🍽️ The Expat’s Plate & Pantry: A Deep Dive into Singapore’s Food and Bar Scene
If the architecture of Singapore is its skeleton, the food is undoubtedly its soul. During our eight years as expats, we learned that the best way to understand this city is through your palate.
Singapore is a place where a S$5 hawker meal is respected just as much as a decadent champagne brunch. Whether you are looking for the best rooftop bars or the most authentic local crustaceans, this is our "Expat’s Plate"—the food, the hawker centers, and the decadent brunches that define Singapore’s food culture.
Jump to: Hawker Centers | Food Courts | Local Spots | Champagne Brunches | Fine Dining | Rooftop Bars | Wet Markets | Specialty Grocers
The Local Food Scene
🥢 The Hawker Center Battle: Which is Best?
Visitors to Singapore often ask which hawker center they should go to. The truth is, it depends on what’s nearby or the vibe you are after. Hawker centers are all over Singapore, but here are a few of the notable ones that we frequented.
Lau Pa Sat, Singapore
Lau Pa Sat: This was the first hawker center, and our "neighborhood local" when we lived at The Sail in Marina Bay. The Victorian building is historic, nestled in the shadows of the ever-growing Central Business District (CBD)
Newton Food Centre: This is the place we frequented when we lived in Novena. It’s the Crazy Rich Asians movie spot, but for us, it was the place for a late-night seafood feast paired with a cold Tiger Beer under the stars.
Maxwell Food Centre: Located in the heart of Chinatown, this is the champion for the lunchtime rush, and where you go for the iconic Tian Tian Chicken Rice. There is an ongoing local debate on who has the best chicken rice.
Chinatown Complex: This is the largest hawker center in Singapore, and where the Michelin-starred Soya Sauce Chicken originated. There is something for everyone here, and the bonus is that there is a wet market here if you need to pick up groceries for later.
🍴 The Food Courts: Hawker Favorites with a Breeze
While we loved the grit of the open-air hawkers, sometimes the Singapore heat calls for a compromise. Enter the high-end Food Court—essentially a hawker center with the comforts of AC and slightly more refined seating. These were our staples for a quick, delicious lunch while working or out and about:
Food Republic at ION Orchard: Located in the basement, this was our "Orchard anchor." The decor is designed to look like a 1920s library/colonial street.
Food Republic at Raffles City: This was the perfect "City Hall" lunch time spot in the building where I worked. It’s sleek and always reliable for a quick fix of Yong Tau Foo.
Suntec City (Food Republic / Food Junction): This was another frequent place for a workday lunch. It’s massive and offers every imaginable local dish under one roof, making it a "no-stress" dining choice.
🍢 The Lunch Ritual: Yong Tau Foo
This was my go-to “healthy” lunch, available at most hawker centers and food courts. It’s an interactive meal: you pick your own fresh ingredients—tofu, leafy greens, and fish balls—and have them quickly poached in a clear, light broth. It’s the resident's secret to staying healthy in a city of constant indulgence.
Yong Tau Foo, A “Healthy” Singapore Lunch
🥟 The Golden Snack: Curry Puffs
Never underestimate the power of a good curry puff. You can’t go wrong with the staple from Old Chang Kee, but we’re still hunting down the best handmade versions. That buttery, flaky pastry filled with spicy potato is the best "grab-and-go" fuel.
The Local Spots: Beyond the Tourist Traps
🥣 Local Comfort in a Bowl: Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
If there is one dish that defines "comfort" in Singapore, it’s this peppery essential. Bak Kut Teh translates to meat bone tea, and can be found in most hawker centers and food courts across Singapore. Song Fa Bak Kut Teh on New Bridge Road is one of the places that has managed to go global with its Michelin Bib Gourmand status while keeping its local heart.
The Ritual: Order the Prime Pork Ribs. The meat falls off the bone, but the star is the clear, garlicky, peppery broth.
The Insider Move: The peppery broth is free-flow—don’t be surprised when staff walk by with kettles to top you up! Pair it with you tiao (dough fritters) for dipping and a side of braised tofu and salted vegetables
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, Singapore
🦀 The "Insider" Crab Secret: Melben Seafood
If there is one piece of advice we give everyone, it’s this: skip the neon-lit seafood chains on the waterfront. Instead, head to Melben Seafood. Tucked away in the ground floor of a local HDB (public housing) block in Ang Mo Kio, it is the antithesis of a tourist trap. This is where we go for the legendary Claypot Crab Bee Hoon. The broth is creamy, savory, and soul-warming—it’s the best crab dish in the city, period. The Curry Crab and the Black Pepper Crab are also delicious.
Claypot Crab Bee Hoon, Melben Seafood, Singapore
Curry Crab, Melben Seafood, Singapore
🍲 A Steamy Meal: Hot Pot at COCA
No local food list is complete without COCA @ Takashimaya S.C. While newer chains such as Haidilao offer a lot of fanfare, COCA remains the quality institution for steamboat.
Signature Ingredients: Specialties, including the signature fish glue, shrimp paste, and handmade dumplings.
Comforting Broths: The Hua Diao Phoenix (wine chicken) and Tom Yum broths are long-standing favorites.
🐔 The Chicken Rice Battle
Chicken Rice is available in most hawker centers and food courts, but every expat and local has "their" spot. For us, it’s a toss-up between the reliable classics:
Wee Nam Kee in Novena was a favorite for their chili sauce
Boon Tong Kee on Balestier Road for the consistently silky poached chicken.
Chicken Rice, Boon Tong Kee, Singapore
The Expat Indulgences
🥂 The Sunday Champagne Brunch Spectrum
In Singapore, Sunday Champagne Brunch isn't just a meal—it's a high-stakes competitive sport. These four-hour marathons of free-flow bubbles and decadent buffets were a highlight of our social calendar. Eventually, we had to limit these to once a quarter.
The Gold Standards, The Colony at Ritz-Carlton & Town at Fullerton Hotel: These two heavyweights continue to be the gold standards of champagne brunches. The unparalleled seafood and live stations at The Colony and the riverside elegance of Town remain the benchmarks of sophistication.
The Grand Buffet, The Line at Shangri-La: This is the "O.G." of variety. With its 16+ theater kitchens, it feels like a global culinary tour. It’s high-energy, vast, and legendary for its massive dessert and seafood spreads.
The Modern Icon, Lavo: Perched on the 57th floor of MBS with soaring views, this is the current “cool kid” brunch spot with a modern, party vibe.
The Island Escape, The W Sentosa Cove: The brunch with a "vacation vibe." It’s a party brunch—high-energy beats, an incredible seafood wall, and the ritual of moving from the table to the WET Pool for a late-afternoon dip as the sun sets over the marina yachts.
🌟 Fine Dining Pillars: The Michelin Gems
While some favorite legends, such as Restaurant André, have moved on, these Michelin gems remain the heavyweights of the dining scene:
Les Amis: The "Grand Dame" of French fine dining at Shaw Centre. A 3-Michelin-star powerhouse that has been the site of celebratory dinners since we arrived in 2008.
CUT by Wolfgang Puck: This place brought the "celebrity chef" energy to Marina Bay Sands, and it remains a top steakhouse in Asia. It’s dark, sexy, and sophisticated. If you aren't in the mood for a full steak dinner, the bar at CUT serves delicious drinks and legendary mini-Kobe sliders.
Si Chuan Dou Hua: Still our top choice for Sichuan at UOB Plaza. The combination of the "long-spout" tea masters and the panoramic view is unbeatable.
Burnt Ends: Modern Australian barbecue at its absolute best. It’s been a "must-book" since it opened. Watching them cook over the custom grills is as much about the theater as it is the incredible food.
COTE Korean Steakhouse: A new NYC-style addition at COMO Orchard. It’s sophisticated, fun, and brings a fresh energy to the Korean BBQ experience.
Espresso Martinis at CUT, Singapore
Tray of Korean BBQ at COTE, Singapore
🍸 Bars with a View: Our Favorite Perches
Singapore’s skyline is best enjoyed with a drink in hand. These are the go-to Roofscapade™️ spots. A term coined by a friend as we spent so much time on rooftops.
Lantern at Fullerton Bay: Sophisticated and poolside, looking directly across at the Marina Bay skyline. It feels more like a private lounge than a tourist bar.
LeVeL33: Still the world's highest urban microbrewery. It offers the best "eye-level" view of the MBS ship from across the water.
CÉ LA VI: For the high-energy, "top of the world" MBS experience. It’s the classic spot for a sundowner.
SKAI: Rebranded from the Equinox we knew in 2008, it still offers the most dramatic panoramic view of the entire island from the 70th floor of the Swissôtel.
View from LeVeL33, The World's Highest Urban Microbrewery, Singapore
The Resident’s Pantry: Sourcing the Best
To live in Singapore as an expat is to know where the best ingredients are found. Eventually, we graduated from the supermarket aisles to the Wet Market and the Specialty Grocers.
🥬 The Wet Market Ritual
Wet markets are the places where you find ingredients of a quality and variety that simply don't exist in standard stores. Even if you aren’t planning to cook a meal, it’s worth a wander for the local color.
Chinatown Complex: This market offers a raw and bustling look into traditional commerce. It’s famous for its massive array of live seafood, ranging from river eels to exotic shellfish. There are specialized stalls selling rare local vegetables and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. It’s also directly connected to one of the island's best hawker centers upstairs, making it a perfect one-stop destination for sourcing and eating.
Tiong Bahru Wet Market: The market's Art Deco architecture and airy feel make it one of the most pleasant shopping experiences on the island. It’s known for cleanliness, an easy-to-navigate layout, and high-quality produce. This shopping experience is entirely different from the Chinatown Complex.
🛒 Specialty Grocers
You can find pretty much anything you want to eat in Singapore if you look. Look to specialty grocers for those high-end imports, European cheeses, and "expat comforts" that make Singapore living so indulgent.
The Foodie Marketplace (Tiong Bahru/Outram): We always bypassed the supermarkets for our meat. This butcher is known for its premium cuts—don't be afraid to ask for a specific trim.
Huber’s Butchery (Dempsey): The current standard for high-end expat imports. Unfortunately, the last outlet for our go-to for imported gourmet food, Jason’s Marketplace, closed in 2021.
💡 Final Thoughts
Writing this guide feels like a journey through our own history. In Singapore, memories aren’t just tied to landmarks; they are tied to flavors. We remember the humidity of a late-night satay run at Lau Pa Sat, the celebratory bubbles of a Sunday at the Ritz, and the quiet satisfaction of a "healthy" Yong Tau Foo lunch during a busy work week in Novena.
Singapore is a city that refuses to stand still, and its food scene is proof of that evolution. It is a place where traditions are preserved in the basement wet markets and reinvented on the 57th-floor rooftops. Whether you are sitting on a plastic stool at a hawker center or a velvet chair in a Michelin-starred dining room, the soul of the "Little Red Dot" is always found on the plate. We hope this guide helps you find your own rituals in the city we will always call home.
