One Day in Singapore (That Felt Like Three)

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Modes of transportation: 🚗👟⛴️ 🚊

Singapore is a city known around the world for its cuisine, especially its street food in food stall centers called “hawker” stands. It just sort of turned out that we booked a hotel right next to 3 of the 5 best hawker stands in the city, so we were able to just walk out of our hotel and eat at some of the best food in Singapore (the night before, we went to one of the most famous in the city by pure chance, but the best stalls were closed).

First up, we wanted to try one of Singapore’s classics: chicken and rice. It’s deceptively simple: roasted or poached (if hainanese style) chicken over fragrant rice, often with some greens and a savory sauce over the top. It’s just one of those really simple foods done right, and chefs from around the world come to try it. Specifically, many of the best stalls have pictures with Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey, who have left great reviews.

First stop was in the Maxwell stand right out of our hotel (where we ate last night) for Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken, which always boasts a line. The chicken was flavorful with a special house-made sauce, but the rice was even better. We tried a place next door, Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken, which was also delicious and very similar, though the rice was even more flavorful.

Next, we wanted to switch things up and be more adventurous, so we tried an oyster patty at Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake, which was some sort of beans and oysters fried in a patty. It was very crispy and pretty good, and we both enjoyed it. Sarah also got a coconut to drink, and they opened it up for her.

At that point, we had basically had enough of first lunch, and went to a nearby tea house called Silk. We didn’t realize just what we were getting into—it reminded Eric of a craft brewery or winery. The bar was empty (we were early in the day) so we grabbed the best table in the house. We ordered the “do it yourself” option, and the server sat with us and taught us how to make the tea, as well as where it came from and what notes we should be tasting at different stages of the process.

Here’s the process: first, you smell the leaves and heat up the pots and cups. Then, you rinse the leaves and smell again. Then, you steep (very quickly: 3-15 seconds) before pouring into the decanter. Then, you pour a little into the glasses and drink. There are about 5 rounds of this before the leaves are done, so you just repeat this methodical process for an hour and a half. We tried two different teas, both amazing in their own way (and Eric isn’t much of a tea drinker).

After that, we headed over to another of the famous hawker stands in China Town. This one had way more stalls, and was overwhelming. Eric looked for some recommended stalls, but couldn’t find them, so he spent a while just wandering around. We ate at “Hawker Chan” (formerly Liang Fan Soya Rice and Chicken), famously the first hawker to end up with a Michelin star (and the chicken and rice is only about $3 US). Unfortunately, it lost its star in 2020, but it’s still a Michelin recommended stand. This was probably our favorite chicken, but Eric thinks that we had better rice earlier—though the savory sauce on top of it was delicious.

Sarah got some dessert soup, which was hot almond milk with sesame/bean filled dumplings (best thing all day!) and fried dough since she wasn’t too hungry, and Eric went off in search of more stands.

Eric figured out how to read the map, and found some highly recommended steamed dumplings at Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao (also Michelin recommended), which were amazing with their ginger vinegar. He also ordered a mango smoothie and some braised beef hot pot, which were both excellent.

We both wanted to see some of the city, so we sped out of there back to our hotel to change before heading out for a river tour.

We ended up having to speed walk about 20 minutes to ensure that we caught the 5:00 PM boat tour, so we were sweating pretty heavily in the 90 degree heat by the time we made it. Turns out, the boats run horribly late, and we didn’t need to run at all. Luckily, we did stop to get a really good-looking almond croissant on the way (accepting the risk of missing the boat cruise. It just looked so good.)

The tour was cool, though not too long. Our digital tour guide was pretty interesting, and definitely gave us a flavor of the city, culture, and government. Sarah loved the views of the skyline and various skyscrapers—especially the one that looks like a big boat on top three towers.

After that, we decided we had just enough time to check out the “Gardens By the Bay”, a garden with futuristic tree-like sculptures and forests of local greenery. We did the self-guided tour, which was free, and gazed at the sculptures from the ground. We kept going the wrong way on the way back, ending up in the wrong side of a small lake—but again, we made it back to our hotel in time to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was at a Michelin star restaurant named Candlenut, as recommended by Zoe, a friend of Eric’s from college who lived in Singapore for three years. It ended up being a marathon of food that left us both satisfied, but so full we could barely walk out.

The food was world class and interesting. It’s amazing how tiny little bites can add up and make you so full.

We ordered wine and they let Eric try it, even though Sarah is the expert there. Eric offered it to her and she said: “I trust you” but that was a mistake. He knew it was “bold” as the waiter suggested, but it was maybe too bold. Oh well, it was too late. It ended up turning out well, since it did end up pairing well with the heavy dishes to come.

We started with four appetizers that were fancy versions of common Peranaken dishes (mixed of Singaporean, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisines, among many). Each was delicious. The chef and waiters also explained every dish in great depth, but it was so much information that we couldn’t keep track of it all. We need a full course on Asian cuisine before going back.

The soup course was an amazing beef soup called buah keluak, which looked very similar to gumbo. It even had a lot of the same flavors, though it used 40-day fermented buah keluak paste as the base to impart richness instead of a roux. Apparently, those nuts cause dizziness and fainting if they’re not prepared properly. According to Zoe, it’s a hard dish to find in a restaurant, so we’re glad we got to try it (and didn’t pass out)!

Then, we had five different entrees—and Sarah, thoroughly full, panicked because she thought those were just more appetizers with the main course to come.

For dessert, we had three classic dishes, and they even threw in a celebratory mini-cake since it was our honeymoon. We could barely eat another bite by the time we left—possibly due to our late lunch. But either way, we had a great time and a memorable experience.