Eating My Way Through Singapore in 6 days
I remember once as a kid in Malaysia; my mum whisked me from school and took me to Singapore with her for the day as she had some business meetings to attend to. Did I remember her attending business meetings? Not really but I do remember the both of us sitting in a restaurant overlooking Orchard Road where we observed the people who went by. We had Japanese food; I had an ebi don and mum had an unagi don. I am blessed that at a very young age, I was exposed to different types of cuisines and I enjoy eating as much as I can.
It's not the first time that I have been to Singapore but the past two times that I was there, I did not get to explore the food scene as much as I wanted to. So, this time I made it a point that I would try to hit up as many food places and eat as much as my stomach will let me.
Below are the list of places that I visited whilst in Singapore:-
Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre
Address: 30 Seng Poh Road (10-15 minutes walk from Tiong Bahru MRT)
There were too many stalls to choose from but we settled for the above dishes - lor mee, pork & century egg porridge served with sliced raw fish, chwee kueh and a soya bean drink. My highlight of the meal was definitely the sliced raw fish; the textures and the flavours on the plate worked so well together, a little party in my mouth. If you like sashimi, then this dish will not disappoint you.
The three dishes that I did not get to try as the stalls weren't open yet were Fried Kway Teow, Tow Kwar Pop and Shark Fin Cheng Tng.
The Quarters
Address: Icon Village, 16 Enggor Street #1-09
The Quarters' salted egg fries was not the main reason that I decided to pay this place a visit but let's talk about this dish first. Initially, I thought that their salted egg fries were fries that would be dipped in a salted egg batter and fried up but I was wrong. They served up their crispy fries with a salted egg dip that left me wanting more. Even though it was not what I was expecting, it was still pretty good.
Why was I at The Quarters in the first place? Well, it was for their durian creme brulee! That would come later in a durian blog post :)
Taste Paradise
Address: 2 Orchard Turn (located inside ION Orchard on Level 4)
What is there not to love about dim sum? I love it because there are always so many food items that I can choose from but that also, brings out the greedy side in me where I want to try everything. Usually when one goes out to eat dim sum, one always look forward to their chilli dipping sauce to give your morsel of food a bit of kick. However, Taste Paradise exceeded my expectation in this case. Everything that was served to us on the table was so flavourful that I did not require any kind of dipping sauce at all. It was absolute perfection.
Hachifukumaru Ramen Shop by Nantsuttei
Address: 160 Orchard Road (located in OG Orchard Point)
Usually, I will choose rice over noodles any day but there are certain exceptions like Asam Laksa; Sarawak Laksa; Pan Mee, Char Kway Teow, Loh Shee Fun and Wat Tan Hor which I can never say no to when it's done well. And I can never say no to a good bowl of ramen especially if the soup base is a tonkotsu broth. Nantsuttei's ramen did not disappoint and I enjoyed my meal especially with the extra garlic that I got to add into it.
The only thing that did disappoint though was that one of the waitresses (who is in her mid 40's, I think) was in the foulest mood I have ever seen; all we did was ask her to help us take a photo and she spoke to us very rudely saying "No, I'm too busy. Do it yourself" before proceeding to stand behind our table with nothing to do except fold her arms.
Red Star Dim Sum Restaurant
Address: 54 Chin Swee Road #07-23
This was by far the biggest dim sum meal I had in Singapore indulging in everything that one could possibly think of ordering when out eating with friends. Red Star is probably one of the most authentic looking Chinese restaurants that I have been to where they also have the traditional cart-pushing ladies that are trying to sell you their goods.
As my friend, Sheng puts it "Those cart-pushing ladies are the devils of gluttony, always tempting us with food". I do not disagree with him.
If one does visit Red Star, I highly recommend ordering their pineapple buns. I am usually not a fan of pineapple buns because I find them quite bland as the only crusted top part of the bun has some pineapple flavour on them BUT the ones at Red Star are so good! Their pineapple buns have this amazing chunky pineapple jammy filling and in between the crusted top part and the bun itself, there is more pineapple jam *drools*
Hong Lim Market & Food Centre
Address: 531A Upper Cross Street (8-10 minutes walk from Chinatown MRT)
One thing that is definitely missing in Melbourne is a good plate of char kway teow, not everywhere gets it right. It's not just about whipping up a plate of flat rice noodles with all the ingredients and calling it "char kway teow". The thing I find most important is that the dish must have the right amount of "wok hei", that makes the dish thoroughly enjoyable.
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre has got this right. The plate of goodness that was served up to me was fried with the right amount of "wok hei" and with the addition of cockles and pork lard, YUM.
Maxwell Food Centre
Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street
The say one can't come here and not try the chicken rice. That's exactly what I did, I came here specifically for Tian Tian Chicken Rice and I ate it. For all the chicken rice lovers out there, be sure not to miss out on Tian Tian because it's not your average plate of chicken rice. It was definitely a good plate of chicken rice where the chicken was very tender, the chilli sauce had enough kick and the rice kept you going back for more it. I am glad that I tried it but I have to say, chicken rice is not something I sought after much when I am out hunting for food because mum and I can make a pretty kickass hainanese chicken rice at home.
Porn's Sexy Thai Food
Address: 28 Liang Seah Street
The only reason I even stepped foot into this restaurant was because of if it's name, it was really just for sh*ts and giggles. Was the food sexy? No. Unfortunately, for me, this place was just all about the name. I have had better Thai food in Melbourne, this place just didn't compare.
Paradise Dynasty
Address: 2 Orchard Turn (located inside ION Orchard on Level 4)
I love xiao long bao, there's nothing more to it. My favourite xiao long bao are from Din Tai Fung especially their truffle xiao long bao. Back to Paradise Dynasty, I stumbled across a photo of their xiao long bao on instagram and told myself, "I must have them when I am Singapore". With my heng dai, Tubby, we ate these little soup dumplings.
A very good girlfriend of mine, Michelle brought me here for dinner, specifically for their signature shiok maki. And boy, was it shiok! The pure goodness of unagi wrapped in the rice topped with succulent salmon topped with an amazeball sauce and tobiko...omg. The signature shiok maki at Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is definitely a foodgasm in my mouth.
Changi Village Hawker Centre
Address: Block 2/3 Changi Village Road
Chock Full of Beans
Address: 4 Changi Village Road #01-2090
After a day out at Pulau Ubin, why not stop at Chock Full of Beans for a drink? It's the latte art that totally got me at this cafe, the added bonus is that the drinks are actually good. Michelle's heavenly hot chocolate drink was topped with My Melody and my honey matcha latte was topped with Totoro. Aren't the latte art just simply adorable? I reckon it's cuteness overload, I spent a fair amount of time staring at my drink before I sipped away Totoro's face.
Chock Full of Beans don't just do 2D latte art but also, 3D! If you are ordering one of their iced coffees, be sure to request the 3D latte art to be done to your drink!
Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee
Address: 534 MacPherson Road
The famous Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee in Kuala Lumpur opened up an outlet in Singapore on MacPherson Road. I was supposed to try the chilli pan mee at it's original store in Kuala Lumpur but my stomach space did not permit me hence a visit to outlet in Singapore.
In the bowl, you get the pan mee topped with minced meat, ikan bilis, fried shallots, meatballs and a poached egg. After you've added their signature slow-roasted dry chilli flakes, you mix everything together and devour it. The verdict? Everything tasted good but it's not a dish that I would be having cravings for any time soon, the noodles weren't anything special...it was quite ordinary in terms of it's taste and it's texture. They were just noodles, tasted like ones that I can get at the Asian groceries.
Personally, when it comes to pan mee, I prefer the soup version much more especially my mum's pan mee. My mum's pan mee is the ultimate comfort food for me; other people prefer chicken soup when they are not feeling 100% whereas pan mee will be my number one request :)
Saboten Tonkatsu Changi Airport T1
Address: 80 Airport Boulevard - #031-004 Departure Check-in Hall Level 3 Changi Airport Terminal 1
My last meal in Singapore was at Saboten with it's glorious loin katsu. This piece of meat was breaded and deep fried to golden brown perfection. The crunchiness of it all tasted so good; it was not in any way heavy or oily and the meat was still moist.
Those who pass through Changi Airport either for work or travel are so spoilt for choice when it comes to food! I am definitely envious of those who gets to do it on a regular basis!
If you are making a trip to Singapore, do check out the places that tickles your fancy. Enjoy!
It's not the first time that I have been to Singapore but the past two times that I was there, I did not get to explore the food scene as much as I wanted to. So, this time I made it a point that I would try to hit up as many food places and eat as much as my stomach will let me.
Below are the list of places that I visited whilst in Singapore:-
Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre
Address: 30 Seng Poh Road (10-15 minutes walk from Tiong Bahru MRT)
There were too many stalls to choose from but we settled for the above dishes - lor mee, pork & century egg porridge served with sliced raw fish, chwee kueh and a soya bean drink. My highlight of the meal was definitely the sliced raw fish; the textures and the flavours on the plate worked so well together, a little party in my mouth. If you like sashimi, then this dish will not disappoint you.
The three dishes that I did not get to try as the stalls weren't open yet were Fried Kway Teow, Tow Kwar Pop and Shark Fin Cheng Tng.
The Quarters
Address: Icon Village, 16 Enggor Street #1-09
 |
| salted egg fries |
The Quarters' salted egg fries was not the main reason that I decided to pay this place a visit but let's talk about this dish first. Initially, I thought that their salted egg fries were fries that would be dipped in a salted egg batter and fried up but I was wrong. They served up their crispy fries with a salted egg dip that left me wanting more. Even though it was not what I was expecting, it was still pretty good.
Why was I at The Quarters in the first place? Well, it was for their durian creme brulee! That would come later in a durian blog post :)
Taste Paradise
Address: 2 Orchard Turn (located inside ION Orchard on Level 4)
What is there not to love about dim sum? I love it because there are always so many food items that I can choose from but that also, brings out the greedy side in me where I want to try everything. Usually when one goes out to eat dim sum, one always look forward to their chilli dipping sauce to give your morsel of food a bit of kick. However, Taste Paradise exceeded my expectation in this case. Everything that was served to us on the table was so flavourful that I did not require any kind of dipping sauce at all. It was absolute perfection.
Hachifukumaru Ramen Shop by Nantsuttei
Address: 160 Orchard Road (located in OG Orchard Point)
 |
| chasu-men in a garlicky tonkotsu broth |
The only thing that did disappoint though was that one of the waitresses (who is in her mid 40's, I think) was in the foulest mood I have ever seen; all we did was ask her to help us take a photo and she spoke to us very rudely saying "No, I'm too busy. Do it yourself" before proceeding to stand behind our table with nothing to do except fold her arms.
Red Star Dim Sum Restaurant
Address: 54 Chin Swee Road #07-23
This was by far the biggest dim sum meal I had in Singapore indulging in everything that one could possibly think of ordering when out eating with friends. Red Star is probably one of the most authentic looking Chinese restaurants that I have been to where they also have the traditional cart-pushing ladies that are trying to sell you their goods.
As my friend, Sheng puts it "Those cart-pushing ladies are the devils of gluttony, always tempting us with food". I do not disagree with him.
If one does visit Red Star, I highly recommend ordering their pineapple buns. I am usually not a fan of pineapple buns because I find them quite bland as the only crusted top part of the bun has some pineapple flavour on them BUT the ones at Red Star are so good! Their pineapple buns have this amazing chunky pineapple jammy filling and in between the crusted top part and the bun itself, there is more pineapple jam *drools*
Hong Lim Market & Food Centre
Address: 531A Upper Cross Street (8-10 minutes walk from Chinatown MRT)
One thing that is definitely missing in Melbourne is a good plate of char kway teow, not everywhere gets it right. It's not just about whipping up a plate of flat rice noodles with all the ingredients and calling it "char kway teow". The thing I find most important is that the dish must have the right amount of "wok hei", that makes the dish thoroughly enjoyable.
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre has got this right. The plate of goodness that was served up to me was fried with the right amount of "wok hei" and with the addition of cockles and pork lard, YUM.
Maxwell Food Centre
Address: 1 Kadayanallur Street
The say one can't come here and not try the chicken rice. That's exactly what I did, I came here specifically for Tian Tian Chicken Rice and I ate it. For all the chicken rice lovers out there, be sure not to miss out on Tian Tian because it's not your average plate of chicken rice. It was definitely a good plate of chicken rice where the chicken was very tender, the chilli sauce had enough kick and the rice kept you going back for more it. I am glad that I tried it but I have to say, chicken rice is not something I sought after much when I am out hunting for food because mum and I can make a pretty kickass hainanese chicken rice at home.
Porn's Sexy Thai Food
Address: 28 Liang Seah Street
The only reason I even stepped foot into this restaurant was because of if it's name, it was really just for sh*ts and giggles. Was the food sexy? No. Unfortunately, for me, this place was just all about the name. I have had better Thai food in Melbourne, this place just didn't compare.
Paradise Dynasty
Address: 2 Orchard Turn (located inside ION Orchard on Level 4)
 |
| signature dynasty xiao long bao |
original - ginseng - foie gras - black truffle - cheesy - crab roe - garlic - szechuan
The standouts for me were definitely the foie gras, black truffle, crab roe and the garlic xiao long bao.
Koh Grill & Sushi Bar
Address: 435 Orchard Road (located inside Wisma Atria Shopping Centre #04-21)
 |
| signature shiok maki |
Changi Village Hawker Centre
Address: Block 2/3 Changi Village Road
 |
| nasi lemak |
 |
| black carrot cake |
Before heading to Pulau Ubin for the day, why not stop at Changi Village Hawker Centre for a feed? Thanks to Michelle and her daddy for lining up at the International Muslim Food Stall so that I got to try their famous nasi lemak. The queue for the food stall started even before the stall was open and we all didn't get to dig into our plate of nasi lemak until 30 minutes later! We also had the black carrot cake which was very yummy.
This was all washed down with a good cup of teh tarik :)
 |
| teh tarik is for the soul. |
Chock Full of Beans
Address: 4 Changi Village Road #01-2090
 |
| my melody and totoro |
After a day out at Pulau Ubin, why not stop at Chock Full of Beans for a drink? It's the latte art that totally got me at this cafe, the added bonus is that the drinks are actually good. Michelle's heavenly hot chocolate drink was topped with My Melody and my honey matcha latte was topped with Totoro. Aren't the latte art just simply adorable? I reckon it's cuteness overload, I spent a fair amount of time staring at my drink before I sipped away Totoro's face.
Chock Full of Beans don't just do 2D latte art but also, 3D! If you are ordering one of their iced coffees, be sure to request the 3D latte art to be done to your drink!
Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee
Address: 534 MacPherson Road
The famous Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee in Kuala Lumpur opened up an outlet in Singapore on MacPherson Road. I was supposed to try the chilli pan mee at it's original store in Kuala Lumpur but my stomach space did not permit me hence a visit to outlet in Singapore.
In the bowl, you get the pan mee topped with minced meat, ikan bilis, fried shallots, meatballs and a poached egg. After you've added their signature slow-roasted dry chilli flakes, you mix everything together and devour it. The verdict? Everything tasted good but it's not a dish that I would be having cravings for any time soon, the noodles weren't anything special...it was quite ordinary in terms of it's taste and it's texture. They were just noodles, tasted like ones that I can get at the Asian groceries.
Personally, when it comes to pan mee, I prefer the soup version much more especially my mum's pan mee. My mum's pan mee is the ultimate comfort food for me; other people prefer chicken soup when they are not feeling 100% whereas pan mee will be my number one request :)
Saboten Tonkatsu Changi Airport T1
Address: 80 Airport Boulevard - #031-004 Departure Check-in Hall Level 3 Changi Airport Terminal 1
My last meal in Singapore was at Saboten with it's glorious loin katsu. This piece of meat was breaded and deep fried to golden brown perfection. The crunchiness of it all tasted so good; it was not in any way heavy or oily and the meat was still moist.
Those who pass through Changi Airport either for work or travel are so spoilt for choice when it comes to food! I am definitely envious of those who gets to do it on a regular basis!
If you are making a trip to Singapore, do check out the places that tickles your fancy. Enjoy!
What a wonderful read! You write beautifully, and I enjoyed reading this blog post. Glad you enjoyed your trip in Singapore, and I'm happy to have eaten such yummy food with you and also share with you, snippets of what my life in Singapore is like. <3
ReplyDeleteThanks Mich! I would visit Singapore and do it all over again with you <3
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