Singapore Travel Guide

Singapore's national dish — whole Sri Lankan mud crab stir-fried in a tomato-egg-chilli sauce that's simultaneously spicy, sweet and savoury. Scoop it up with deep-fried mantou buns. The best versions are at Long Beach or No Signboard Seafood — expensive but unmissable.

Poached or roasted chicken sliced over rice cooked in chicken broth and served with ginger sauce, chilli sauce and dark soy — Singapore's ultimate comfort food. Tian Tian at Maxwell Food Centre has had a Michelin Bib Gourmand for years; the queue tells you everything.

Singapore's most complex noodle dish — egg noodles and rice vermicelli in a rich coconut-spice broth with prawns, cockles, fish cake and a dollop of sambal chilli. Katong laksa (spoon-ready, no chopsticks needed) and Marine Parade's 328 Katong Laksa are the legendary versions.

Singapore's quintessential breakfast — charcoal-grilled bread spread with kaya (coconut jam) and cold butter, dipped into barely-set soft-boiled eggs seasoned with soy and white pepper. Consumed with extremely strong local coffee (kopi) at Ya Kun Kaya Toast. S$6 for the whole set.

Flat rice noodles wok-fried with Chinese sausage, cockles, bean sprouts and eggs in dark soy over extreme heat — the 'wok hei' (smoky charring) from a hawker master's seasoned wok is irreproducible at home. Order the version with extra cockles; order it extra dark.