Showing 1-12 of 12 results
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Blue Ginger
Fashionable, homely shophouse restaurant dishing up all the rich, spicy, sour Peranakan favourites, including the signature ayam panggang (grilled chicken in coconut and spices) that is the restaurant's claim to fame.
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Bras Basah Food Court
Surprisingly untouristy, this cooks up Malay and Chinese favourites - the chicken noodle oyster sauce from May Flower (stall 79-05) will fill you full of carbs.
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Charlie's Peranakan Food
When chef Charlie Tan retired 10 years ago, people kept begging him to cook for them - so he went back into business! The essential Peranakan staple is ayam buah keluak (chicken with black nut) - Charlie's version is brilliant.
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Guan Hoe Soon
Claims to be the oldest Peranakan restaurant in Singapore and makes the most of its status as Lee Kuan Yew's favourite, but in a city rich in food mythology and boastful claims, this kind of information cuts little ice. It's the food that does the talking - and the food here shouts pretty loud. Try the sotong sambal (squid in sambal) or, our favourite Peranakan dish, ayam buah keluak (chicken cooked with black nut).
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Hong Lim Complex
If you're sick of bumping elbows with tourists, head for this pocket of old-time Chinatown, where 'uncles' sit around watching the world go by and foreign faces still draw attention. The food centre is routinely overflowing with people - try the famous Outram Park Fried Kway Teow (Block 531A, 02-18), its Cuppage rival (Block 536, 01-129). If the hawker centre looks too full or intimidating, try Wuhan Food House (01-33).
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House of Peranakan Cuisine
This place milks the heritage/tradition/nostalgia angle for all it's worth. Labour-intensive meals are prepared with aplomb, many featuring the definitive Peranakan 'black nut'. Shame about the Michael Buble soundtrack.
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Maxwell Rd Hawker Centre
If you want to get down and local in Chinatown, Maxwell Rd is it (along with Chinatown Complex). Sip soupy, sump oil-like coffee with the 'uncles' in the morning, or battle the huge crowds at lunchtime. Stalls slip in and out of favour with Singapore's fickle diners - look for the queues to spot this week's fad. And who could pass up a bakery stall called Bread Pitt?
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New Bugis Food Village
At the centre of Bugis St Market, this has Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Chinese and an embarrassing 'Western' food outlet. It's stifling during the day, the pink plastic chairs taking on a surreal appeal.
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Newton Circus
Vibrant and noisy, this famous hawker centre still has a great atmosphere. You could eat here for a year and never get bored. Well-known stalls include Boon Tat BBQ seafood, Hup Kee oyster omelette (stall 65) and, next to it, Singapore's most famous fishball noodles. Touts can be a problem for foreigners, but ignore them. The best stalls don't need to tout.
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Old Airport Rd Food Centre
One of the great things about eating in Singapore is that the most unappealing-looking places often house the most revered hawkers. This hidden nook boasts Matter Rd Seafood (sign is famously misspelled, but famous for white-pepper crab), Toa Payoh Rojak and much beloved fried Hokkien prawn noodle.
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Peramakan
Run by a genial couple of cooking enthusiasts, this paragon of homestyle Baba-Nonya cuisine has migrated from its spiritual Joo Chiat home, but the classics such as sambal (spicy shrimp paste) squid and rendang (spicy coconut curry) remain as good as ever.
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Sungei Rd Laksa
Selected by the Makansutra street-food guru as Singapore's best laksa - and who's to argue? Apparently this laksa master uses only charcoal to keep his precious gravy warm and, unlike other successful hawkers, refuses to open other branches. Get there around or after to avoid the lunchtime rush.
Showing 1-12 of 12 results
