Tips for Tackling the Hawkers and Savoring the Foods of Singapore
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
I’ve put off writing this post for a while. Looking back I think it was because I knew once I finished it, I’d be sitting at my computer, one click away from buying a plane ticket back to Singapore. For a city that had us feeling disoriented and mildly disappointed upon arrival, the transformation we underwent in four days was amazing. Our time in Singapore quickly became a visit we wished would never end.
Yes, I did say mildly disappointed. I’m not sure what I expected of Singapore. Now that I think about it I’m pretty sure it was that I wanted the food hawkers handed to me without much work on my part to find them. That was nowhere near the case. As it turns out, though, our adventures in finding them are some of the best memories we have of our time there.
I’ve eaten at busy churrascarias on a Sunday afternoon in Brazil. I’ve shuffled sideways through the tourist filled streets of Prague and a few days before this trip I drug a suitcase through a crowded street market in Hong Kong. Yet, nothing prepared me for the experience that is the hawker in Singapore.
There were bright lights, pictures of foods both familiar and unidentifiable, writing I couldn’t pronounce even if I tried, vendors asking what we were looking for and long lines snaking through the seating area as diners waited to order their food. It was unlike any dining atmosphere I’ve encountered and it was incredible.
Maxwell Food Center
Yes, I often had to take a seat just to get my bearings and soak it all in, but I would go back and wait patiently in a line the length of the building at a hawker in Singapore in a heartbeat. However, when that time comes, there are a few things I learned from this first visit that I will be sure to take into consideration when planning next.
Get yourself a guide. Our first stop was a bookstore in a mall near Boat Quay. I’m sure there are lots of guides that can help you navigate the foods of Singapore, but I wanted this one – Makansutra Singapore 2009
Don’t expect it to be easy. I have to say I’m pretty proud of us for uncovering the locations of the some of the hawkers we sought out. My most vivid memory is the night we searched for the Soup Tulang at the Golden Mile Food Center located on Beach Road. It took a long metro ride, combined with getting lost at night, asking a kind woman for directions, then walking a few blocks until we could smell the food cooking. Be prepared to spend some time traveling to the best hawkers and don’t be afraid to ask for directions.
Plan to be overwhelmed. The lights and people alone may require you to sit and gather your thoughts before decided what to eat and where to order it. You may walk into a hawker knowing exactly what you want to eat, and then once you see the lights, menus and lines, completely forget what you went there for. Take your time and enjoy every bite.
Follow the No Reservations trail. Yes, we did, and do this quite often in our travels. If we hadn’t then we never would have known to look for the Maxwell Food Center on Maxwell Road to try the Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice or the Soup Tulang from Hajir Kadir from the Golden Mile Food Center. It doesn’t have to be a specific guide or show you follow, but the advice of others, even that from national television, can help you discover some delicious food.
Hainanese Chicken Rice from Tian Tian in Maxwell Food Center
Soup Tulang from Haji Kadir at Golden Mile Food Center
But also make your own path. If we hadn’t set off to discover some foods on our own, or simply walked up to some vendors and ordered what looked good, we would have missed out on a lot. This would have included Mee Chiang Kueh (a sweet dough with fillings such as peanut or grated coconut), Roti John (a Panini-like sandwich with eggs and onion), Wonton Mee (egg noodles with pork and filled dumplings), and Chai Tow Kueh or Carrot Cake (white radishes in a rice flour batter with egg, garlic and other veggies).
Carrot cake has no carrots. A mixture of white radish with a rice batter. One of our favorites.
Wonton Mee with pork and plenty of chili sauce and hot peppers.
Forget the numbers. I read a lot of numbers prior to our trip that were supposed to tell me the location of a vendor within a hawker. About the only place this helped was at the frequently visited Lau Pa Sat. Otherwise, I never even saw the numbers on the vendor’s booths. They are difficult to find. Use this method if you choose, but we found it much easier to follow the lines if it is a popular place you are looking for. Otherwise, know what the food looks like or the name and give a random vendor a shot.
Know the schedules. While the numbers didn’t help us, hours of operation did. This is where a book like the Makansutra guide comes in handy. Some hawkers like the Maxwell Food Center cater more to the lunch crowd while you can get some foods at other hawkers like the one in Chinatown until late at night. Vendors also have different closing days and they can be random such as Tuesdays twice a month. If you have your heart set on trying a food find out the location and schedule of the specific vendor so you don’t miss out during your visit.
Ah Boling - Glutinous rice balls with fillings such as peanut, red bean paste or yam. We passed on the Durian.
Mee Chiang Kueh. Almost sold out when we returned after lunch so we only tried to coconut and peanut.
The articles, television shows and travel blogs don’t lie. Singapore is a food paradise. We enjoyed some of the most outstanding food we’ve ever had the opportunity to try. And it’s not just the food, but the experience surrounding it. Long lines, dumplings being rolled, oil splashing out of hot woks, food slapped quickly on a plate cooked to perfection – there is simply nothing like Singapore.
Destinations, Food, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Travel Advice and Tips
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Food, hawker, Singapore, Southeast Asia, tips, travel
Themocracy
Oh boy does that look like fun!
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Oh my, you have me wanting to get a plane ticket back to Singapore – what an amazing adventure that town is and so different than Hong Kong. I agree with everything you say about that place. I had a huge advantage on you. My college room mate is from there and still lives there – she took us around and gave us a locals kind of tour. We did well, but by the looks of it you did not do badly yourself. I have to go back and take my husband – I really want to share this experience with him/
I so envied your SE Asia tour! It’s something that I hope my husband and I will an opportunity to do soon. Thanks for this primer – while it’s part of the fun adventure to discover things on your own, it can also be frustrating. Knowing the hows and wheres allows us to focus on the most important adventure – eating! 8-D
kat – Words cannot fully express the fun involved.
OysterCulture – An insider’s perspective?! I can’t even imagine how much more fun Singpore would be in that situation. It is going to have to be a repeat destination on our list for sure. I think about wanting to go back there on at least a weekly basis.
Tangled Noodle – I know what you mean. I like to have a good balance of guidance and freedom to discover. I like to know what I’m looking for at some points and others discover what wasn’t expected.
I just got back from Singapore with my kids. Although I grew up in Singapore, it changes so much each time I go home. Even the Hawker Centers change. I must say that you are incredibly resourceful and adventurous to have tried so many of the best Hawker stalls in Singapore. Beyond the typical tourist Hawker centers like Lau Pa Sat and Newton Circus, finding the right stalls to visit in obscure Hawker centers is a challenge! But it’s where the best eats are in Singapore. Most locals accumulate knowledge of where the best stalls are through word of mouth over decades!
LiLing – Well it is quite an honor to be considered resourceful and adventurous by someone from the area! I find both the food and food culture in Singpore incredibly interesting. I’m so glad we were able to find some hawkers off the beaten path. It was certainly worth the extra effort for the food and the people we conversed with while there.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Fake Food Free, Reeds Cooking. Reeds Cooking said: #Cooking The 3 Star Traveler » Tips for Tackling the Hawkers and Savoring …: It took a long metro ride, combined… http://bit.ly/asQ8o9 [...]