Hawker Centers

Singapore’s hawker centers are the city’s organized solution to Southeast Asian street food. Instead of having food carts scattered around different neighborhoods, the stalls are gathered in large centers, many of them alfresco. The question about which ones are the best is an ongoing debate among the food-obsessed. A good “starter” place is Makansutra Gluttons Bay, which is on the marina esplanade with great views and an edited number of stalls that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Another favorite is Maxwell, which is more extensive. Newton Food Centre is the one featured in Crazy Rich Asians and another of the city's most popular. Lau Pa Sat (also known as Telok Ayer Market) is a bit touristy, but is housed in an ornate Victorian building with cast-iron detailing, which makes for a more elaborate backdrop than your regular hawker center. Traditional dishes to try at these centers include chicken rice, fried oyster omelet, carrot cake (not the one you’d expect), beef noodles and the bone marrow mutton soup (sup tulang) that Anthony Bourdain raves about in Parts Unknown. Wash it all down with pitchers of Singha or cups of sugar cane juice.