This long-time PeopleAsia contributor and high-society chronicler spent three eventful days in the city-state on a food trip like no other. Here are his recommendations.
Text and photos by Pepper Teehankee
How could I say no when the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), together with Travel Warehouse and Cebu Pacific, invited me on a three-day food tour of Singapore? For a food lover like me who, like most of you, has hardly traveled outside the country to try new restaurants and dishes during the past two years, this was a dream trip.
Here are some of the highlights of my three days of nearly non-stop eating and restaurant-hopping in the city-state and one of the acknowledged food destinations in the world.
Chef, author and culinary teacher Christopher Tan prepares kueh in The Kitchen Society
Chili Crab at Keng Eng Kee
The Kitchen Society
After breakfast on day one, we headed to The Kitchen Society (https://thekitchensociety.com/), an old house refurbished and converted into a cooking school where we meet teacher, host, author an my namesake Christopher Tan.
The man behind the bestselling book The Way of Kueh, Christopher gave us cooking lessons for three types of kueh—a Singaporean snack that may be sweet or savory, baked or steamed, depending on how you like it.
Of course, we sampled the delicious snacks he made that day with gusto. I even received a copy of his book, which he graciously signed.
Keng Eng Kee
We then headed out to lunch at Keng Eng Kee (https://kengengkee.oddle.me/en_SG/), a local Chinese restaurant which started as a hawker stall in the 1970s.
Known for its excellent and authentic Singaporean food that included extremely delicious dishes like chili crab, salted egg crab, coffee pork ribs, clay pot pork liver and prawn rolls, Kung Eng Kee’s offerings, as expected, didn’t disappoint.
Assorted Singaporean delights and the famous Nyonya rice dumplings at Kim Choo
Kim Choo
Still feeling a bit sleepy from that hearty lunch we had, we soon trooped to Singapore’s east coast to visit a store called Kim Choo (https://www.kimchoo.store/). (No, it has nothing to do with Filipino actress Kim Chu.) Here, we headed to an old house above the store where we learn more about Peranakan cuisine.
Also known as Nyonya, today’s Peranakans are descendants of early Chinese migrants from the mainland who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, intermarrying with local Malays. Call it “fusion,” if you must, but their food is divine!
Kim Choo (https://www.kimchoo.com/) is famous for their rice dumplings (similar to our machang but with different stuffing), which we were able to try along with more kueh.
Ngoh hiang at True Blue Cuisine
True Blue Cuisine
After having had three meals, almost one after another, we weren’t finished yet. This time, we headed for True Blue Cuisine (https://truebluecuisine.com/), an acclaimed restaurant serving Peranakan food.
Smoke and Mirrors
After the savory dinner, we headed to our first bar, Smoke and Mirrors at The National Gallery. Currently ranked 60th in Asia’s list of “Best Bars,” not only did it serve some of the best drinks I’ve had in a long while. The place also offers a breathtaking view of Singapore. This was just day one.
Smoke and Mirrors bar
Mummy Soh at One Kind House
Day two at One Kind House
The start of day two brought us to One Kind House (https://www.onekindhouse.com/), the house the Soh family built in the Kampong area where a mix of Malays, Eurasians and Chinese all lived. The very animated Mummy Soh met us by the door and greeted us in Filipino!
She employs two Filipino household staff who have been with her for years. Mummy Soh taught us how to make some of her dishes as we volunteered to help her prepare our Kampong lunch. What was also delightful about the experience was most of the herbs and vegetables come from her garden.
When she was done, Mummy Son managed to prepare an excellent lunch for us with the wagyu beef rendang with dark chocolate as a highlight. If you intend to go, and you should, it’s best to make a reservation first, as the place has become a tourist magnet of late.
Proprietor and mixologist Yugnes Susela of The Elephant Room
The Elephant Room
Afternoon drinking was on the agenda, as we later proceeded to The Elephant Room (https://www.theelephantroom.sg/), which has rightfully earned a spot on Singapore’s 50 “Best Discovery” list. Owned and operated by Yugnes Susela, the former chief bartender of Smoke and Mirrors, the place is inspired by Little India.
To keep guests coming back, Yugnes creates amazing cocktails using various mixes from his extensive collection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic ingredients. Perhaps as a tribute to his roots, every edible tonic and syrup in his cupboard are all made in India.
He also has wonderful small bites, including his spiced buttermilk chicken burger with curry aioli, to go with his excellently crafted cocktails.
Hainanese chicken rice at Chatterbox
Grilled corn with chili yogurt at Open Farm Community
Burnt Basque cheesecake doughnuts at Sour Bombe
Chatterbox
Dinner later that evening was at Chatterbox (https://www.facebook.com/chatterboxsingapore). This institution, which has developed a cult following, has now moved to its new and beautifully designed location at the Hilton Hotel, also along famous Orchard Road.
I must admit, I didn’t have a very good experience at Chatterbox before, but I’m glad I gave it another chance. This time, I was pleasantly surprised, as I immensely enjoyed the dinner its staff prepared.
Of course the house’s specialty is its Chicken Rice (which is 27 Singaporean dollars as opposed to four to eight Singaporean dollars per serving among the city’s food hawkers). Yes, it was well worth the price considering the place’s ambiance and the number of people under its employ.
But I’d rather I’d rather get their flavorful lobster claw laksa and their excellent kway pie tee, which are little crispy cups filled with seafood and vegetables.
Nepalese minced chicken momo dumpling at Coriander Leaf
Day three at Open Farm Community
Our third and final day was more relaxed, as I and started the day at noon for lunch at Open Farm Community (https://www.openfarmcommunity.com/), a pioneering urban farm and restaurant concept. Their extensive menu offers several choices of local and international cuisines.
Sourbombe Artisanal Bakery
Our afternoon, meanwhile, was spent in Sourbombe Artisanal Bakery (https://www.sourbombebakery.com/), a relatively new store owned and managed by Genevieve Lee, one of the finalists of the first season of MasterChef Singapore. We had the unique opportunity to learn how these to-die-for sourdough doughnuts were made and had actually experienced shaping the dough, frying them, coating them with sugar and stuffing them.
Indeed, it was a one-of-a-kind experience that only STB could pull off. Their doughnuts currently come in six flavors and, I kid you not, everything I’d tried was very good!
Coriander Leaf
Time flew fast and it was time for our final dinner. We went to Chijmes (yes, the place where the church scene from Crazy Rich Asians was shot) to go to the very popular pan-Asian restaurant Coriander Leaf (http://corianderleaf.com/).
Chef, author and the restaurant’s culinary director Samia Ahad briefed us on each dish prepared for us, which included traditional and modern interpretations of Indian, Pakistani, Burmese, Thai, Singaporean, Vietnamese and French dishes which Coriander Leaf is known for. We also had Nepalese and Bangladeshi dishes that night.
Consider this article as a list. The best of STB. The best of Singapore. Follow it, pick from it and research from the links I provided. This gives you an idea of how diverse the food scene is in Singapore. It is, without a doubt, a food-loving country. Like Filipinos, everyone I know there always talks about where to eat next while still eating their current meal. That’s how much they love food. No wonder food in Singapore—more often than not—is very good!
Singapore no longer requires quarantine or any form of COVID-19 tests for Filipino tourists, as long as they’re fully vaccinated, to be able to enter the country. And owing to its proximity to the Philippines, Singapore should be a priority on every Filipino’s list. An ideal place to visit, relax, shop and savor good food, as we all brave the new and still-evolving normal.
Check out Travel Warehouse for amazing package deals to Singapore. Visit Travel Warehouse Inc.’s Facebook Page at @Travel Warehouse Inc. or visit www.twi.com.ph or call/text their Director of Sales Joseph Pelagio at (0917) 3131217. Visit www.cebupacificair.com or @Cebu Pacific Air on Facebook for flights to Singapore. Also check out www.stb.gov.sg.
