For the past few Australian winters, I’ve kept the same routine: complain for a couple of weeks about the mild cold, then fly to Singapore to work remotely. For four weeks, I power through a familiar rotation of meals, walks and listening to my Singaporean relatives debate which hawker centre reigns supreme. Bliss.
Honed by repeat visits and relatives who critique food like it’s an Olympic sport, these are the recommendations I keep ready for the next friend who books a trip.
The search for the perfect dish
Image credit: Monisha Rudhran.
Trusting that most visitors will try Singapore’s ubiquitous chicken rice and chilli crab, the cheat sheet I share most is a Notes app list of where to find top-tier versions of other classics.
Take Hokkien mee, a smoky, saucy, fried noodle dish with prawn, pork and squid in a rich stock. Each chef’s version varies – saucier or drier, with plumper prawns, crispier bits of fat or a stronger hit of wok hei (smokiness that comes from the wok). My current favourite is Prawnography, whose wet-style Hokkien mee balances a flavourful gravy, generous proteins and that essential wok hei.
Shui kueh, a criminally underrated snack, are pillowy steamed rice cakes topped with salty-sweet preserved radish. Find excellent ones at Jian Bo Shui Kueh in Tiong Bahru Market. In the same market, early birds can try the freshest, silkiest soya bean milk and tau huey (soya bean pudding) at Teck Seng Soya Bean Milk, handmade every morning since 1985.
For dinner, follow the chef and TV host Audra Morrice’s advice and head to Keng Eng Kee (KEK) in Bukit Merah. A third-generation, family-run zi char (“cook fry”, or home-style) restaurant, KEK is much loved for wok-cooked comfort dishes such as coffee pork ribs, black pepper crab and har jeong gai: deep-fried chicken wings marinated in fermented shrimp paste.
“It’s super fresh, very delicious and very Singaporean,” Morrice says.
If you’re craving something comforting, Sebastian Ang, the founder of the restaurant and bar Mama Diam and its upstairs cafe Lou Shang, recommends Tan Ser Seng Herbal Soup. “This is my favourite place for a nourishing bowl of cordyceps chicken soup – something I always enjoy warmly with my family,” Ang says.
Immortalised in Crazy Rich Asians, Newton Food Centre is sometimes dismissed by locals as too busy. Personally, I think the central location – and the tender, richly flavoured sambal stingray from 31 Heng Heng BBQ – make it worth repeat visits.
Take in the scenery and greenery
(Left to right): hokkien mee, shui kueh and tau huey.
There’s only so much eating-as-activity the stomach can handle before you get the urge to walk it off. Thankfully, Singapore’s appetite for greenery matches its appetite for food.
Scenic options that are relatively central include Robertson Quay, with its tree-lined promenade overlooking the Singapore River, and Fort Canning Park, home to colonial remnants, sculptures and several historical gardens.
You could spend an hour or several wandering the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a perfect spot for dog-watching and taking in the beauty of award-winning orchids.
If a hike in the humidity doesn’t faze you, take a tip from my outdoorsy cousin, and try the TreeTop Walk. Starting at Windsor Nature Park, a loop takes you up to a suspension bridge with views, as the name suggests, over the tree canopy.
A spot I didn’t make it to this time but have bookmarked for next is Bird Paradise, which opened in 2023 and is home to thousands of free-flying birds. “I’m so impressed that we’ve made something like this in Singapore – it actually makes me quite proud,” a family friend says.
A final note
These lists are curated but certainly not complete. Each time I return, there’s a new hawker stall to check out, a park I missed last time, or a new green corridor completed. Singapore is small enough to feel familiar, but it never stops rewarding curiosity.
