Hawker stalls
Author: Anothertravelguide.com0 COMMENTS
You have to try it at least once. Hawker stalls are a version of the street eateries typical of Asian countries and have to thank street vendors for their name; hawkers used to wander the Singapore streets carrying small portable stoves and cooking meals for anyone who had a couple of cents to spend. Now these places have become static and sheltered, and can be found practically in all districts of the city. During the day stalls are cram-full. You can taste anything, from fresh juice to Chinese noodles, a great variety of sea food and Asian sweets. The food is cooked on the spot, and you have to pay only when it has been served. It is not that easy to find a vacant place in hawker stalls: it is busy like a beehive in the middle of the day. Hawker stalls are another proof of the world-famous Singaporean cleanliness. Although the climate is hot and humid and food is being prepared all over the place, you won't see a single fly anywhere, and the only thing you are going to smell is mouth-watering kitchen aromas. Leave your prejudice of plastic plates at home: this is an ideal place for lunch, not only because of the local colouring but also due to perfectly rational considerations. Most Asian dishes are cooked for immediate consumption and that's obviously best done on the spot, at a place where food is prepared in front of your eyes. Avoid Newton Stalls, the ones most touted by travel guides as they are the most touristy. There are food stalls in every district of the city, and the best places are easy to find - just choose the ones that are packed. You will find it's not that simple to spend eight dollars for your lunch there.
Lu Pa Sat, 18 Raffles Quay, is considered the most refined of these types of places (if this particular attribute is applicable to food stalls).
Maxwell Food Centre (junction of South Bridge and Maxwell Road) - ideally located, just a stone's throw from Chinatown. Gourmets may check out www.makansutra.com first; the website contains all the relevant information, including even the top rated food in each of the stalls. $