The flight to Singapore from Hong Kong is painless. Take off, queue that random Modern Family episode, tuck into an okay airplane meal, nap, and land just before dinnertime. Just prepare for the wave of sticky heat as you head to the taxi stand outside Changi Airport, because for any Hong Konger, this is a different type of heat.
I came to Singapore for the weekend to consume and sweat, the latter involuntary, but the former filled with anticipation. I am a grand fan of the Malay Peninsula and its culinary makeup of neighbouring nations, be that Indian, Chinese, Malay, or Singaporean, so this was a special trip planned.
Unlike Hong Kong, where your typical office worker isn’t visiting a cha chaan teng before their 9AM start, a visit to a breakfast establishment for a typical Singaporean is a religious rite. A prominent place of prayer in the east of the city? Mr & Mrs Moghan Super Crispy Roti Prata in Katong.
Featuring an assortment of prata, puffy Indian flatbread served hot, your morning can kick off to a bright start with their egg prata (SGD2/HKD12) and complimentary fish curry for a necessary eggy and spicy kick. Only 12 hours into my Singapore trip and it started strong.
For my exploration of what makes Singaporean breakfast quintessentially Singaporean, another breakfast place I visited during my three-night-stay was Ah Seng (Hai Nam) Coffee, an institution at the Amoy Street Food Centre in Chinatown.
I ordered two soft-boiled eggs (SGD1.60/HKD9.80), two french toast (SGD4/HKD24.40), and two bread toast (SGD2.40/HKD14.60) for the full package. With their fragrant and devilishly sweet kaya jam made from pandan dolloped on the french toast and sandwiched between the bread slices, this was the perfect breakfast to wake me up.
I won’t forget the flavour combination with the kaya meeting the soy-sauce drenched eggs too.
For lunching around Singapore, two streetside restaurants stood out to me, CitySatay at Satay by the Bay and Rumah Makan Minang in Bugis besides the Sultan Mosque.
My first lunch spot is a heaven for satay meat grilled on sticks. Dodging the throngs of tourists queuing for the attractions at the mega glitzy Gardens by the Bay, I found myself at a cooked food centre shrouded by palm trees and with a plate of meat.
Here, I enjoyed 15 skewered chicken, beef, and mutton sticks (SGD13.5/HKD82.30) with a sloppy and sweet satay gravy to soak up. This is as fresh as it gets for grilled meat in the area, a perfect meaty bite without stuffing oneself.
As for Rumah Makan Minang, this original haunt from Padang, Indonesian dishes out custom nasi padang Indonesian plates, served cafeteria-style to pick out your fancy. Each side and main dish on offer boasts a heavenly aroma with a packing of coconut and chilli. The beef rendang (SGD5/HKD30.50+) was the best dish served, perfectly unctuous, coconut, tender, and rich with a dark curry coating.
I am not a massive fan of modern pop musicians, but when the owner of Hajmeer Kwaja Muslim Food told me that his restaurant served Lady Gag dinner when she came for her concert tour in May, I was excited. The Maxwell Food Centre may be famous for its Haianan chicken rice, but this Indian stall is well worth your visit.
I sunk my fingers and spoon into their mutton murtabak (SGD7/HKD42.70) served alongside a salty mutton curry. The roti pita-like dish drew me in with its lamb mince powered with ground spices and salty undertones. It is a playful dish: rip a piece, swipe up some curry, and guzzle down this salty-spicy mix.
On the bar front, I was pleasantly surprised by Singapore’s cocktail flair connecting to the city’s gastronomical patchwork. In inspiration of Singapore’s Little India, The Elephant Room excellently showcases the flavours of a sub-continent – or neighbourhood – rarely recognised outside its borders.
I enjoyed their Indian As F**K (SGD26/HKD158.50), a tequila-based cocktail with fenugreek and passionfruit. Made simple, the nose of the cocktail has watermelon elements, but once savoured on the palate, you can wean a pickled juice-like flavour, perfect for sour-sweet fans like myself.
Close by to The Elephant Room, Cygnet Bar inside the swanky QT Singapore is one of Marina Bay Sands’ only cocktail bars close to the street action of both Lau Pa Sat and Chinatown. Others are located sky high and sound too posh.
With a menu inspired by famed authors showcased at the New York Public Library’s, each cocktail tells different stories of fictional worlds. For a sweet treat, The Devil Wears Prada (SGD26/HKD158.50) is a quality variant on the porn star martini, cooling you down whilst hyping you up with flavours of passionfruit, pomegranate, vanilla, and citrus.
This bar provokes a calming sensation, away from the noise outside in Lau Pa Sat. The service on the Saturday night we visited was slow, owing to one bartender manning the bar with around 20 guests drinking.
Across town in the CBD lies MOGA, a Japanese cocktail bar located on the ground floor of the Pullman Singapore Hill Street. The Is It Mary? (SGD25/HKD152.40) cocktail takes your classic bloody mary cocktail and puts a togarashi twist to it, adding to the complex spicy and sour mix.
With all their drinks, the flavours are subtle. If you plan to visit MOGA on a night out bar crawl, prepare yourself for a bus back and forth as the bar is located far from other cocktail bars. They close at 12AM.
Before finishing up a night of drinking before a return flight home to Hong Kong, a visit to the MO Bar was in order. I miss Hong Kong’s version which closed down for renovations or a future project in 2026, but Singapore’s version did not lack, especially with its wonderful view of the inner city bay and light show.
In typical Singaporean fashion, I implored myself to enjoy their Reclaimed Sling 2.0 (SGD26/HKD158.50). This recommended signature cocktail is not a twist on the Singapore Sling but a reinterpretation, infusing London No. 3 Gin with a Sling mixture and topping it with an infused lollipop.
This drink encapsulated my time in Singapore: sweet, redolent of a past time, and quintessentially Lion City.
If you are planning a visit to Singapore to luxuriate in opulent food and cocktails, bookmark this page for a wicked city trip next time you head west to Singapore.
