eat like Bourdain
🇸🇬 Where Bourdain Ate in Singapore
12 places across Parts Unknown & No Reservations
“Singapore is a food-obsessed nation. The hawker centers are one of the wonders of the culinary world.”
Bourdain was a champion of Singapore's hawker center culture — he saw it as the democratic heart of Singaporean food. He visited multiple times, always making a beeline for the hawker stalls that define Singaporean cuisine.
What Bourdain Loved About Singapore
Hawker centers — the UNESCO-recognized food courts that define Singaporean eating
Chicken rice — the national dish, deceptively simple, endlessly debated
The multicultural food traditions — Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Peranakan
Chili crab — messy, glorious, and absolutely essential
The food obsession — Singaporeans plan their next meal while eating the current one
Episodes Featuring Singapore
Parts Unknown — S7 E6: Singapore
Explores the city-state through its hawker culture
No Reservations — S4 E3: Singapore
A deep dive into Singaporean food
Travel Tips for Eating in Singapore
Tony's Advice
Go to Maxwell Food Centre. Get Tian Tian chicken rice. Then get something from 5 other stalls. This is Singapore.
What to Skip
- ✕Tourist-oriented food courts in malls
- ✕Restaurants that claim to do 'fusion' of everything
- ✕Overpriced chili crab at hotel restaurants
Every Place Bourdain Visited in Singapore
12 places545 Whampoa Prawn Noodle
Whampoa Drive
Tony met with KF Seetoh, his guide in Singapore, "the guru behind the Makansutra guides and an advocate for the kind of democratic, affordable, casual chaos of the hawker world." They had prawn mi from this stand.
Sabar Menanti II
North Bridge Road
Tony met with Singaporean- Malay entertainer and producer Najip Ali for Lontong (rice cake, coconut gravy, vegetables and hardboiled egg) and Mee Siam (fried rice noodles with chili paste, prawns, bean sprouts, and a spicy sweet and sour gravy, fried bean curd, and egg).
Lorong 29 Geylang
Lorong 29 Geylang
Tony had a meal with Sadir Varaket, Melanie Chan, and Tanya Andoor. They had fried oyster omelets and fried prawns with chili paste; bak chor mi, a fish ball noodle soup; and beef satay.
Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant
Joo Chiat Place
"The oldest Peranakan restaurant in Singapore, predating independence." They had a Laotian dish called ikam asam nana, a sour fish curry with pineapple; itek sio, a duck braised in tamarind and coriander; and okra sautéed with sambal.
Keng Eng Kee Seafood
Bukit Merah Lane 1
Tony had a meal with the family who runs this restaurant. They had pig trotters with black vinegar (and ginger, fried chilies, and asam), Hainan mixed vegetables (cabbage and glass noodles stir fried with bean curd, black mushrooms, pig skin, and shrimp).
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Upper Cross Street
One of Tony's favorite things to eat in Singapore is char kway teow. "Ordinarily this is a breakfast," Tony explains. "I eat it every time I'm in Singapore." It is made of crispy lard bits, cockles, shrimp paste, and noodles.
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
Maxwell Road The Ura Centre
Tony says the Maxwell Food Centre is the best hawker center, and this place has the best chicken rice in Singapore
Deen Tiga Rasa
Beach Road
Mutton bones cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce. It's messy.
Aurum Land Private Limited
1 North Bridge Rd
Molecular gastronomy in a "hospital chic" themed restaurant. You are seated in a wheelchair. Weird.
Tian Jin Hai Seafood International Pte. Ltd.
Robinson Road
Tony ate steamed shark head and chili crab.
BBQ Box
Tan Quee Lan Street
This was the location of Master Soon Reflexology where Tony was treated. Not there anymore.
Grand Hyatt Singapore
This is where the crew and Tony are staying but he raved about how great the food is in the hotel, and he normally hates hotel food
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