Thosai (also spelled dosa) is a savoury pancake served with a slew of spicy dipping sauces. Like so much of the Indian food popular at Singapore hawker centres, thosai are cheap, tasty and 100% vegetarian. The recipe for thosai was brought to Singapore from South India, a region where being vegetarian is the norm. The … read the full post

Vietnam may be better known for fresh summer rolls, but at Singapore hawker centres you’ll find a comparable creation called popiah. Not only do popiah make a healthy snack, they’re a bargain at around S$1.50 per roll. As you may have guessed from its similarity to a spring roll, popiah is a hawker dish of … read the full post

Singapore is famous for spicy, savoury foods like chilli crab and laksa, but what’s for dessert? To satisfy your sweet tooth, head to Dessert Hut where you can sample Singaporean concoctions like mango sago and peanut soup at bargain prices. Dessert Hut is located in Chinatown in the People’s Park Complex, one of Singapore’s less … read the full post

Singapore is an expensive city to spend time in as a tourist, but you can trim some fat from your budget when it comes to meal time. Thanks to the city’s abundant hawker centres, you can get three square meals for around S$10 without sacrificing taste or variety. They say breakfast is the most important … read the full post

If you want to try Singapore hawker food but nothing too exotic, Cantonese roasted meat is the perfect introduction. For only a few dollars, you get a complete meal with rice, soup and your choice of roasted duck, pork or chicken. The stalls are easy to identify too — just look for the display of … read the full post

With its cosmopolitan population – including many Japanese expats – you’re never far from a sushi restaurant  in Singapore. Whether you just want a couple of California rolls in a take-away container or a Michelin-starred dining experience, Singapore has something to satisfy sushi cravings on any budget. Sushi is known for being expensive, so if … read the full post

If there’s one thing that’s universal about the human race it’s our love of barbecue. At Singapore hawker centres, this frequently takes the form of satay – bite-size morsels of grilled meat served with a peanut sauce so good you’ll be licking the bowl. Most satay vendors offer a variety of meats and the usual … read the full post

No self-respecting food lover would come to Singapore without trying the famous chilli crab, but local cooks have plenty of other delicious tricks up their sleeves for dealing with prawns, squid, cockles and even stingrays. If you’re a fan of fresh seafood, you won’t want to miss out on these. While the Mediterranean has calamari, … read the full post

It’s wise to keep an eye out for stingrays when you’re swimming in shallow water, but you should also watch out for them at Singapore’s hawker centres – they’re delicious! Though it may seem exotic, stingray (also known as skate) is available at any hawker stall specialising in fresh seafood alongside the squid, prawns and … read the full post

UPDATE, December 2012: While the coffee still exists, it’s now being served at Chye Seng Huat Hardware and the address below is no longer current. Instead head to 150 Tyrwhitt Road, or contact them on 6396 0609. Describing a cafe as a hidden gem sounds like such a cliche, but it really is a fitting … read the full post