Singapore Street Food

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese chicken rice is widely considered to be Singapore's national dish. First blanched in boiling water and then dunked in an ice bath before being sliced, a well-prepared chicken has tender meat tinted with a thin layer of congealed fat. Its rice, cooked in chicken fat, chicken stock, pandan leaf as well as ginger and garlic, is aromatic and fluffy.

Where to get it:

Wee Nam Kee, 101 Thomson Road #01-08, United Square. Vital Intel: A perennial favorite among food-lovers staying in central Singapore, the chicken at this decades-old stalwart is sufficiently succulent, the rice fragrant yet not too oily, the ginger dip addictive, and the chili sauce well balanced. Order the kai lan vegetables with shallots on the side to go with your chicken rice. Wee Nam Kee has several branches in and outside Singapore; the Thomson Road outlet is its flagship. Open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Uncle Chicken Rice, 348 Simpang Bedok #02-24, Bedok Marketplace. Vital Intel: A little off the beaten track but totally worth the schlep for the moist and succulent poached chicken paired with light and fluffy chicken rice. Don't forget the chili sauce and punchy ginger dip. Open daily except Mondays, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Char Kway Teow

One of Singapore’s most well-loved street foods, this dish is so named for the kway teow (flat rice noodles) that are char (stir-fried) in a wok over high heat with dark soya sauce, blood cockles, bean sprouts, and Chinese sausage slices. The most tasty plates in the city are often crowned with crispy cubes of deep-fried lard.

Where to get it:

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee, 531A Upper Cross Street #02-17, Hong Lim Food Centre. Vital Intel: Widely considered to be among the best char kway teow in Singapore, this stall is relatively empty in the morning, but come any later and expect a crowd. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Hill Street Fried Kway Teow, Blk 16 Bedok South Road #01-41. Vital Intel: This char kway teow differs from the rest because the hawker uses Chinese chives, considered a delicacy. Open daily except Mondays, 12 to 4 p.m, 6 to 10 p.m.

Bak Chor Mee

Popular among the Chinese community, bak chor mee (or minced pork noodles) are blanched thin egg noodles tossed in oil, black vinegar, a feisty chili paste, and served with minced pork, pork balls, pork dumplings, pork slices, bits of crispy pork lard, and, in some cases, umami-packed pieces of dried sole fish that has been fried to a crispy, golden hue.

Where to get it:

Tai Wah Pork Noodle, 531A Upper Cross St #02-16, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre; website. Vital Intel: Order it dry and come as early as 8 a.m. to avoid the queue. Open daily including public holidays, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tai Hwa Pork Noodles: (466 Crawford Lane #01-12,Tai Hwa Eating House; website). Vital Intel: Open daily except the first and third Mondays of the month, 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m

Kaya Toast

Whether it’s for breakfast or afternoon tea, the combo of thinly sliced toasted bread slathered with kaya (a thick jam made with coconut, sugar, and egg) and a square of butter to go with a cup of coffee and black sauce-drizzled half-boiled eggs is a quintessentially Singapore experience. Some stalls sell the kaya spread on its own, in case you want to bring a jar back home as souvenir.

Where to get it:

Tong Ah Eating House, 35 Keong Saik Road. Vital Intel: This stall does not serve the best kaya toast in the city, but the experience of eating this uniquely Singaporean breakfast along a five-foot way outside a shop house in Chinatown is unbeatable. Don’t forget to wash it down with half boiled eggs and a cup of kopi (local slang for coffee). Open daily, 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Chin Mee Chin Confectionery, 204 East Coast Road. Vital Intel: Visit this old-school coffee shop for house-roasted coffee beans, homemade buns, and their very own kaya jam. Open daily except Mondays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.