Singapore's Hawker Food Culture: What to Eat & How to Eat

[@YellowProductions]

✅ Get up to 40% off hotels in Singapore by signing up here: plannin.com/en/search?googleResult=ChIJyY4rtGcX2jERIKTarqz3AAQ&refId=YellowProductions ✅ You might enjoy watching more videos from my Singapore series: kzbin.info/aero/PLOVadUHX1B-Jiwvbml0fiZpsdQGH8oIqm

[@garyclarke9685]

Thx

[@RonLarhz]

Kopitiam card is no longer in use.

[@shirleytemple9842]

Im.planning to.visit Singapore

[@小熊维尼习近平-CCP]

With $6 USD for that meal in 2023, you have a more fresh, and delicious meal and drink anywhere in Vietnam in today's prices, and better services too.

[@evetimothy4971]

Thanks for sharing the etiquette too. It’s important to understand the culture and etiquette. Many tourists ignore this aspect of travel.

[@user-fb7rf4kr5k]

I love Singapore. People respect one another.

[@andrewburgemeister6684]

It was my first country I visited when I was 9 when my Pa took our family over there with him and his companion and in fact I was there for the first time since then last week, very accessible and family friendly along with amazing food!! Also makes a great stopover point between Europe and Australia to refresh for a few days, Changi has very straightforward customs and immigration procedures (all automated Smart Gates pretty much) so visiting Singapore is definitely a great holiday! Only regret with my most recent visit is that I didn’t go out of my way to find a mooncake since September is when they have the Mooncake festival on!! Maybe next time though!!

[@jimmyjames6492]

Definitely on our bucket list of places to visit. Thanks for the info + video!

[@YellowProductions]

My pleasure!

[@jameslangschied7900]

An outstanding video: informative, funny, packed with good info, and mostly correct pronunciation.

[@YellowProductions]

Wow, thanks!

[@mikiewifnoe360]

Your videos are always enthusiastically presented. It's always thoughtfully presented by a handsome man with a great smile. Very well done.

[@YellowProductions]

So nice of you

[@kennythai9540]

Thanks!

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks so much for your support Kenny+

[@marooki2007]

Very KooL video. This food looks delicious!

[@TerriGreene-d3y]

nice video promoting local street food . more videos like in this in near future . looks tasty and delicious hope to visit there someday and try your country street food .

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks so much

[@jameshiga8077]

Hi Chris. Thanks for the great foodie video. 20 min for the chicken rice is well worth it. I also love the roast pork and rice as well. Take care.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks James!

[@VesaJay]

Thanks for going to Hawker Chang's finally someone has gone to it. It's the best also that's a new place wasn't there when I went

[@stevenelson3515]

Just back from our latest regular pilgrimage to Singapore. The only regular restaurants we ate at were Song Fa Bak Kuh Teh (Chinatown Point and Feng Ji (along River Valley Rd near Fort Canning) for chicken rice. In terms of our impressions: -Best hawker center is Chomp Chomp in Serangoon Garden. Great satay, chicken wings and Rojak -Our favorite chicken rice is at a small food Centre on Balestier Road, ironically pretty much next door to Boon Tong Kee, the well known chicken rice chain. Moist chicken and excellent rice that’s not nearly as expensive as some. -Best laksa for me is Jangutt Laksa inside Roxy Square in Katong, quite near 328 Laksa made famous by Gordon Ramsey. It’s more traditional laksa. My wife prefers the laksa at Koran Food Market, which is a more modern take. Biggest disappointment this time around was Sungei Road laksa, which was a lot more watery and with far less charcoal flavor than before. -Mee rebus (a Malaysian dish) is one of my favorites. Best I’ve ever had is in Kim Keat Palm Market in Toa Payoh. Huge portion and very friendly folks who recognize this tall, bald white guy when he shows up. -We used to enjoy the Char Kuay Teow at Outram Road CKT in the Hong Lim Center next to Chinatown Point. It’s incredibly popular, with 30-60 minute waits the norm. But a CKT stall in People’s Park in Chinatown is a lot better to our taste, maybe because it’s a little less oily. Been to Newton once…..the first time I was ever in Sing and my wife’s relatives brought us there as kind of a right of passage. Too many touts and way, WAY overpriced. If you want stingray, Chomp Chomp or East Coast Food Lagoon is a lot better.

[@ragsoh]

Hi Chris. Another great video from you. For the dessert, it is Chendol (pronounced as chen-dole). Hope to see more of your videos.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks ragsoh :)

[@Jasmine_DD]

From hawker centers to fine dining restaurants, the city-state is a paradise for food lovers.

[@thomassaw]

As a Singaporean foodie, I approve this video 😁

[@YellowProductions]

Right on Thomas!

[@andrewburgemeister6684]

I was in Singapore just last week visiting again for the first time since my Pa took my family when I was a kid, I pretty much exclusively ate at Hawker Centres where the food was amazing and very cheap!! The Hainanese Chicken Rice is delicious along with the fish ball soup with noodles with a bit of chilli sambal mixed in, the Newton Food Centre had Michelin-starred Satay which was probably the best dish I had in Singapore along with spicy Hokkien Mee, and the Tekka Centre had amazing Indian, great curries and naan breads along with refreshing yoghurt lassis!!

[@YellowProductions]

Mmm!

[@anthonychong1021]

Wow impressive, you went to so many hawker centers in how many days?? I would have melted away, and I'm a local.. haha. Thanks for your recommendations, and I have not even been to the hawkers at MBS. Will visit soon and thanks to you. Keep it up

[@YellowProductions]

This was shot over 5 days 😀

[@lawrenceyea9052]

Very nice video 🎉. Hope that you enjoy your food 🎉.

[@YellowProductions]

I did 😊

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

Awesome job chris

[@annchee1329]

Thanks for show-casing all the Singaporean cuisine p, love to try the shaved ices.

[@YellowProductions]

My pleasure!

[@user-mo2yv2iy3n]

Chris,i tried the chicken rice as you recommend,it's awesome

[@YellowProductions]

Sweet! Glad you liked it!

[@Prof_Sox]

Can you (or anyone) please explain the "card only" payment system? Many thanks!

[@tietan867]

Omg. How much did you eat. I am impressed you stay fit. Thank you for sharing. I am visiting Singapore soon 😊

[@wazuyumi]

lau pa sat (the first hawker center) is very touristy and pricier than others so if u want a more local(ish) experience if u go to the more neighbourhood ones like old airport road (not as touristy+near stadium) the experience will be more local. the further away from the cbd/downtown, the more local but the downtown ones are also good if u want convenience

[@huggybear441]

Fyi, LPS or Newton Hawker are also patronized by office workers (locals) not just tourists. From Newton fc they can walk to Orchard or walk to the Merlion (Marina Bay areas) if from LBS. Where do you suggest them to visit after dinning from Old Airport Rd food centre?

[@watericed777]

Lau pa sat has a cool architecture but because it’s right in the CBD, prices are higher than the heartlands (which are equally as enjoyable to visit - especially towards East Coast. Old Airport Hawker Centre is a popular favourite and reasonably near to the beach but East Coast Beach has its own hawker centre right by the beach. Marine Parade is near the shop houses on Joo Chiat and East Coast Road which might be nice to walk and see after eating or go the other way and walk by the beach) whereas quality not necessarily exceptionally worth the stomach space. 8 SGD for that chicken rice looks quite dismal lol. Maxwell Hawker Centre is probably better for chicken rice at Tian Tian (just saw you tried that next while commenting as I watch lol) See that one looks better and fuller chicken.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for the tip for my next trip! 😀

[@ashburtontv]

Lau pa sat suffers at least at the front where the satay venders are from scammers . have been victim and then watched over a few nights a scam where vendors take money and then "forget" to supply food . A classic scam in a buys area in other parts of asia but never expected it in singapore

[@K_mich88]

at the Tian tian chicken rice, normally I specially ask the stall holder for some dark soya sauce. For me that's a must to combine with the chilli sauce. 🙂

[@YellowProductions]

Great tip!

[@JM-fi4mf]

Hi! Thanks for your videos! Are toilets clean and stocked with paper and soaps in hawker centers?

[@YellowProductions]

Toilets are just "so so" in Hawker Centers. If you want clean visit a food court in a mall 😀

[@JM-fi4mf]

@@YellowProductions thanks! Maybe I’ll have to take the food “to go”… 😉.

[@impopquiz]

Depending on which hawker centers u visit, usually just for washing hands should be fine. 😅

[@NEAAFFAIRS]

Local and no. Washing hands are fine. Ladies will generally prefer looking elsewhere for stalls

[@RonLarhz]

Hawker toilets are cmi. Go to a mall for toilet. I'm local.

[@zc4188]

Impressive video! 👍 You should try the mao shan wang durians 😉

[@YellowProductions]

Next time! 😀

[@RB-om8sk]

Hello Sir i m from india n it was great to see ur vlog n the prata u said it's parantha in actual n aa we travel to southern india the pronunciation changes to Parotta n now u have made it into prata 😅 anyways doesn't matter as long as u enjoyed it 👍😊

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for the pronunciation tip!

[@ParthibanNagarajan]

Yeah Here in Singapore it is called Prata. It is southern indian parotta. But not north indian paratta or parantha. Because south indian parotta is made from Maida or all purpose flour but not wheat flour.

[@steventay5834]

Prawn Hokkien Mee is also very nice.

[@orionsquare]

@14:12 There is raddish inside the mix.

[@ssubramanian605]

I was traveling to Singapore few weeks ago and I watched this video before I traveled and it was very helpful. I did visit Lau Pa Sat in the CBD that you mentioned, one afternoon for a lunch. It was a beautiful building and amazing to see so many vendors and varieties of food there. I even got a sugarcane juice from that stall you showed in your video! Very cool. Thank you very much for your videos and they are informative and very helpful !!

[@YellowProductions]

Awesome! Glad it was helpful and you got some sugarcane juice!

[@petek5523]

What’s considered off hours for the hawker centres?

[@YellowProductions]

Like 2 to 4pm

[@huaiwei]

It depends. Most hawker centres are open round the clock, since their stalls can open or close at any time they like, although some do cater more for the morning, whole day, or evening crowds. And it depends on what they sell. Chicken rice are usually open from breakfast till dinner time. Noodle soup dishes tend to focus on the morning and lunch crowds. Malay and Indian stalls tend to rest in the morning, then operate till late or even run 24 hours, and so on.

[@simplyme3306]

Majority of the hawker centres open till lunch or sold out. A handful are opened for dinner. Best to do a search before going.

[@junnylin]

Are you going to J B Malaysia? i’m looking forward for you to try some good food in JB.

[@YellowProductions]

I'd like to! But haven't been yet

[@NostalgiaMan]

I saw a Meerkat cafe in Seoul South Korea. Now I need to go lol

[@YellowProductions]

That sounds like fun! 😀

[@foodmore]

The reason why there is only one stall selling drinks is because the system here works such that, the owner of the coffeeshop/food court runs the drink stall. So he somewhat has the monopoly of selling drinks. This is what u will see in the majority of the Hawker centres or Food courts.

[@FaceFixation]

You can ask the irritated cashier lady at Tien Tien for sweet soy, they keep a bottle behind the counter 😊

[@YellowProductions]

Ah! Good to know!

[@paulieh856]

In Singapore in November love carrot cake can't get it in the UK so it will be the first thing I'll be having

[@YellowProductions]

Mmm

[@sachin12572]

Sllruuuuppp.....❤

[@anthonylamesa7619]

What chicken rice stall did you eat at in the beginning? Looks really good. :)

[@YellowProductions]

More on that Chicken Rice stall in my vlog here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fojHcpJsraZgb8Usi=AVwB6UZ1Vudrk-4k

[@NostalgiaMan]

The sugarcane drink has me very happy

[@YellowProductions]

Mmmm

[@goggles7777]

chicken rice only left chiken and rice ! last time come with vegetable as well!

[@huaiwei]

Only some slices of cucumber. Leafy vegetables are usually an optional side dish.

[@GatotDewantara-h3z]

I LIKE SINGAPORE. FOOD

[@margaretlee3062]

Maxwell hawker centre has lot of good food!

[@YellowProductions]

It sure does!

[@williamxyz4302]

In Chinese, carrot translates to red turnip .. hence, carrot cake uses turnip

[@diningwithderek]

Random question for you... what would you say is the most luxurious flight you've ever taken?

[@YellowProductions]

United Airlines First Class from SFO to HKG. Award ticket of course

[@G_Weller]

In general do you find that it is worth long waits for the popular stalls? With so many options it would seem that other stalls selling the same thing would be just as good

[@YellowProductions]

It depends.. I'll wait up to 15 mins. If it's longer than that I'm bailing 😀

[@impopquiz]

Nope.. not always. Qs are there for one reason only. 😅 Some stalls are hyped up but generally the long Qs ones are correct.

[@brianfoote3116]

Great video! I'd love to see the actual process of ordering food there. Can you get by with just English? Anything we should avoid doing as it would be seen as rude?

[@YellowProductions]

Yes. You can absolutely get by with only English. Hmm.. maybe an etiquette video is a future video I need to make 😀

[@nayf-k1c]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@BenCrathan]

I was waiting for “makes you pucker “ 😂

[@proudasiangirl576]

What are the toilets like at the hawker centers? Are they western style with pedestal or are these squat toilets?

[@YellowProductions]

Generally western style.

[@nwyk153]

neighbourhood hawker centre are much MUCH more cheaper than the one in places like Lau pa sat. and we dont care about a tire company approval, so we eat what is available and affordable.

[@flanthief]

Oh my god the Minecraft sounds I love that

[@kimhonggoh5882]

❤❤❤

[@gaylehunter6187]

Hi Chris, I’m visiting Singapore in a couple of weeks from the UK. I’m vegetarian, do the hawker markets cater for non Meat eaters?

[@YellowProductions]

Hi Gayle -- There's tons of options in the Hawker centres so I'm sure you'll find some non meat options

[@gaylehunter6187]

@@YellowProductions Thank you.

[@alfredpekl654]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️

[@portauthority888]

Tian tian chicken rice is for tourists mainly. Locals won't bother going. Its just average.

[@caijunlong1006]

FYI. DO NOT mix your utensils if your are having halal food. There is usually a sign or icon stating that the food sold is halal. Use the utensils provided & do not use them for non halal food if you are ordering multiple dishes.

[@michaelferguson387]

Does it say in the Koran that you can’t use utensils again if they were used for non halal food?

[@yokiyoki-rj9nf]

oh!

[@amishagarwal3151]

Tomorrow I'll come and say to not mix utensils of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. No one gives a damn about halal.

[@Slla-th5vt]

​@@michaelferguson387there is something called courtesy.

[@shelwee]

Here in Singapore there are only 2 types of Hainanese Chicken Rice. Nice and not nice. lol. Everything more or less falls within this 2. There are some really nice places not on your list. As expected, a little hard to get to - but worth the trip. Ayer Rajah FC (Food Centre) - West Old Airport Road FC - East Marine Parade FC - East Hong Lim FC (Next to Chinatown Point) - South Golden Mile FC (this is near Nicoll Highway Station) - South Zion Riverside FC - opposite Great World City

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for the extra hawker centre tips!

[@ParthibanNagarajan]

Eating Prata with honey? I'd never even imagine doing that.

[@smallprisc]

Hey... just a pointer. Not all chilli sauces are sambals. Sambals are typically reserved for chillis that are sweet and thick.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks for the correction!

[@malcolmsoh5648]

Garden by the Bay has a food court called Jurassic Nest food hall 😆😆😆

[@garyclarke9685]

Yes I went in there as did everyone else it was crazy in there with all the people.

[@DineshLiyanage-wf1uj]

❤🇸🇬😘

[@TheBigBananaaa]

👍✅😜✅👍

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

Mark Wien 's daddy ?

[@kh3777]

😂 a lot more expensive than it's next door neighbour, try out in Malaysia too. You will be pleasantly surprised, at least half of Spore price if not even less and maybe tastier.

[@YellowProductions]

Thanks. I'm headed to Malaysia soon

[@kh3777]

@@YellowProductions Penang is the food capital and arguably Ipoh which is enroute is also worth at least a day's visit. KL is more expensive and more difficult because of its size than the abovementioned towns. Happy tasting 😄. Don't forget to give nonya food a try, fusion food.

[@saransandyyy]

And the same time keep safe your sling bag and phone 😂😂😂😂 cause that’s Malaysia 😂😂😂😂

[@darrylk808]

Hawker Chan is everywhere. The cheapest one is in Chinatown hawker center, but no AC. Wife says she is not eating there, too hot, and will pay more for AC.🤣

[@YellowProductions]

I don't blame your wife Darryl! The Chinatown Hawker Centre is super hot!

[@darrylk808]

@@YellowProductions that it is.🥵

[@amishagarwal3151]

There is no Indian dish called Prata! And we have no authentic flat bread that is served with honey. Please do proper research before publishing the video.

[@ParthibanNagarajan]

Hey! In Singapore, the south indian parotta is called as Prata. I have witnessed it.

[@amishagarwal3151]

​@@ParthibanNagarajan I know but it is wrong. Shouldn't be promoted at all. It should be called Parottha or Parantha. There needs to be respect for Indian culture.

[@sherwiny89]

No satay????? sacrilege!!!

[@douglasang3527]

Singapore is a great Country for foods only 😅 Sad that this tiny Country is overcrowded now !

[@Jasmine_DD]

Singapore is indeed renowned for its diverse and delicious food scene, offering a wide variety of cuisines influenced by its multicultural population.

[@h7opolo]

such a consumeristic culture. creeps me out.

[@Strangerer69]

Hate to say it, but if you didn’t have the Curry Fish Head, you didn’t make it to Singapore.

[@YellowProductions]

Hah

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

The hand towel from your hotel ? Don't leave your DNA .

[@AjizSatay5658]

i prefer Gordon Ramsay restaurant🕺

[@anitastanley8986]

None of the food would count as a healthy diet in western menus!

[@richtan6081]

Penang food is much better. They use lard. over here use Industrial vegetable oil (omega 6) bad for inflammation.

[@huaiwei]

Not as if lard is any healthier. Last I checked, Malaysia has the worse obesity and heart disease rate in Southeast Asia, and Singapore are one of the healthiest.

[@richtan6081]

@@huaiwei Lard is natural oil..vege oil is highly processed with chemicals..bread and all refine carbo is Toxic because it has been bleached.. hahahaha.

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

He was a voice in the Simpsons -TERRIBLE !

[@nayf-k1c]

❤❤❤

[@Drake-Krueger]

neighbourhood hawker centre are much MUCH more cheaper than the one in places like Lau pa sat. and we dont care about a tire company approval, so we eat what is available and affordable.