Authentic Singapore: 24 hours of Eating

I am incredibly lucky to be able to stay with a host family for my two weeks in Singapore. Living in the suburbs means I can experience the everyday life in Singapore. This insight is something that can be missed by visitors, who are often confined to the main city as this is where most hotels are situated.

Not only do I feel at home with my own bedroom and wardrobe, I am able to relax in the living room with a cup of green tea while my hosts describe the secrets that Singapore has to offer. In Part II of my Authentic Singapore series, I will explore some activities that are available outside of the city and not usually frequented by tourists. But firstly I will talk about my first 24 hours of eating like a local.

Breakfast

We catch the bus and train towards the city from Sembawang (in the north of Singapore) and stop for breakfast at a shopping centre food hall. I am excited to sample all of the new foods that I see, entirely different to my usual bowl of muesli or toast. Here is our selection...

Clockwise from top left:

Meat/Vegetable Steamed Rolls (Bean Curd Wrapper):
My least favourite part of our breakfast, as I'm personally not a fan of the meat inside... It is similar to the filling in an Australian sausage roll, plus mixed vegetables.

Tea
A white cup of tea with a twist: condensed milk instead of normal milk. This adds a sweet and creamy variation to your average cup of tea. A must-try!

Toast with Kaya (Coconut Jam):
The kaya is subtle, but enough to give the toast a nice refreshing and tropical flavour.

Lotus Bun and Custard Bun:
The lotus filling is a thick, dark brown, sweet paste. Bright yellow custard fills the other steamed bun. This marks my first experience of the lotus flavour, and I would definitely eat it again.

Prawn Dumplings:
Despite my surprise that dumplings were featured on the menu before midday, they were delicious. Light, tasty, and with a large prawn in the middle.

Afternoon Tea

After many hours of shopping at Orchard, we decide to take a break and head to TWG, as our late breakfast kept our stomachs content until the afternoon. Upon arrival, I am astounded that the restaurant has a selection of over 70 pages of different tea.

Being an incredibly indecisive person, I peruse through the descriptions of all of the teas and after much deliberation, I finally settle on the coconut tea. I am not disappointed with my selection - it is sweet, light, and delicious.

I also select a mixed berry tart from the trolley of beautiful pastries.

We savour the experience, spending three hours eating, sipping tea, and chatting about life.

Dinner

On my first night in Singapore, we walk to the local seafood restaurant for dinner. I sit back and let my hosts choose the dishes from the menu, insisting 'I am open to trying anything... Except frogs legs!' (which I have spotted on the menu, but tried and disliked whilst in the south of France).

We ate the following food:

French beans
Green beans with salted eggs.

Chicken in Oats
A floury, powdery oat coated chicken with a milky sauce.

Top Shell
The meat from the top of a snail shell. A little chewy, and has a salty seafood flavour.

Lemongrass & Ginger Beef 
Self explanatory.

Buns
Small, golden, perfectly shaped buns. Sweet and delicious, perfect for dipping into the different sauces on your plate.

Chilli Crab
A must-try in Singapore. Keep in mind this dish is hot! I didn't find it too spicy, but I have sampled spicy local food in Penang (on two separate visits), Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur (on four or five visits), Phuket, and Bali (three visits). After my many visits to areas where chilli is used as a main flavour in cooking, I still cannot handle spicy food like the locals... And probably never will. Be aware that your definition of 'mild' will probably differ from the chef!


This was simply my first 24 hours of eating in Singapore, and I am sure I will have many more noteworthy food experiences over the next two weeks. If you have any suggestions of places or foods to try whilst I am in Singapore, please leave a comment :)