Hong Lim Complex

It ain't "Asia Lite".

Food

Service

Atmosphere

"Expensive", "predictable", "mundane", "wide range but low depth", "pristine-clean eating environments".

That's exactly the stereotypes that Hong Lim Complex and its signature stalls go against when one would think about when eating in Singapore. While i'm not disputing it's rank as one of the world's cleanliest cities on the last part, Hong Lim Complex does bring back that raw, edgy, adventurous feel when it comes to dining in Singapore, something long overshadowed and engulfed by the expanding multitude of shopping malls, fast food outlets and brightly renovated food centres. All pleasant but lacking that old world charm and some would say "a sense of culinary adventure" that still exists in other parts of South-east Asia. Well, for Singapore there's always the Hong Lim Complex, away from the tourist crowds.

This place is so mouth-wateringly good and unpredictable in its offerings (some of the best stalls change from year to year) that I don't even have to put out recommendations here on which stalls to patronize. Its obvious. The anytime-of-the-day queues speak for themselves.