Food
Would eat again
Hai Di Lao (Clarke Quay location)
Yes – we have this in the States and I’ve been to the location in Flushing, but I was really in the mood for hot pot, so I couldn’t resist. Just like I had heard, they had a manicure station at the front of the restaurant, and even though there was no wait, someone was getting a gel manicure done. Unlike in the States where the wait can drag on for hours, we were seated immediately upon arrival.
I have to say that compared to the location in Queens, the flavor of the broth was much more delicate and nuanced. The waiter encouraged us to sip on the broth as we were waiting for our ingredients to arrive – something that would never happen in the NYC Hai Di Lao because the broth is so salty you would die. The ingredient list was extensive and all of the ingredients were at peak freshness.
Hvala (Craig Road location)
A very minimalist cafe specializing in Japanese matcha drinks and ice creams. I had a really refreshing strawberry sorbet here, which was a really nice break from the heat. The ambiance is a major selling point – it’s bright and calming.
Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck (Orchard Road location)
Imperial Treasure is famous for its peking duck, but only a few locations serve it. We went to the location on Orchard Road. The atmosphere is upscale without being stuffy and the restaurant is full of families and groups of friends. The peking duck served 3-ways was divine, as were the few dim sum dishes we ordered. The carrot cake (turnip cake / lo bak go) was a particular standout.
A very cool, intimate bar that switches themes every few months. When we were there, the theme was early 20th century drug store. The cocktails were crisp, refreshing and unique in flavor.
Credited with creating the Singapore Sling, the Long Bar is an iconic Singaporean cocktail bar. Nowadays, the bar’s guests seem to be made up entirely of tourists, but it’s still a fun experience. Patrons are encouraged to eat from bags of peanuts placed at each table and throw the shells on the ground. The Singapore Sling is a sweet and refreshing drink, but it comes with a $34 price tag. Coming in the early afternoon (before 5 pm) will help you avoid lines.
Maxwell Food Centre
I obviously couldn’t wait to try a hawker center, and I regret only having the time to try one (even though we came here twice, ha). We chose Maxwell Food Centre because it houses Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is considered the best chicken rice on the island right now. Centrally located near Chinatown, it was really easy to get to by MRT.
The Food Centre was exactly like what you see in the movies. Rows of food stalls are separated by clusters of tables that get filled up quickly, especially around meal times. We often asked people already seated if we could share. Something unusual to note is that none of the food stalls have napkins, so if you’re a messy eater like I am, make sure you have some handy.
Other than Tian Tian, it was kind of difficult for me to tell which hawkers were good, but my friend told me you can’t go wrong by going to the places with the longest lines!
We ate:
- Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice: Yum! This did not disappoint. The portions are small compared to US standards, so don’t hesitate to order up. When we were there, they only took cash! There’s an ATM somewhere, but we found a shortcut by ordering drinks from another hawker and asking for cash back.
- Marina South Delicious Food: The Chow Kueh Teow was SO fresh. They make every dish to order, frying it in a sizzling wok and tossing it straight onto a plate for you to eat. It was seriously the best I’ve ever had, and miles better than any version I’ve had in the states.
- No. 1 Maxwell: I had wonton noodle soup. Good, but not the best. I’d skip this next time.
- Lao Ban Soybean: They only sell soy bean milk and soy bean desserts packed up in to-go containers!
McDonald’s
Love it or hate it, going to McDonald’s is always on my to do list when I visit a new country. The localized burger they were promoting were the Double Prosperity Beef and Chicken burgers for Chinese New Year. The beef burger tasted like a black pepper beef stir fry. The texture was a bit squishy (it reminded me of the McRib), but the flavors were decent. I noticed a lot of people have side cups of corn instead of fries.
Plain Vanilla (Cluny Court location)
Cake is my favorite dessert, so I’m often seeking it out. Plain Vanilla is consistently listed as one of the best dessert spots in Singapore and I can easily see why. The cakes strike the perfect balance of sweetness – not as sweet as what I’m used to in the States, but a level sweeter than the average Asian cake. The cake itself is so moist – I feel like almost every cupcake I’ve had in the US in the last year has been a bit dry.
My friend recommended we meet at Publico for Italian food and I was so impressed. Come for pizzas with chewy and fluffy crust, and perfectly al dente pasta. It easily held its own against Italian food I’ve had in NYC. A relaxed, but trendy atmosphere makes it a great place for a night out with friends.
This modern dessert shop specializes in durian desserts. My friend and I ordered durian cream rolls and ice cream. I generally like new foods, but durian was just not for me. I think it’s more of an acquired taste, so maybe after a few more visits I’ll be able to keep it down.
On the second to last day of the trip, I realized that I hadn’t come across any Kaya toast. I remembered that a good friend of mine who had spent a lot of time in Singapore growing up had always raved about it after coming home from her family trips. I did a bit of searching and originally found a spot called YY Kafei Dian, which had great reviews because of their freshly baked buns. When I walked up to it, it was closed for the day for some construction! I ended up defaulting to a branch of Ya Kun in a nearby mall.
Kaya toast is pretty simple – they toast a slice of white bread, add a thick layer of butter and cover it with a layer of kaya, a coconut custard. It was a really nice treat – something that I can imagine being a childhood favorite.
I had this with a hot cup of Horlick. Growing up, my mom often bought us Horlick candy from Chinese grocery stores. Horlick is basically malted wheat and barley. The candy was always sweet and malty, so I thought the drink would be similar, but it ended up being more like a hot salty drink.
Would Skip
The ambiance is upscale, but the food is disappointing. Without really being able to go into much detail, the food just lacked flavor. The paella was really large, but the rice was overcooked and a bit gooey.
Birds of Paradise (Craig location)
Birds of a Paradise is a gelato shop that has several locations throughout Singapore. What stood out to me about them was their Asian-centric flavors. The ice cream was creamy, but the flavors were muted. I think this is pretty in line with what one would expect from ice cream in Asia just because I’ve noticed that Asians tend to prefer desserts that are less sweet. Ice cream isn’t my favorite dessert, but when I have it, I want it to be rich and flavorful. Next time, I would skip this.
Din Tai Fung (Changi Airport location)
Yes – we have this in the States too, but as we were roaming the airport and about to board an 11 hour flight, I was happy to eat something I know and love. I know I was just lauding Hai Di Lao Singapore for not being too salty, but Din Tai Fung wasn’t salty enough. The food was surprisingly bland. Maybe it was just an off day?
Peach Garden (OCBC location)
We swung by Peach Tree for dim sum during a weekday at lunch, but were disappointed to find that the menu was fairly limited (in spite of me doing research about it online). It was enough to tide us over, and while I thought the dim sum was on par with the best dim sum I have had in the States, my friend who lives in Singapore thought it was mediocre.
While the cafe was really cute and the cakes were adorable (an apple cake looked like a literal red apple), they tasted bland. I think this is likely once again driven by the East Asian / Southeast Asian palette, which tends to prefer desserts that are less sweet.
Sad I missed
Breakfast buffet at The Line Restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel
Something I had really been looking forward to in Singapore was a seafood breakfast buffet. I feel like this is a very popular concept in Asia, but not as common in the US (other than in Las Vegas). I had heard that the buffet at the Shangri-La in particular was amazing. Sadly though, several of the luxury hotels had recently changed their policies so that only hotel guests could eat at the buffet. While I was genuinely tempted to book a one night room just so I could eat there, I decided to save it for next time.
Both of these bars are on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. If I’m being honest, I don’t really know who put this list together and I’ve really only heard about it in the last few years, but these bars were also validated by a local friend. We planned to swing by on our last day before returning to NYC, but weren’t able to fit them in!
AMANDA'S CHANTICS 