Taste of Singapore: The Hawker Centers
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Whenever I get home from one of my trips, the first thing people always ask me is “How was the food?!” Which, given my culinary background and penchant for all things cooking and eating, that question is totally appropriate. Even though I live, breath and dream food, I don’t always know quite how to answer it. I smile and say “oh it was amazing!” Which, as a writer, is a total cop out. But in all honesty, it’s hard to sum up a culture’s food in one reply over dinner or drinks. If I said what I really thought, which was the food evoked feelings of complete and utter ecstasy for me, that each bite of this or that made me feel like I wasn’t a stranger anymore, that I was somehow apart of where I was just by eating the food that makes it up. That I felt closer to each chef, each mother, each father and daughter who made my meal and I could almost taste the love and tears they put into it.
Because really, if I said that, I’m pretty sure no one would ever talk to me again. That’s the type of thing one of those guys at Starbucks says when people ask him about the screen play he’s writing. I may think a little outside of the box, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to talk like I belong at some obscure NYC coffee shop wearing a beret and smoking long cigarettes.
So, when I was asked “how was the food?” after my week in Singapore, I responded with my usual “it was amazing!” But I did that because I knew I would write a post about what I ate. I knew I would weave my stories of my visit with the incredible food I consumed at each point. So, friends, here’s what I ate, in a few more words than “it was amazing!”
Now, I could probably talk for 15 blog posts about the incredible food in Singapore, but that’s the blogging equivalent of giving a long lecture on the lifespan of ants, so I’ll skip that. Instead I’m breaking my experience up into two posts, starting with (arguably my favorite food culture in Singapore) the Hawker Centers.
I ate at some very incredible restaurants in Singapore, but the meals I most remember are the humble ones I enjoyed at one of the many bustling Hawker Centers of Singapore. Hawker Centers are semi-enclosed buildings that are home to hundreds of small (1 – 2 people inside) food stalls, putting out everything from tofu noodle bowls to pigs head fried rice and durian candies. You won’t pay more than $10 for a meal at any one of them and most are open all day long. At first glance, the stalls seem overwhelmingly cluttered, with teetering towers of pots, pans and utensils and people yelling orders to each other in different languages. Your first time ordering from one will be scary, but as soon as you sip or bite into the dish they created, you’ll know why millions of people go there every year.
Like the food truck culture in the US, there isn’t just one Hawker Center to choose from. There are a ton, ranging in prices and the type of cuisine they serve, like Malay, Singaporean,Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern, among others. Hawker Centers are Singapore’s version of street food and, honestly, they make it easier to get a true taste of Southeast Asia in one foul swoop. The most popular hawker center for tourists (and some locals) is the Maxwell Road in Chinatown. Here you’ll find the famous Tian Tian Chicken Rice, which has been rated the best chicken in rice in Singapore. If you don’t mind really long lines, I’d highly recommend going there. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t my favorite, but it’s worth a try. Plus it’s right across from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, so the views are pretty stunning.
The first Hawker experience I had in Singapore was on my second day there. Purely by accident, I stumbled into People’s Park Food Center and was immediately shuffled among thousands of hungry Singaporeans looking for lunch. Everyone from businessmen in 5,000 dollar suits to teenagers to elderly women were in line waiting for a bite of their favorite cuisine.
The moment I stepped into the packed center, I was bombarded with an incredible array of smells. The tangy aroma of spicy BBQ sauce being brewed on the stove. The familiar scent of pork being seared on an open flame. The natural sweetness of the sugar cane and the thick spice of roasting chili peppers. It was, without sounding corny, a symphony of incredible flavors being thrown at me at once. In addition to smells, I noticed all of the different sounds and sights. The clamoring of pots and pans on the stove, the clink of silverware hitting the plates and bowls, the laughing of people as they told stories about their day. The loud and bustling sounds only showed me that I was exactly where I needed to be. Even though I was slightly out of my element, I walked around to take heed of the different stalls. Some had really long lines, some had no lines at all. After doing a full circle, I decided to go with my gut and stand in a rather long line for what appeared to be differing bowls of spicy soup.
I had no idea what to do, so when it came my turn, I ordered a number off the menu and moved aside. The women behind me took notice of my “deer in a headlights” look and offered me a tray and a spoon. I thanked her and waiting patiently for my soup. It was a crazy experience. As I waited people blurred by me, some with trays filled with incredible looking food and some with wide eyes (like mine), in search of their next meal. When my soup came out, it looked nothing like I thought it would but smelled absolutely heavenly. I grabbed a beer, sat down at one of the remaining tables left and dug in. Sweet and sour with the perfect amount of spice, that tofu noodle bowl was even better than I expected it to be. After I ate, I just sat and watched the people buzz on around me. In thirty minutes I knew exactly why people rave so much about the Hawker Centers in Singapore.
In addition to hundred of food stalls, many of the Hawker Centers are home to wet (fish and meats) and dry (fresh fruit, vegetables, breads and sweets) markets too. These are usually right in front of the actual food stalls and create a different level of foot traffic to an already busy area. In these markets is where you’ll find a Singapore favorite fruit, the durian. I won’t talk much about this pungent fruit, but I’ll just tell you this. There’s a very good reason why this particular produce is illegal in America and I hope that law never, ever changes.
After trying a handful of Hawker Centers around Singapore, I have to say my favorite is Tiong Bahru. Not only is the market home to some of the most popular food stalls in Singapore, the actual area of Tiong Bahru is really incredible. It reminded me of a less pretentious Williamsburg. There are trendy book stores, homemade pottery studios, low-key coffee shops and quiet cafes. It was definitely far less overwhelming than Chinatown, which is where we stayed.
I think what made our experience so pleasant here was the fact that we went during an off peak time (it was around 3pm) so we didn’t have to stand in line or dodge people to order our food. Even though it was fairly empty, a few stalls still had lines, which helped a non-local like me figure out which place was worth visiting. While there, we stopped by the Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice, Tiong Bahru Lee Hong Kee Cantonese Roasted, Teochew Fish Ball Noodle and the Kampong Carrot Cake stand.
Probably my favorite meal of these was the chicken and rice. It sounds bland, I know, but the chicken is slow-roasted to perfection and is served with a warm, decadent gravy which has a ton of flavor. Another front runner was the slow roasted pork from the Cantenese Roasted stand. The pork was melt in your mouth tender with just the right ratio of fat to meat. Plus, the spicy sauce it’s served with had just the right amount of kick. After our meal, we cooled down with a sugarcane juice. This stuff is no joke. The stall owners use a machine to manually extract the juices from the sugar cane plants every single day. Could you imagine?
It’s not very pretty, but it’s pretty incredible to watch them do this by hand. The juice is sweet, but not processed sweet. It tastes natural and fruity. The perfect after spicy food sip, if you ask me.
Another center worth checking out is the Makansutra Gluttons Bay, which sits right across the bay from the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel. It’s been curated to be more upscale so it caters to the elite visiting the Marina Bay district, but you’ll still find incredible deals on traditional foods here for less than $5. The Lau Pa Sat Festival Market is another great one to visit if you’re in the Business district. Just do not go during lunch time or you’ll be stuck in lines for hours between fast talking businessmen. The best time to go is right before the lunch rush (around 11) or right after (2 – 3). The only downside of this is many of the stands may be closed.
I’m already working on a visit back to Singapore so I can try every single Hawker Center the city has to offer. Each center is so different, so full of unique and incredible flavors. And the food is just so good. Every stall has something fresh and authentic to try. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that Singaporeans have eating, or makan, down to a beautiful science.
Singapore is very much a foodie nation - sure we have our fair share of Michelin starred restuarnts but the best food is definitely found at the various hawker centres. They are so affordable that many local families eat out every night vs. cooking in small cramped kitchens.
My only wish was that there were a few more healthy options at them otherwise i'd be there far more often! Let me know if you come back to Singapore and i can take you to some of the less touristy Hawker centres!