5 MUST Eat Dishes In Singapore (by a MALAYSIAN)

must eat dishes in Singapore
Must eat cheap Singapore dishes by a MALAYSIAN

I have been visiting Singapore consistently for the last 20 years it is the ultimate foodie paradise and so in today’s video I’m going to be showing you six Singapore dishes that I consistently eat whenever I’m in the lion City

hey guys it’s Steve from the phatlifeproject and today I’m going to be your food guide through the bustling streets of Singapore

By the way this article is basically an excerpt of my youtube video which I will link here in case you wish to do this mukbang style instead hehe

1. Kaya Butter Toast and Half Boiled Eggs

must eat Singapore dish - ya kun kaya toast

And I don’t think there is a better way to start your food trip day in Singapore than with a traditional Singapore kopitiam breakfast

We are here inside the Paragon shopping center conveniently located in along Orchard road if you’re here visiting you’re probably staying around the Orchard area so this is a fantastic spot to start off your day kopitiam breakfast at Ya Kun kaya toast

This is Ya kun kaya toast it is renowned for offering up an authentic Singapore kopitiam breakfast and have been doing so since 1944 and this is the Ya Kun signature set comprising of some half-boiled eggs a cup of of coffee and their signature kaya toast for $6.30 SGD

I always start off with the half-boiled eggs as I like having them warm one thing that’s quite unique in Asia is we have our soft boiled eggs should be had with soy sauce instead of salt as well as with a dash of white pepper 

Next up is the signature Kaya toast which is a must eat Singapore dish, it features thin slices of toasted bread paired with a rich aromatic Kaya Jam made from coconut and eggs and also some butter you can sometimes also choose to dip this in the half-boiled eggs but I like to keep my food items separate

The heat of the bread melts the butter up and having that with the warm Kaya is absolute HEAVEN!

2. Chwee Kueh

But I am SO excited to show you this next stop as it serves a Michelin award winning version of one of my FAVOURITE childhood snacks, chwee kueh

Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh is located at the Ghim Moh Road market and food center which is roughly an 11 minute walk from the Buena Vista station at store #01-54

The pricing is also extremely reasonable as you can see here you get anything from 4 for $2.40 SGD to 20 for $20 SGD

must eat singapore dish - chew kueh

Chee kuih is a quintessential Street Food in Singapore it is basically a steam rice cake they usually put it in a tray and steam it, the results are these bite-sized cakes are made from a smooth mixture of rice, flour, water steamed to a soft and delicate texture

It is then as topped off with Savoury, crispy radish which is stir fried with a mix of shallots, fried shrimp and preserved soy beans and the final combination of the flavours is honestly quite unique.

must eat in Singapore - Chee kueh

Taste wise the rice cakes were soft and pillowy, you can definitely taste that it was made to order the radish on the top also has a bit of shrimp paste in it which gives it that salty umami 

It was delicious and this is pretty darn close to what I used to eat as a child I definitely recommend you check them out

3. Soy Bean Milk and Tau Fo Fah (Soy Pudding)

I had intended to have this next one at the end as dessert but it is quite hot in Singapore and as i was leaving the Ghim Moh Road Market I saw a stall with  a long queue selling another one of my must eat dishes in Singapore, Tau Foo Fah aka Soy Bean Pudding (豆腐花)

This is Whampoa soybean located ar stall #01-02

must eat singapore dish - soy bean pudding
must eat singapore dishes - soy milk drink

Soybean curd pudding is known as Tao Fu Fa and it is a beloved dessert in various Southeast Asian countries including China, Taiwan, Malaysia and obviously Singapore and the key thing to getting this right is to have the tofu curd silky smooth and I have to say that this one looks promising because it jiggles!

The silky smooth bean Curd is commonly served with a sweet ginger syrup or brown sugar syrup

And you know it’s good when it’s so silky smooth it just goes down the hatch I mean honestly if you’re still not quite sure if you want to give this a go you have nothing to lose apart from $1.80 Singapore dollars by trying this

But it’s so hot so I had to get something cold to drink on the way back to the MRT station so I also got this cold soybean drink with some grass jelly toppings as well, in Malaysia we call this the “Micheal Jackson”

This was $2 and was pretty darn good

Whampoa Soybean definitely is one of the better takes on Soybean Pudding that I’ve had in Singapore

4. Hainanese Chicken Rice

We are now moving locations to the Chinatown complex food Center located at 335 Smith Street Singapore

I don’t know if there is a more quintessential Singaporean Dish than hainanese chicken rice it should honestly be on everybody’s list of foods you must eat when in Singapore and so here we are this is 169 hainanese chicken rice

must eat singapore dish - hainanese chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice is one of my favorite Singapore street foods and this spot is highly popular as it took me 30 minutes to get my hands on some chicken rice for $5 SGD

There are a few components that tells you if a chicken rice is worth your time first of all you got to have nice soft tender juicy chicken pieces then next up you want to have rice but not just any kind of rice it needs to be chicken rice not plain white rice

So what is chicken rice? chicken rice is a rice that has been cooked using the rendered chicken fat that was produced during the making of the chicken itself the rice should be so flavourful that you can have it on its own without anything!

Whist the serving size was a bit on the smaller size the flavours of this chicken rice was pretty darn spot on!

Also the smaller serivng size works in your favour if you wish to try a few more things around Chinatown Singapore

5. Bak Kut Teh

I am now at City Hall station heading towards our next Food location Song Fa Bak Kut Teh that serves up a michelin bib gourmand recognized take on bak Kut Teh a Singapore Street eats classic and they’ve been doing this since 1969

What is bak Kut Teh? It is a dish that instantly reminds me of my childhood it is basically an herbal soup dish consisting of savoury broth and tender pork pieces

Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶) literally translates to meat bone Tea in hokkien ironically enough no tea is actually used to make the soup. The heart to a good bowl of bak Kut Teh is actually the flavourful soup made by simmering pork ribs and some sometimes other pork pieces with a mix of herbs and spices there are some Regional variations of this for example I’m from Malaysia so I’m used to my bak Kut Teh having a darker broth but as you can see Singapore’s take of bak Kut Teh has a clear broth. This bowl of bak kut teh at Song Fa cost me $8.80 SGD

Singapore Bak Kut Teh - Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
Singapore Bak Kut Teh
best bak kut teh singapore
Bak Kut Teh Malaysia

Either way though I love the herbal Taste of the soup you will definitely find the broth to be jam-packed with flavors and also with a strong peppery kick to it don’t forget to have your soup with some of the fried dough fritters it is so good and the pork ribs here were also so tender

6. Oyster Omelette

But Oyster omelette (Orh Jian) to me is unquestionably the standout dish in Singapore’s hawker food scene and as far as I’m concerned you can get an oyster omelette anywhere in Singapore and it will be good however today we’re going to kill two birds with one stone we’re in Hougang to go check out an oyster omelette store that was recommended by a Singaporean YouTuber alderic according to him this is the best oyster omelette in Singapore so I had to come here to Hougang Oyster Omelette & Fried Kway Teow to find out if it was true!

best oyster omelette singapore

What is oyster omelette? Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎) is a must try singapore dish consisting plump juicy oysters enveloped in a fluffy, slightly crisp omelette 

I got the oyster omelette for $6 SGD and I was definitely already impressed pre tasting with the serving size and the sheer amount of oysters present in the dish

I can defintiely see what alderic is talking about, what this spot does very well is balancing the crunchy bits, eggs elements of the dish while at the same time somehow keeping the oysters juicy and tender 

I HIGHLY recommend!

Outro

I do hope that this has been deliciously insightful in helping you figure out a few places to eat at while you’re in Singapore 

If you love food be sure to also check out my video showing you 10 CHEAP Michelin Eats you MUST TRY in Chinatown Singapore

Planning a trip to country you’ve never been to before can be stressful trust me i get it, thats why I previously did another video detailing all the things you need to know before your first trip to Singapore that I feel could be helpful for you

So that you dont make all the mistakes i did during my 1st trip there

I have linked that video here in case you want to check that out and while you’re there why not subscribe so we can go travelling together? 

If you have more questions, do check out the rest of my content on YoutubeInstagram and TikTok or send me a DM there!

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Traveling to Singapore? Book your activities via KLOOK using my discount code PHATLIFEPROJECTKLOOK for 10% OFF (new customers only)

Lastly, watch this space for more PHAT updates on Singapore!

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Steve Chong

food and travel Blogger

Hi there and welcome to the Phat Life Project a blog dedicated to helping you simplify your travels by showing you PHAT things to see, eat, do and try one city at a time

When I’m not travelling though I’m usually living the PHAT life in Sydney.

Phat (Adjective); Definition: Highly Gratifying

All my content is free to read and watch – I do not specifically get paid to write any articles or to travel

If you’ve found value in the content I share, I’d love a coffee. Thank you!

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