Singapore to Savour: iconic dishes and where to find them

The main island of Singapore is only a little over 42km in length, but it’s home to an incredible mix of nationalities. From Auckland it’s only 11 hours in the air to Singapore and Kiwi travellers are making the most of good deals and lower hotel prices on the island. See Expedia’s Singapore Holidays for flights and hotel packages.

One of the best ways to get a sense of the island’s diverse heritage is to start eating – hawker stalls, food courts and restaurants serve a variety of cuisines. From spicy laksa soup to chilli crab, there are a few quintessentially Singaporean dishes that should be sampled when you’re in town. Here’s our guide to the best places to try them.

Hainanese chicken rice at Tian Tian

This relatively simple dish of steamed chicken and rice might not sound like anything exciting, but ignore it at your peril. Tian Tian started life as a humble hawker stall and is now a well-respected empire with three outlets spread across the island. The woman who began the operation is Madam Foo Kui Lian and she still regularly presides over the kitchen with spoon in hand, ready to check each dish.

Served slightly chilled, this surprisingly flavoursome dish is really refreshing on a hot day, although the optional chilli sauce can ramp up the heat levels. The tender chicken is great, but the bed of rice it sits atop is just as important. Smooth and rich with a hint of garlic, the rice is so good that we (and food guru Anthony Bourdain) suggest eating it on its own. Tian Tian, 443 Joo Chiat Road

Chilli crab at Hua Yu Wee Seafood

The seafood market out at East Coast Park is worth a visit in its own right – grab a seat among the open-air stalls and kick back with a beer and a plate of steamed clams. It’s close to the airport and a great destination if you’ve just landed with a rumbling stomach.

If you’ve got more time and want a really special night out, head to Hua Yu Wee Seafood. This humble old colonial bungalow houses an incredible array of weird and wonderful-looking seafood residing in tanks out front, but the chilli crab is the dish that put this place on the map. Prepare to get messy as you extract meat from the huge crab claws and soak up the spicy sauce with a wedge of fried man tou (Chinese bun). Hua Yu Wee Seafood, 462 Upper East Coast Rd