Good day beautiful people,

Exactly three weeks ago I moved to Singapore, completely open-minded for new tastes utterly different from the European cuisine. I should mention that I am getting quite experienced with using chopsticks, so you should trust me with this food review! :)

What are the hawker centres?

The very first thing that came to my mind when I saw Local Dishes Contest Announcement is hawker centres! Really, when you ask locals in Singapore where to try local food, the answer is:

You should any hawker center. We almost always eat there.

Bukit Panjang - my favourite hawker center

Those are dining complexes in open-air buildings that provide a variety of inexpensive food options. They were set up as a more sanitary option than outdoor street-side dining. Common tables and chairs are provided for customers and the culture of dining in hawker centres is something really typical for Singapore. In fact, this year in March Singapore submitted its nomination to inscribe its hawker culture on UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. If you like it, you can support it here!

Chicken rice and laksa

The two dishes that you have to eat if you are visiting Singapore. It's like a croissant and wine in France, waffle and beer in Belgium, cheese and chocolate in Switzerland.

But it's not all about chicken rice and laksa, no one eats it every day. Chicken rice is also very boring and basic meal, at least for me who ate this very often back in Croatia where a typical lunch is chicken and rice or pork and potato.

Michelin-starred meal for less than 2$

If you are into visiting some really special food places, I would recommend eating in those two stalls:

• Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle
• Noodle and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

They are cool because both are located in, of course, hawker centers and in 2016 they became the first street food vendors to be awarded a Michelin Star for excellence in eating. But then again, local people don't eat there often and the queue is always too long!

So where to eat the best local food in Singapore?

The best advice in my opinion is don't overthink this. Don't spend time googling the best restaurants, you will probably end up in some "local" place full of Caucasian people and you don't want this if you are looking for something local. Also, don't be fooled by old-looking places that might even look ugly, those are true gems operating for many years because they have good quality food and tradition. From my experience, you cannot go wrong with stands having the best food in Singapore award but also give a chance to the others. :)

Just put yourself in the local mindset and listen to your appetite! Go to any hawker center in your neighborhood and walk around, feel that beautiful local vibe and choose what looks the best to you. People are so friendly, they will even approach you and recommend you what to eat if they see you wandering around!

My favourite hawker

It's pretty near where we live and we go there every Saturday/Sunday for a lunch. There is also a local market right next to the hawker center where you can buy beautiful fruits, vegetables and many other things for a lower price than in supermarkets. Here are some dishes we enjoy:

This was quite spicy! It's really cool how your meal stays hot the whole time because of the hotstone bowl and I liked a lot of veggies inside. The soup is also awesome for eating during the meal. In Croatia we usually ate soup before the main dish.

Satay is tasty! It comes with great peanut sauce and it's perfect for a lunch or an evening snack with a beer.

Our Singaporean friends said this is the best curry ever! Chinese curry is not as spicy as Indian and it's usually cooked with coconut milk. Egg prata is perfection!

Mee rebus was really nourishing vegetarian meal I enjoyed a lot. I started to enjoy a lot vegetarian food here.

And this is my yesterday's lunch from the awesome vegetarian stall in Bukit Panjang.

In conclusion, the culture of eating at hawker centers is my favorite thing in Singapore. Not only they are cheap and hygiene levels are high which gives you a confidence to eat new, unusual dishes, but the atmosphere puts you in a warm and dynamic multicultural Singaporean mood. Those are places where you can truly enjoy a variety of foods and appreciate life. :)

All the best!
Ivna

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Restaurant Information

Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre

2 Bukit Panjang Ring Rd, Singapore 679947

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[Living in Singapore] Hawker centres
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