Originally Posted by
MilesAndMore
Been grounded for the past year, so its been this little red dot day in and day out. As the population of this place has grown, so has the crowding in reputed restaurants to the centre of town. Places like Boat Quay were always a tourist haunt, but locals hardly venture there, I am told. So I am hoping residents can share their picks - places frequented largely by locals.
Christep has a point about 25% of the residents as being of foreign origin - so you'll have foreigners at just about any restaurant. But I'd take your meaning of resident as being mostly people who are born Singaporean (we can include their close cousins any Malaysians who are living here). There's even a local name for them, which is they're called heartlanders - folks who live in the Housing Development Board (public housing) districts mostly away from the city center. With due respect to UK1, there are restaurants to go to, however note that most of the ones I mention below are local style restaurants that operate in the kopitiam (coffee shop) type restaurants - no aircon, quite sultry.
I have always had a soft spot for chicken rice. I like Loy Kee on Balestier Road, also Boon Tong Kee - they're on Balestier, also a branch on River Valley Road. A few doors down on River Valley is Five Star - haven't tried it but the reputation is good. Oh yes, the Chatterbox restaurant at the Meritus Mandarin hotel (Orchard Road) is well known for their chicken rice; odd but sort of neat that a hotel coffee shop actually has good food.
You can also try out the various coffee shops along East Coast Road near Katong Shopping Centre that serve laksa - there's something like three of them close by in cutthroat competition with each other but you can sample and decide for yourself what's good.
Last - Samy's on Dempsey Road (Indian food) - excellent curry! (But not for those who are tender of tongue!)
PS Jpatokal - looked up your list. What happened to those places that you crossed out?