ISLAND OF FOOD

Whether you’re looking to spend $5 or $500 on a meal, Singapore has all the options your heart could desire, writes Alexia Santamaria.

It’s a bold statement, but it’s possible Singapore may be one of the best places in the world for an eating holiday. Delicious fare is literally everywhere you go, and you can’t walk more than 20 metres without stumbling on something that looks like you need to consume it – immediately.

From $5 bowls of noodles to expensive multicourse meals cooked by celebrity chefs, the depth and breadth of the food scene is astounding for a 734-square-kilometre island.

Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights.

The neighbourhoods

While many of us know we’ll get excellent noodles, laksa and chilli crab anywhere we go in Singapore, not everyone knows there are some very distinct migrant food neighbourhoods to explore as well. These parts of Singapore are where communities have set up and, luckily for us, have also established eateries selling their traditional food.

A stroll through Little India will reveal an array of food from all over the subcontinent – hot fresh South Indian delights like masala dosa and chole bhature release their heady scents, sweet shops proudly display huge piles of brightly coloured sugary offerings – and all this amid glittering gold jewellery shops, fruit and vege vendors and saree

shops ablaze with vibrant colours and patterns. The Tekka Centre is a great place to taste a wide range of everything Indian, from biriyani to sugar cane juice to curries to street food – and everything in between.

Then there’s Chinatown, where all your dumpling, crispy roast pork and Hainanese chicken rice dreams will come true. There is a mind-boggling array of options, including many Michelin Bib Gourmandrated joints. Hit up Hawker Chan and watch a steady stream of customers ordering heaped plates of soy sauce chicken rice and roasted pork noodles.

There is plenty to explore if you need to walk it off afterwards, too. Hundreds of stalls and shops sell everything from cheesy souvenirs to elegant pottery, chopsticks and bowls; you could lose yourself for hours buying things you don’t have room for in your suitcase.

Then there’s the fascinating and eclectic Kampong Gelam area. In the shadow of the majestic Sultan Mosque, you’ll find restaurants selling kebabs, falafel, shawarma and many other Middle Eastern delights alongside gift stores teeming with beautiful coloured loose tea and spice mixes and, yes, more crockery you’re going to want to take home.

It’s a great area to wander around. There is plenty of delicious food from this part of the world, and just a bit further in Haji Lane are lots of hipster joints, local delicacies, organic cafes and interesting foodie finds (and a few tacky pubs thrown in for good measure).

The food courts

Food courts are an unexpected source of great kai. If it’s too hot for an outdoor hawker centre, you’ll love that you can get tasty food with the same flavours in airconditioning.

You’re spoiled for choice at Marina Bay Sands, where the food court sells everything from fresh juices and fruit to roast duck on rice to local barbecued seafood to Malay hotpot (and much more besides).

Another local favourite is Food

Opera in the basement of ION

Orchard, where you’ll find plenty of Singapore heritage dishes. Hawkers’ Street is in the same building with six carefullyselected famed hawkers (including some more Michelin-accredited joints) all in one place.

The bars

Singapore has a cracking bar scene –it was recently recognised as the host of the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards.

Three of Singapore’s finest made the list: Jigger & Pony, Sago House and Atlas (perhaps one of the most stunning bars you’ll ever sit in), but there are plenty more worth visiting too, like Plume, Offtrack, 28 Hong Kong Street, Manhattan, Nutmeg & Clove, Analogue, Native and Stay Gold Flamingo.

The high-end

While there’s no better way to spend a night than sitting at plastic tables, drinking cold local beer and sharing satay, chilli crab, flaky roti and other street food magic at Lau Pa Sat, there are plenty of high-end options in Singapore too.

Celebrity chefs like Cat Cora, Gordon Ramsay, Bjorn Frantzen, Wolfgang Puck, Malcolm Lee, Han Li Guang and Julien Royer all have places where you can splash some cash on fabulous food, and last year 52 restaurants in Singapore were lauded for their culinary excellence by Michelin.

If you’re up early, join the queue for Cédric Grolet Singapore croissants at Como Metropolitan – some days the line winds round the block, but one taste of that flaky goodness and you’ll see why people do it.

So whether you’re looking to spend $5 or $500 on a meal, Singapore has all the options your heart could desire. If you can dream it, you can probably find it in this island state, and there’s no shame in planning an entire trip around how many different types of cuisine you can consume in one holiday.