Read any guidebook, review any website or watch any episode of a travel show and they'll all recommend the quintessential "Hawker market" experience in Singapore (and most of SE Asia as well). While the idea of street food might turn some people off, but after watching too many episodes of Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations' Singapore stints - we were super keen to see what the fuss was all about.
Hawker Centres are typically open-air complexes consisting of a variety of stalls specialising in one or two dishes each. They're famous for being the cheapest place to eat and a great way to really get a feel for the neighbourhood you're visiting. There's plenty of choice in Singapore when it comes to Hawker Centres/Markets/Stalls and we visited all types - shopping mall sanitised versions, Lonely Planet tourist-recommended versions, stumble-across-it-on-the-street versions and even Hawker stalls that don't even look like they serve food. Its all good.
Here's a few tips that we can share to those in search of the ultimate Hawker experience:
1. Don't over-analyse the experience, just take a walk around and follow your nose.
2. Always check upstairs, even if the bottom floor looks closed. We stumbled upon a hive of activity in the Chinatown complex when the base level looked deserted.
3. Buy your drinks from one stand and food from others. It's rare you can buy both food and drink from the same stall.
4. You usually pay once your food has been brought to the table/served up on your tray and not when you order. Depends on the stall though.
5. BYO tissues and handwipes. There are always people walking around selling packets of tissues as the Hawker stalls don't usually supply serviettes.
6. Don't waste your money on fancy restaurants in Singapore. Hawker centres / open air food courts are the way to go.
7. Check out http://www.myhawkers.sg for a listing and directions to most of the Hawker centres in Singas.
8. Try something new. We discovered some awesome dishes by just checking out what other people were eating and asking for "whatever they're having"
Enjoy!
