Gnarfgnarf restaurants in Singapore

Ask for less oil!

Chilli pork is rather sweet!

Food stalls abound!

FOOD FOR THE SAVVY

Singaporeans live to eat. Enjoy all types of food at all types of places here, from cheap food stalls to phenomenally expensive restaurants, and from authentic Asian cuisine to fusion East-meets-West creations to imported Western delights. For the adventurous tourist, I would recommend the following.

hawker centers

Check out the hawker centers in Singapore. Great Asian chefs gather in hawker centers and make culinary magic in their respective stalls. Dress code here is super casual. Shorts and t-shirts will do in these non-air-conditioned food havens. Bring tissues for sweat and smoke. Hygiene standards are well regulated but expect some dirt and grime at peak time. Hit the hawker centers at Newton, Serangoon (the hawker center here is appropriately named Chomp Chomp), Adam Road (the hawkers here specialize in Malay and Indian food) and Maxwell Road.

Newton and Chomp Chomp serve great Chai Tau Kueh (Fried Carrot/Turnip Cake). This dish is fabulous! Pieces of turnip are violently tossed about in a huge wok with eggs, pickled vegetables and garlic! Bust your diet and boost your cholesterol but don't miss this fantastic dish. Price - not more than US$2.50

Try the Murtabak at Adam Road hawker center. This is an Indian pancake filled with minced mutton, onions and more onions. Fried till crispy on a heated pan by chubby Indian chefs. Served with a curry dip. Fabulous! Price - not more than US$3.00.

Down some Teh Tarik (tea that has been pulled) to dilute your breath. This interesting drink is sweet and milky. Watch the chef as he repeatedly pours the tea into a mug placed as low as where his knee is. If he's a true expert, not a drop of tea is wasted. Appreciate the naturally generated froth. Have a few mugs, this is latte Singapore style! Price - not more than US$1.00

Feast on barbequed seafood at Newton. Seafood stalls are littered throughout Newton hawker center. Competition is extremely stiff but prices never go as low as they should. Don't bother choosing from the many stalls there. You will be approached by hoards of walk-around waiters. Try the crayfish, tiger prawns, stingray and clams. All very yummy. Price - depends on the type of seafood. Expect to pay more for shelled items.

Have some durian (thorny tropical fruit that leaves an everlasting pungent yet fragrant smell on everything within its vicinity) and sugarcane juice to quench your thirst. Price - not more than US$1.00

Pig-out on Kueh Chap at Maxwell road. Kueh Chap is a porky dish so it's non-halal. Flattened and square noodly things are drowned in a strong brown pork broth. Very tasty. Served with hard boiled eggs, bean curd and various piggy body parts, ranging from intestines to fatty skin. Not sure if you can get trotters and ears but check with the chef. Price - depends which body parts you choose. Should not exceed US$2.50 per person.

aircon eateries

Lots of small Asian eateries in Singapore. For more than hawker center prices, you can get great Asian food in comfortable air-conditioned surroundings. See if you have time or money for the following.

Crystal Jade Kitchen - several branches throughout Singapore, but the best branches are in town. Great noodles and porridge here. Try the frogs legs porridge and the fried beef Kuay Teow (white flattened noodles). Air-conditioning and fast service. Queues at busy hours. Price - not more than US$4.50 per person.

Sanur Restaurant - few branches throughout Singapore. Serves mainly Malay and Indonesian delights. Try the sweetened bean curd dish. Healthy and delicious! Several choices of curries. Price - from US$6.00 per person.

Peranakan food is the creation of Straits settlers of the former Malaya. My personal favorite. Lots of wonderful curries. Super spicy but definitely worth the pain. Try the Fish head curry at the Peranakan restaurant at Hotel Negara. Check out the Assam Prawns too or you'll live to regret it. Fabulous Ngoh Hiang (deep fried stuffed spring roll with chili dip) too! Other good peranakan restaurants also at Katong in the East. Price - from US$6.00 per person

Singapore has some fantastic Thai restaurants. Baan Thai at Takashimaya shopping center and Than Ying at Clarke Quay are pricey but absolutely unmissable! Try the Thod Man Pla (Thai fish cake). Served with a sweet and spicy plum sauce with peanuts. Green curry is a must. Heroes who do not fear intestinal warfare must try the Tom Yam soup! Very tasty! If your health permits, have the mango or pomelo salads too! Though they appear seemingly innocuous, vicious bits of chili are scattered throughout the salads, often cloaked beneath the lettuce and cucumbers. Impossible to detect but you will know when you've hit the chili-mine. Ying Thai at Purvis street and Sup Sip at Chun Tin road are excellent Thai eateries too. Less pricey and more modern surroundings. Price - from US$7.00

For some local delights at tea time, check out Ya Kun Kaya toast stall. This phenomenally successful little coffee shop is now located in the heart of the commercial district. Go to far east square and look out for a corner non-air-conditioned shop. Very thin slices of locally made breads are coated with heavy slabs of butter and Kaya. Kaya is the Asian equivalent of jam for bread. Very sweet and fragrant, this dark greenish brown paste has a typically Asian flavor. Super tasty, no words are adequate to describe its wonderful flavor. Check it out! Also get your Singaporean Kopi-Oh (black coffee, Singapore style) and Teh-Si (tea with milk, Singapore style) at this little eatery. Price - from US$1.00 depending on how much you order.