Singapore without trying an infamous Singapore Sling in the very place where it was invented: the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel.

100 years ago, bartender Ngiam Tong Boon created an alcoholic drink that looked like fruit punch so that ladies could enjoy cocktails without looking improper. The Sling quickly became famous, and has been an icon for visitors to the city ever since.

Although it looks like a colourful fruity drink, the Singapore Sling packs quite a punch, probably due to the mix of gin, cherry brandy, Cointreau and Benedictine. The secret ingredient is, according to the bartender there, fresh pineapple juice.

A Singapore Sling isn’t a drink, it’s an experience. Don’t skip a visit to the admittedly tourist-packed Long Bar to take a sip of local history.

Bak chang

These bamboo leaf wrapped dumplings are a Peranakan specialty, proving that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

At first glance these triangular shaped parcels wrapped in twine don’t look edible, but once you peel back the dried layers of leaf, you’ll find sticky, glutinous rice. Bite into this gloriously chewy dumpling to reveal spiced, sweet meat that’s unbelievably fragrant.

I only ate one of these during my trip to Singapore, and now I can’t stop thinking about them. Next time I’m back, I’ll be gorging myself on bak chang.

Kopi

Although I wouldn’t label myself a coffee snob as such (because in my opinion Starbucks filter coffee is awesome), I do try to find the best coffee when I land in a new city.

In Singapore, coffee is kopi. The difference? Coffee beans are roasted in butter or lard, strongly brewed and served with condensed milk, resulting in a thick, sweet, strong cup of kopi that’s sure to wake you up in the morning.

If you like your morning coffee sweet, order a kopi while you’re in Singapore.

Have you been to Singapore? What other dishes should visitors try?

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Thanks to Singapore Airlines for sending me on this incredible trip to explore the sights and flavours of Singapore. For more info, check out my posts on The Travel Hack.