Street food: A Singaporean highlight
Singapore's love affair with food can be best illustrated by the many hawker centers that dot the country. Hawker centers are an institution in Singapore, and it's difficult to find other places on Earth that offer excellent quality street food at reasonable prices and in an immaculate and typically Singaporean environment.
Hawker centers are outdoor food courts that allow the government of Singapore to provide a hygienic alternative to unlicensed hawkers. The outlets mushroomed towards the end of the 1990s and are regulated by the Ministry of Health of Singapore, which ensures that adequate levels of hygiene are maintained within the facilities.
There are more than 110 such centers around the country, and they generally have very extensive opening hours. Many centers open until late and are a good stopover for a post-nightclub snack. For those used to burgers and oily fries at 4 am, you'll be relieved to hear that Singapore offers better options in the form of excellent outdoor dim sum. Hawker centers are also widely popular at lunchtime, and many well-heeled professionals often brush shoulders at anonymous tables for a bowl of laksa before heading back to work. Opinions vary widely regarding the best spots, but wherever you go, you'll almost never go wrong.
The Chinatown Complex Food Centre should definitely be on your list, if only for its sheer size. It's located in the heart of Chinatown and offers more than 260 food stalls and even more market stalls (food and market stalls often share the same roof in Singapore). An excellent spot in the center is the Good Beer Company or Heng Ji Chicken Rice. If you want to be outdoors, walk to the New Chinatown Food Street. It's worth the detour but doesn't really provide as authentic an experience as the stalls inside the Chinatown Complex.
If you want a (former) Michelin star with your street lunch and are ready to line up, head to the Hawker Chan; you can't miss it. If you arrive too late, chances are that the stall will have closed for the day; such is the sheer buzz created by an otherwise unassuming stall.
If you want to go further back in time, head to the Old Airport Road Food Centre. The building houses some of the oldest stalls in Singapore and offers an impressive diversity of options at affordable prices. Nam Sing Hokkien Mee is a great stop but indulge in some window shopping before you make your pick. Other centers worth the detour include Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre, which houses both food and market stalls, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, and the ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre, which should insulate you from tourists for a short while. For some excellent chicken rice, head to the Redhill Market's Hua Kee Chicken Rice.
