Singapore: Simple $7 dish every tourist froths over
If you visit this popular destination, there’s a dish every tourist swears by that you must try — and it won’t burn a hole in your wallet
As I stand in the middle of one of Singapore’s busiest hawker markets, I notice people naturally gravitating towards one dish — Hainanese chicken rice.
Apart from staples dishes like chilli crab and laksa, Hainanese chicken rice is often referred to as the country’s national dish, so it's no wonder tourists are willing to line up for a very long time to get their hands on the iconic meal.
During a recent trip to Singapore, my extremely enthusiastic Secret Food Tours guide, Zac, insisted we go to Maxwell Food Centre — in his opinion, it’s the best hawker in the country, and I couldn’t agree more.
Located in the heart of Chinatown, the popular food hall is home to the famous Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice store which, as the name suggests, serves the incredibly tasty affordable national dish.
Unsurprisingly, the line was long, but luckily we had Zac who did all the handwork for us, aka braving the 15-minute line as we nabbed a table in the bustling food hall.
And he didn’t disappoint — he came back with the classic dish and a Tiger beer (a popular Singaporean-born beverage that dates back to 1932) to wash it all down.
As I suspected, the dish was hearty, wholesome and filling. So, what is it exactly? It’s poached chicken served with fragrant rice that has been cooked in (amazing) chicken broth, served with thick black soy sauce, ginger puree, chilli sauce and a side of cucumber.
“The chicken meat is more tender and succulent,” Zac tells me as we hoover down the dish.
“The rice, which is cooked in chicken broth, is more fragrant and not too oily.
“The chilli that they serve has a tangy kick to it too, on top of spiciness. I guess that’s why it is very popular.”
I was shocked that something so tasty was so cheap, particularly in a country that is known to be on the more expensive side of things.
How much? Just $5 Singapore dollars – which is $A7.
Zac also took us to Hawker Chan, but sadly it was closed at the time. It’s famous for its simple-yet-delicious $3.50 soy sauce chicken dish that won it a one-Michelin star in 2016 and 2017.
Despite having lost the star in 2021, you will always find locals and tourists alike queuing for the dish created by Chan Hong Meng.
After his Michelin triumph, Chan went on to open restaurants around the world including three in Melbourne, Australia.
It continues chef Chan’s legacy of “affordable and delicious hawker food that tastes like home”.
It sells the famous soya chicken rice dish for $11 — so not too bad, considering.
But if you’re in Singapore and want to try another Michelin-recognised restaurant, be sure to head to Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, it’s also at Maxwell Centre.
The hawker earned a mention in the Michelin Guide with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and the late Anthony Bourdain raving about its eponymous chicken rice.
Interestingly, Ah Tai of Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice, was a student of Tian Tian until he decided to go off and do his own thing — one stall over from his famous mentor.
They are now locked in a fierce rivalry, with Ah Tai’s stallfront plastered with newspaper clippings talking up the vicious chicken rice war.
But the real winners in all this are the hungry diners. One scroll through TikTok under the hashtag ‘Singapore hawker centres’ and your feed will be inundated with clips showing off the country’s thriving hawker scene.
Kimberly Spykerman, area director oceania at the Singapore Tourism Board tells me Singapore is home to more than 100 hawker centres and there’s a reason it attracts so many tourists.
“It’s an authentic local experience and also a great way to sample the wide range of iconic Singapore dishes,” she says.
“There are several popular hawker centres in the city, like Lau Pa Sat, Maxwell Food Centre, Chinatown Complex and Makansutra Gluttons Bay, but many visitors also venture out a bit further afield to Tiong Bahru, Old Airport Road or East Coast Lagoon Food Village.”
Ms Spykerman also points out that tourists often gravitate towards the $7 Hainanese chicken rice dish simply “for a taste of Singapore”.
“You can find it everywhere, from hawker stalls to food courts and at many hotels, and it is an extremely popular dish. Each chef has their own variation on preparing chicken rice and many even have their own secret recipes.”
“Back in 2011, CNN actually listed Singapore chicken rice as one of the 50 best foods in the world, and the dish has since been featured on cooking shows with top chefs like Gordon Ramsey.
“Now that the dish is so famous, it is one that tourists consider a ‘must-try’ when visiting Singapore.”
HIGH-END FOOD
But hawkers aren’t the only thing Singapore has to offer when it comes to great food. If you’re hoping to mix it up and after something a bit more fancier, there’s plenty of quality restaurants to choose from.
The best thing about Singapore is you get to experience the best of both worlds — cheap and tasty and high-end and tasty.
Marina Bay Sands is not only famed for its incredible infinity pool and never-ending shopping choices, it’s also home to an array of top-notch restaurants and bars — more than 60 to be exact.
The resort has a selection of next-level culinary offerings whether it’s a celebrity chef restaurant (aka Gorden Ramsey’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar), a casual American diner-style menu (CrazyShake Milkshakes) or michelin-star restaurants.
Two of its standout restaurants are — Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda and CUT by Wolfgang Puck.
Waku has two Michelin stars while CUT has one. Both worth a visit if you want to splurge.
Waku is the brainchild of celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda — one of Singapore’s favourite Japanese restaurants. His menu is a pleasing amalgamation of freshly sourced ingredients and Japanese culinary craftsmanship. There’s also, of course, an extensive range of Japanese-style cocktails, meticulously sourced wines or premium sake collections.
Meanwhile, CUT is for true steak connoisseurs. It has won numerous awards such as the TripAdvisor Best of the Best 2021 Award and the Forbes Four Star Restaurant 2015 – 2021 Award.
It’s got the finest range of beef selections grilled over charcoal and apple wood, including the Aussie Angus, Wagyu from Japan/US, and true Japanese A5 Wagyu from Sendai Prefecture.
For the ultimate rooftop bar experience, you can head to SPAGO, also by Wolfgang Puck. It offers some pretty spectacular views of Singapore’s skyline and of course it’s is right by the famous infinity pool on the 57th floor.
The mammoth hotel is located at Bayfront MRT station and you can see it from almost anywhere. Its iconic architecture (that looks like a ship afloat) is instantly recognisable. It comprises of three 55-storey towers and includes more than 2,200 rooms and suites — it’s the country’s biggest hotel.
If you want to stay there, rooms start from $A740 based on rates from now until December this year.
It has an energetic vibe and basically everything you need from high-end stores, a science museum, the famous Marquee nightclub and the Sands Theatre which seats 2155 people. Hot tip: if you want to visit or even use the famous infinity pool, you can’t, unless you’re staying at the hotel.
Singapore has a lot to offer when it comes to food. And if you want to continue your lavish, high-end journey, head to Raffles Hotel — it’s just as iconic and filled with history.
It’s a five-minute walk from City Hall MRT Station and Raffles City Shopping Centre.
There’s 10 dining and bar concepts to choose from with my favourite being the laid back Butcher’s Block. It’s an impressive steakhouse focusing on the world’s finest cuts of singled sourced meats.
If that doesn’t excite you then perhaps La Dame De Pic will. The “exquisite” French food is by Anne-Sophie who is one of the world’s top female chefs with three Michelin stars.
Also at Raffles is Long Bar, home to the famous Singapore sling and Writer’s Bar known for the equally popular Million Dollar Cocktail.
It is one of the few remaining great 19th century hotels in the world. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers with the proprietors of the Eastern & Oriental in Penang naming it after Singapore’s founder Sir Stamford Raffles.
For more of an extensive restaurant and bar roundup, head to The World’s 50 Best – they’ve listed some of the best in Singapore.
WHAT TO DO/ SEE IN SINGAPORE
There’s plenty to do and see in Singapore so it’s no surprise why Aussies are flocking tot he hotspot.
“The latest visitation figures demonstrate a strong pent-up demand for travel to Singapore with more than 565,000 Australians visiting Singapore in 2022,” Ms Spykerman tells me. She says Aussies are the fourth largest source market for visitor arrivals last year.
“In 2022 Singapore saw 6.3 million arrivals – up by 33 per cent when compared to 2019, and tourism activity is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.”
Some of its most iconic and popular attractions are affordable or free.
“For example, entering the UNESCO Heritage Singapore Botanic Gardens is free, as are places of worship in cultural neighbourhoods, while some museums like the Indian Heritage Centre in Little India and the newly-refurbished Peranakan Museum have entry fees of $S8 ($A9) and $S12 ($A13) respectively,” Ms Spykerman says.
If you want to experience something a bit different and quirky check out the What The Pug Cafe. Obviously if you love pugs, this will be right up your alley.
You can find the cafe in the heart of the vibrant Haji Lane. It’s decked in a deep shade of purple and plastered with iconic posters of pugs, so it’s hard to miss.
You can pet and cuddle eight of the cafe’s resident pugs as you fuel up with coffee
and pugtastic bites with money from the treats doing to a stray cat and dog charity. .
It’s run by former architect Zack, who also owns all the dogs. They stay with him nearby at his home — not in the cafe. He’s got 12 in total, with the youngest just one years old and the eldest, a pug from Melbourne that’s 15.
Zack follows strict health and safety procedures and ensures all his guests do too with an introduction on the do’s and don’ts before the 45 minute session commences.
It costs from $S20 — about $A22 which includes one free drink and one polaroid photo with your chosen pooch.
Be warned though, the pugs are very affectionate and will demand cuddles, constantly.
More Coverage
You can book it through Pelago, and the same goes for the Secret Food Tours Singapore.
Pelago is Singapore Airlines’ travel experiences platform with more than 9000 experiences available to book.
This writer travelled to Singapore as a guest of Singapore Airlines
‘People don’t believe me’: Japan culture shock
A Japanese-Australian food tour guide reveals the big differences between dining in the two countries.
Two Aussie bars make World’s Best list
Two Aussie bars - one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne - have plenty to brag about after making the cut on a famous list.
Pic proves tiny Aussie bakery’s insane appeal
This tiny Aussie bakery, whose owner has taken social media by storm, has queues up the street. And now it is finally getting a second location.