
A History of Singapore in 10 Dishes - Thevet
https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2019/a-history-of-singapore-in-10-dishes/
======
GlenTheMachine
Sambal stingray is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. But
really, the entire time I spent in Singapore was a foodie's paradise. If you
want to experience the entirety of Asian cuisine in only one stop, make that
stop Singapore.

~~~
sho
> If you want to experience the entirety of Asian cuisine in only one stop,
> make that stop Singapore

I have to disagree with that. Genuinely good vietnamese, thai or even japanese
food is pretty hard to find in singapore, and believe me I tried. Its
specialities are dictated by its influences - southern china, malaysia of
course, india, to some extent indonesia. The rest is decent of course but I
just don't think there's an adequate population of, say, vietnamese in the
city to sustain a general standard of quality comparable to what's available
back home. Just try and find a good pork Banh Mi in singapore, I dare you.

If I had to name the city with the best general variety and everyday average
standard of asian food - believe it or not I'd probably say Sydney.

~~~
dewhelmed
Singaporean in Sydney here -- I've barely found any decent Asian food in my
time here, not to mention the exorbitant prices. Could you recommend some
options? I'll love to improve my food options here.

~~~
riatin
I find that hard to believe, which area are you in? I have a list I normally
give to friends visiting, I'll pare it down to some of the best Asian options
though

Dumplings - Chinatown Noodle King (also ridiculously cheap, order the Fried &
Spicy Pork & Chive ones), Ramen - Ryo's, Thai - Khao Pla (used to be amazing,
not so sure about the quality now), Viet - Hello Auntie, Banh Mi - anywhere in
Cabramatta, Izakaya - Yakitori Yurripi

~~~
Quiza12
I never thought I'd see the day where Chinese Noodle House gets a run on
Hacker News (albeit in a comment). But can definitely second this for
dumplings - my favourite place to go after uni.

~~~
sho
Just to add a useless comment to this three day old thread - I have been
conducting an ad hoc, opportunistic global calamari survey and I remain
convinced, until conflicting evidence emerges, that Golden Century on Sussex
St has the best fried squid rings on earth.

------
movedx
I love Singapore. My wife and I go through Singapore when flying to Europe
(from Australia) and usually stay 1-2 nights. We'll do the same again on the
way back.

It's super clean, well run, the public transport makes every other country
look like a joke, the food is amazing, the laws are tied meaning it's a super
safe place to live and wonder around, and everyone is lovely. We're
considering a year of living there (and bracing ourselves for how expensive it
is.)

If you haven't been: go. It's one of humanity's gems.

Edit: also, it has $4 Michelin Star food:
[https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/singapore-cheapest-
mi...](https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/singapore-cheapest-michelin-
star-restaurant/index.html)

~~~
contingencies
Aussie but not a fan of Singapore here, I live in China and prefer Bangkok for
food. A couple of years I did an alphabet foodie tour there and had no
problems starting with Afghanistan, Burmese, Chinese, Danish, Ethiopian ...
right through to Yemeni and Zhajiangmian. :) If anyone wants to join the next
one, hit me up. I believe the unique feature of Bangkok is intact communities
supporting real food from a range of regions, not just show cuisine.

~~~
movedx
> Afghanistan, Burmese, Chinese, Danish, Ethiopian ... right through to Yemeni
> and Zhajiangmian

I could get all of these in Wales, UK lmao

~~~
contingencies
Don't doubt it! However, in my experience ingredients in the UK are generally
not up to snuff versus what you can get in Bangkok, especially tropical
produce. If you go the full Waitrose, it's cheaper to fly to the country and
eat the cuisine there.

------
sohkamyung
Just a note that 'laksa' here means the usual version served in Singapore. As
the Wikipedia article [1] notes, there are many variations of laksa served in
the region.

Personal story: my father came to visit me here in Singapore, when I was
studying at the local university here in the early 1990s. He went to a hawker
stall to order laksa for lunch and was surprised to be served by what he
called 'curry noodles'. The laksa in our hometown in Malaysia was a completely
different version [2].

[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa#Asam_laksa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa#Asam_laksa)

------
ValentineC
As a Singaporean, I'm a bit sad that the Peranakans (i.e. "Straits-born
Chinese") [1] only got a passing mention in the article, since the Peranakans
are quite possibly the best representation of the melting pot that is
Singapore's local population. The founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, was
known to have Peranakan roots too [2].

The Peranakans also have a cuisine that they can call their own [3].

On the other hand, I've never had the "feng" curry mentioned in the article
before.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan)

[2] [https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/mr-lee-
kuan-y...](https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/mr-lee-kuan-yew-
among-50-influential-peranakans-featured-showcase)

[3]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan_cuisine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan_cuisine)

~~~
satoshisvision
Peranakans origin from malacca not singapore (and they cant dont speak
chinese/mandarin)

~1500 A.D

~~~
bogomipz
"Straits" refers to the "Straits Settlements" of the British East India
Company East India Company which comprised Penang, and Malacca in present day
Malaysia and also present day Singapore. And "Chinese" here refers to ethnic
Chinese not necessarily Chinese speakers, nor did the OP imply they were
Chinese speakers.

------
tootie
Food in Singapore was pretty amazing, but their greatest culinary innovation
is those little plastic handles for carrying hot coffee.

[http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_...](http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_7982-e1453286021359.jpg)

------
philliphaydon
I thought Bak kut teh was a Malaysian dish. Also surprised Chicken Rice and
Singapore Chili Crab isn't on the list.

~~~
ValentineC
> _I thought Bak kut teh was a Malaysian dish._

Singaporean here. I think Singapore and Malaysia tend to share ownership of
many dishes.

What wasn't mentioned in the article is that the peppery Teochew style is far
more common in Singapore. The herbal Hokkien variant is often known as "Klang
bak kut teh" here in Singapore, after Port Klang in Malaysia. Malaysians also
seem to like that version better.

~~~
cyberferret
Having being born and raised in Malaysia, and nowadays frequently visiting
Singapore (for business, but ostensibly to eat the food of my childhood
again), I am still getting used to the subtle differences of names of same or
similar dishes.

For instance, I really miss Roti Canai, but it has a different name in
Singapore (Roti Pratha IIRC), so even trying to search for a good stall on
Google Maps doesn't find the places that make it.

~~~
ValentineC
> _For instance, I really miss Roti Canai, but it has a different name in
> Singapore (Roti Pratha IIRC), so even trying to search for a good stall on
> Google Maps doesn 't find the places that make it._

Roti _prata_.

I think you'll be hard-pressed to find _bad_ roti prata in Singapore. I've
heard Mr and Mrs Mohgan's is one of the best:
[https://goo.gl/maps/bv3b3sFwK1A2](https://goo.gl/maps/bv3b3sFwK1A2)

~~~
paulmooreparks
Prata, pratha, and paratha all seem to be accepted transliterations of the
word.

~~~
ValentineC
One's search engine of choice might not know that.

The grandparent comment wanted to look for good stalls. I just tried doing a
search for _pratha_ on Google Maps, and it yielded results that were less
relevant as compared to if one used the more common spelling of _prata_.

~~~
paulmooreparks
However you spell it, it is certainly tasty. :)

I live in Singapore, by the way, and I'm getting pretty hungry reading this.
Any suggestions for good Indian food?

[Edit: Tried to make a clever regex to match all the spellings, but HN's
editor thwarted me.]

~~~
pthomas551
Have you been to Saravana Bhavan downtown?

~~~
paulmooreparks
Not yet. I'll check it out this weekend. Thanks!

------
aryehof
Singapore is without doubt my favorite place to eat in the world. I say that
having lived and worked in the UK, Belgium, France, the USA and Australia.

------
cyberferret
How refreshing NOT to see faux 'Singapore Noodles' on that list. Having been
born and raised in Malaysia, it is the street food that I miss the most, now
that I live in Australia. Probably why I love going to the night markets in my
town.

------
lewilewilewi
I absolutely love Kaya Toast - I had it every time I stayed in Singapore!

~~~
hitekker
Agree! Pairs well with steamed buns in the morning.

------
vvdcect
You can find the best Ba Kut Teh, Fish Head Curry, Sambal Stringray, Kaya and
Laksa in Malaysia and not singapore.

------
jtms
I lived in Singapore for a few years and my god do I miss the food! Rivals the
best food cities in the world.

