Places to eat in Singapore
Feb 13, 2016, 8:19 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
Places to eat in Singapore
I enjoy eating... a lot. So after my two reports on places to eat in Singapore both posted here on Flyertalk (and on my globetrekka website); I thought it might be nice to have a one stop shop where you can find my reviews on Singapore food. I'll gradually be expanding it to other countries/cities as I travel more. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed eating them!
- Sunday brunch buffet at Brasserie Les Saveurs
- Weekend Brunch Buffet at Yan Ting (and here is another review of my Yan Ting experience)
- La Brezza @ The Regis Hotel, Singapore
- Royal China at Raffles Hotel
- Tomi Sushi
- Battle of the Crabs Buffet, Park Royal on Kitchener (Ends June 2016)
- The Line Buffet, The Shangri La Hotel
- Lawry’s The Prime Rib, Singapore
Last edited by SQTraveller; Apr 15, 2017 at 2:15 am
Feb 13, 2016, 8:53 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
I enjoy eating... a lot. So after my two reports on places to eat in Singapore both posted here on Flyertalk (and on my globetrekka website); I thought it might be nice to have a one stop shop where you can find my reviews on Singapore food. I'll gradually be expanding it to other countries/cities as I travel more. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed eating them!
Sunday brunch buffet at Brasserie Les Saveurs
Weekend Brunch Buffet at Yan Ting
Sunday brunch buffet at Brasserie Les Saveurs
We went for Epicurian Delight which cost S$148++ per person
We went for the Food and Chinese tea option which cost S$108++ per person
Feb 22, 2016, 5:22 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
John Thai, Balestier Food Court
John Thai is a very unassuming stall in the Balestier Food Court, about half way down Balestier Road.
As usual the full technicolour review can be found at the globetrekka website.
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress....1/img_2464.jpg
The Food Court is situated next to its more illustrious neighbour, Boon Tong Kee.
This location is quite good for local food options so if you are interested in staying here there are also quite a number of hotels. I don’t personally recommend any of these places, but they are close by to the food court and have some reasonable rates.
It probably doesn’t make a great deal of sense to go through a blow by blow account of every single dish I’ve eaten there, but I have listed some of my regular dishes below.
Why do I like this place? Well the food is of good quality; the portions are decent sizes; and the prices are low. Most dishes cost less than S$10; and many are close to the S$5 range.
Pork Neck
IMG_2419
Red curry chicken — though the fish is also pretty good
IMG_2421
Sambal French Beans — Also good are the Sambal Petai Prawns; unfortunately that picture did not come out so well.
IMG_2425
Sambal eggplant — always nice when it’s served really hot!
IMG_2491
Fried Hor Fan —not sure what it’s called on the menu, but I ask for Lat Na (pronouced Rat Naa) and this is what you get.
IMG_2449
Mango Salad — not found as widely as it’s more celebrated cousin Papaya Salad, but this one beats the Papaya Salad hands down. At least this version does.
IMG_2471
Honey Chicken — this is my favourite!
IMG_2485
Garlic Chicken — keeps those vampires away for sure!!
IMG_2489
As usual the full technicolour review can be found at the globetrekka website.
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress....1/img_2464.jpg
The Food Court is situated next to its more illustrious neighbour, Boon Tong Kee.
This location is quite good for local food options so if you are interested in staying here there are also quite a number of hotels. I don’t personally recommend any of these places, but they are close by to the food court and have some reasonable rates.
It probably doesn’t make a great deal of sense to go through a blow by blow account of every single dish I’ve eaten there, but I have listed some of my regular dishes below.
Why do I like this place? Well the food is of good quality; the portions are decent sizes; and the prices are low. Most dishes cost less than S$10; and many are close to the S$5 range.
Pork Neck
IMG_2419
Red curry chicken — though the fish is also pretty good
IMG_2421
Sambal French Beans — Also good are the Sambal Petai Prawns; unfortunately that picture did not come out so well.
IMG_2425
Sambal eggplant — always nice when it’s served really hot!
IMG_2491
Fried Hor Fan —not sure what it’s called on the menu, but I ask for Lat Na (pronouced Rat Naa) and this is what you get.
IMG_2449
Mango Salad — not found as widely as it’s more celebrated cousin Papaya Salad, but this one beats the Papaya Salad hands down. At least this version does.
IMG_2471
Honey Chicken — this is my favourite!
IMG_2485
Garlic Chicken — keeps those vampires away for sure!!
IMG_2489
Last edited by SQTraveller; Feb 22, 2016 at 6:05 am
Feb 22, 2016, 8:50 pm
#4
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This seems as good a place to post this as anywhere so here goes. Does anyone have a good recommendation for non-Vegetarian Indian food at a reasonable place (e.g., $10-15 USD for lunch)? The place I've come across is Khansama Tandoori with mostly good reviews on Yelp.
Looking to balance the desire to be adventurous with the stomachs of the two of us who are from the US and are used to Americanized Indian food (e.g., big Tikka Masala fans)
Looking to balance the desire to be adventurous with the stomachs of the two of us who are from the US and are used to Americanized Indian food (e.g., big Tikka Masala fans)
Feb 25, 2016, 5:26 pm
#5
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This seems as good a place to post this as anywhere so here goes. Does anyone have a good recommendation for non-Vegetarian Indian food at a reasonable place (e.g., $10-15 USD for lunch)? The place I've come across is Khansama Tandoori with mostly good reviews on Yelp.
Looking to balance the desire to be adventurous with the stomachs of the two of us who are from the US and are used to Americanized Indian food (e.g., big Tikka Masala fans)
Looking to balance the desire to be adventurous with the stomachs of the two of us who are from the US and are used to Americanized Indian food (e.g., big Tikka Masala fans)
You can always ask hotel staff or concierge, and in Singapore, cabbies are often excellent info sources.
Feb 27, 2016, 2:52 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 977
This seems as good a place to post this as anywhere so here goes. Does anyone have a good recommendation for non-Vegetarian Indian food at a reasonable place (e.g., $10-15 USD for lunch)? The place I've come across is Khansama Tandoori with mostly good reviews on Yelp.
Looking to balance the desire to be adventurous with the stomachs of the two of us who are from the US and are used to Americanized Indian food (e.g., big Tikka Masala fans)
Looking to balance the desire to be adventurous with the stomachs of the two of us who are from the US and are used to Americanized Indian food (e.g., big Tikka Masala fans)
For cheaper eats, try this link.
http://www.thebestsingapore.com/eat-...s-in-singapor/
Samy's Curry is very famous. They are Dempsey Road. I would recommend that. You probably need to take a taxi there and back though.
Feb 27, 2016, 2:59 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 977
Well, since this thread is on places to eat in Singapore, let me contribute.
Itacho Sushi is a chain restaurant that is popular with locals. This particular time I was eating at Star Mall, which is a mall located next to Buona Vista MRT station on the East-West line. I enjoyed watching the chef use his blowtorch.
If you want something more expensive, try this Japanese inspired place at Takashimaya called Angus Takashimaya Charcoal Grill. The cooking was good but prices not cheap.
Itacho Sushi is a chain restaurant that is popular with locals. This particular time I was eating at Star Mall, which is a mall located next to Buona Vista MRT station on the East-West line. I enjoyed watching the chef use his blowtorch.
If you want something more expensive, try this Japanese inspired place at Takashimaya called Angus Takashimaya Charcoal Grill. The cooking was good but prices not cheap.
Mar 5, 2016, 6:42 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 977
If you are referring to how locals eat (since i'm a local), here are some videos.
A Vlog showing various food I had in a single day.
More food. I love wan-ton mee and mee pok tar.
Also, this dish called Kway Chap in Holland Drive market.
Some more noodles and Indian inspired appam at the newly renovated Ghim Moh food center.
This dish is simply called 'Hor Fun' and widely available in Singapore coffeeshops. I had it for supper last night.
A Vlog showing various food I had in a single day.
More food. I love wan-ton mee and mee pok tar.
Also, this dish called Kway Chap in Holland Drive market.
Some more noodles and Indian inspired appam at the newly renovated Ghim Moh food center.
This dish is simply called 'Hor Fun' and widely available in Singapore coffeeshops. I had it for supper last night.
Last edited by iluvcruising2; Mar 5, 2016 at 7:00 am
Mar 5, 2016, 10:25 am
#10
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Wander around Little India and pop into any shop that "smells good to you." Banana Leaf Apolo in Little India is well known. Many hawker centers have stalls selling Indian fare, particularly chicken biryani.
You can always ask hotel staff or concierge, and in Singapore, cabbies are often excellent info sources.
You can always ask hotel staff or concierge, and in Singapore, cabbies are often excellent info sources.
Singapore has many wonderful Indian and Indian inspired restaurants, given our significant Indian community. This blog post gives you some ideas - http://thehoneycombers.com/singapore...yjiAMUUC449.97
For cheaper eats, try this link.
http://www.thebestsingapore.com/eat-...s-in-singapor/
Samy's Curry is very famous. They are Dempsey Road. I would recommend that. You probably need to take a taxi there and back though.
For cheaper eats, try this link.
http://www.thebestsingapore.com/eat-...s-in-singapor/
Samy's Curry is very famous. They are Dempsey Road. I would recommend that. You probably need to take a taxi there and back though.
Mar 7, 2016, 7:49 am
#11
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Posts: 31,452
Wander around Little India and pop into any shop that "smells good to you." Banana Leaf Apolo in Little India is well known. Many hawker centers have stalls selling Indian fare, particularly chicken biryani.
You can always ask hotel staff or concierge, and in Singapore, cabbies are often excellent info sources.
You can always ask hotel staff or concierge, and in Singapore, cabbies are often excellent info sources.
Mar 8, 2016, 6:13 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
Royal China at Raffles Hotel
This is part of my ongoing Singapore Food Tour series on my globetrekka blog.
You may think after reading my previous reviews that I only go for expensive places (namely the Yan Ting and Brasserie Les Saveurs restaurants both at the St Regis Hotel, which this review will do nothing to change. There are a number of reviews in the pipeline that will hopefully change this balance.
The first of the less expensive category I previously covered on FlyerTalk was John Thai at Balestier Food Court and you can see the full technicolour review here.
Back to the the subject of this review. The Royal China restaurant at the Raffles Hotel is not that well known, but is certainly well worth a visit.
The set up at the Raffles is quite interesting. They have a number of their own restaurants which are famous in their own right, but they also lease out space to other businesses. I guess business-wise it may make sense. They spread out the risk to others who then have to make money to survive.
This particular Royal China restaurant is part of the larger Royal China Group which has restaurants mainly across London, but also has branches in Hong Kong, Dubai and Bangkok. The website is not particularly informative about what they are serving neither in the form of menu or in terms of pictures. The website does show some images of the actual restaurant itself, but is actually pretty limited (read: disappointing).
The restaurant can be found on the third floor. If you follow the signs you can’t go too far wrong
. The signs will take you towards the escalators. I certainly advise this over the stairs, especially in this tropical heat. If appropriate to the restaurant, I do put on a pair of trousers and the Raffles certainly calls for it, even if not everyone believes so.
From the third floor, you can get some nice views of the internal courtyards — this one is particularly interesting, as in the top left corner you can see the bling that is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I’ve stayed there, so look out for an out of sequence review of that hotel. Never stayed at the Raffles though. It is such an iconic hotel, I’m sure I will have to stay here at some point.
I don’t know if I think the entrance is too basic or classy. I like the sign, that’s for sure. The colour combinations do work very well. However, I think the actual door entrance is a bit run down. The pale colour could be mistaken for dirty white — almost like it’s not been cleaned. Also the lions at the front I think are bit smaller than expected — I know many families that have the same sized lions in their houses. The Welcome mat? A bit tacky really.
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12501.jpg
All that being said, once you step inside, you realise that if there was appearance money, it was spent where it matters — the restaurant itself.
The decor is very tasteful. The blue make the whole venue look very classy. Not garish at all, almost a powdered blue look.
Of course there are quite a number of tables, but given the setting it is usually quite quiet and an ideal venue for a special occasion. I was just taking some people who were visiting town and wanted to try some dim sum and had never been to the Raffles Hotel, so I managed to kill two birds with one stone.
Like many restaurants they have a specials menu – in this case they call it “Chef’s Special Recommendation”. I’m not sure how often this changes, but I’m pretty sure the duck and the crisy pork belly remain on there at all times!
This is the point at which I let the pictures of the food do the talking. I was impressed with everything here. The only two things I didn’t like were the dumplings in chili sauce and scallop wrapped in shaved carrot (unfortunately I've been unable to get the links to the photos here). I’m sure that they were really well executed, they just didn’t do it for me. I’ve tried to label the food as accurately as possible, and I apologise if it’s not exact.
Char Siu Sou(叉燒酥)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12841.jpg
Siu Yuk (燒肉)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12861.jpg
Ha Gow (蝦餃)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12881.jpg
Prawn stuffed in beancurd skin
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12901.jpg
Vegetable dumplings
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12921.jpg
Deep friend meat with taro dumpling
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12941.jpg
Char siu bao (baked)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12991.jpg
Shumai (烧卖)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_13011.jpg
Egg tarts
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_13031.jpg
You may think after reading my previous reviews that I only go for expensive places (namely the Yan Ting and Brasserie Les Saveurs restaurants both at the St Regis Hotel, which this review will do nothing to change. There are a number of reviews in the pipeline that will hopefully change this balance.
The first of the less expensive category I previously covered on FlyerTalk was John Thai at Balestier Food Court and you can see the full technicolour review here.
Back to the the subject of this review. The Royal China restaurant at the Raffles Hotel is not that well known, but is certainly well worth a visit.
The set up at the Raffles is quite interesting. They have a number of their own restaurants which are famous in their own right, but they also lease out space to other businesses. I guess business-wise it may make sense. They spread out the risk to others who then have to make money to survive.
This particular Royal China restaurant is part of the larger Royal China Group which has restaurants mainly across London, but also has branches in Hong Kong, Dubai and Bangkok. The website is not particularly informative about what they are serving neither in the form of menu or in terms of pictures. The website does show some images of the actual restaurant itself, but is actually pretty limited (read: disappointing).
The restaurant can be found on the third floor. If you follow the signs you can’t go too far wrong
. The signs will take you towards the escalators. I certainly advise this over the stairs, especially in this tropical heat. If appropriate to the restaurant, I do put on a pair of trousers and the Raffles certainly calls for it, even if not everyone believes so.From the third floor, you can get some nice views of the internal courtyards — this one is particularly interesting, as in the top left corner you can see the bling that is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I’ve stayed there, so look out for an out of sequence review of that hotel. Never stayed at the Raffles though. It is such an iconic hotel, I’m sure I will have to stay here at some point.
I don’t know if I think the entrance is too basic or classy. I like the sign, that’s for sure. The colour combinations do work very well. However, I think the actual door entrance is a bit run down. The pale colour could be mistaken for dirty white — almost like it’s not been cleaned. Also the lions at the front I think are bit smaller than expected — I know many families that have the same sized lions in their houses. The Welcome mat? A bit tacky really.
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12501.jpg
All that being said, once you step inside, you realise that if there was appearance money, it was spent where it matters — the restaurant itself.
The decor is very tasteful. The blue make the whole venue look very classy. Not garish at all, almost a powdered blue look.
Of course there are quite a number of tables, but given the setting it is usually quite quiet and an ideal venue for a special occasion. I was just taking some people who were visiting town and wanted to try some dim sum and had never been to the Raffles Hotel, so I managed to kill two birds with one stone.
Like many restaurants they have a specials menu – in this case they call it “Chef’s Special Recommendation”. I’m not sure how often this changes, but I’m pretty sure the duck and the crisy pork belly remain on there at all times!
This is the point at which I let the pictures of the food do the talking. I was impressed with everything here. The only two things I didn’t like were the dumplings in chili sauce and scallop wrapped in shaved carrot (unfortunately I've been unable to get the links to the photos here). I’m sure that they were really well executed, they just didn’t do it for me. I’ve tried to label the food as accurately as possible, and I apologise if it’s not exact.
Char Siu Sou(叉燒酥)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12841.jpg
Siu Yuk (燒肉)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12861.jpg
Ha Gow (蝦餃)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12881.jpg
Prawn stuffed in beancurd skin
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12901.jpg
Vegetable dumplings
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12921.jpg
Deep friend meat with taro dumpling
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12941.jpg
Char siu bao (baked)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_12991.jpg
Shumai (烧卖)
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_13011.jpg
Egg tarts
https://globetrekka.files.wordpress..../img_13031.jpg
Mar 8, 2016, 6:34 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 1,961
It's certainly very well known among locals.
Mar 12, 2016, 4:52 am
#15
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 977
Spize Casual Dining Temasek Club Singapore
Had plenty of good food at Spize restaurant. They have 3 outlets in Singapore, one of which is along Rifle Range Road, Temasek Club. This outlet is opened to public even though this Club was built for officers of the Singapore Armed Forces.
They have an outlet along River Valley (I think) but haven't tried that one.
For something more central (pricey) but with a good new, the Orchard ION restaurant called Salt Bar and Grill is not too bad because they do decent set lunches that won't burn too big a hole in the pocket. Not sure about dinner, it will be a lot more expensive.
They have an outlet along River Valley (I think) but haven't tried that one.
For something more central (pricey) but with a good new, the Orchard ION restaurant called Salt Bar and Grill is not too bad because they do decent set lunches that won't burn too big a hole in the pocket. Not sure about dinner, it will be a lot more expensive.
Last edited by iluvcruising2; Mar 12, 2016 at 4:58 am