Singapore Flyer's Blast from the Foodie Past
The 1960s lives on in the Singapore Flyer, through a period-themed al fresco "food street" on the Flyer's ground level that hearkens back to the days when itinerant food vendors roamed the streets. Travelers waiting for their "flight" can pass the time exploring the food carts lining the faux "lane", street signs and all, and ordering what they like from the different stalls.
All of the carts on the Singapore Food Trail made their name elsewhere - the signs bearing their names also bear the stalls' original locations.
The street signs lining the "trail" also pay homage to their hawker centers of origin. Of the hawker stall owners, "most of them have 30 years of experience," says Alicia Chua, business development executive for Select Group Limited, the company responsible for the Singapore Food Trail's operations. "For [Katong Keah Kee Fried Oysters], it's the own boss himself who comes here to cook the oyster. Some [send] relatives, some of them [send] hired helpers."
Getting some of these old hawker lions on board wasn't easy - "We started in 2011 - my boss personally asked them to come over," says Chua. "Some of them were willing, some of them were not."
Pick and Choose at the Singapore Food Trail
17 hawker carts line the faux tarmac "road" winding around the Food Trail interior; the carts here represent some of the best hawker stalls on the island, hand-picked by the management to create an all-around Singapore food experience. The interior has room for about 600 diners; part of the eating section extends out into the open, where a canopy protects outdoor diners from the sun and rain.
So what's good?
Everything, actually: these aren't Singapore's most famous hawker names for nothing. Satay, fried oyster, char kway teow, and popiah, and much more, all made by hand and prepared by the best in the business. Don't know where to start? Read our list of ten dishes to try in Singapore before ordering.
Handmade, Pingpong-Sized Fishballs
Mr. Tang Kwan Chye mans battlestations at Top 73+1 Fishball Noodle, producing gigantic, handmade fishballs for his noodle soup - a Clarke Quay favorite for over 20 years. This Teochew noodle dish is quite simple, but remains a Chinese comfort food favorite - a clear soup stock laden with rice noodles, garnished with lettuce and cabbage, and stocked with about a half-dozen pingpong-ball-sized fishballs made from the flesh of yellowtail fish.
The owner makes the fishballs himself, molding them by hand every day. The irregular shapes of the fishball betray their handmade nature; elsewhere on the island, supermarket fishballs are suspiciously perfect in their roundness. The fishballs' freshness gives them their characteristic springiness; the hearty noodles and soup almost seem like an afterthought.
Oyster Omelets Made to Order
Mr. Law Jock Keah himself cooks up the stall specialty at Katong Keah Kee Fried Oysters, a Teochew fried oyster omelet called orh lua that Mr. Law has been making for the last half-century. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside with little pockets of oyster flavor, Katong Keah's orh lua goes down great as a mid-afternoon snack, or as a side dish to other, more substantial meals. A chili sauce on the side adds the requisite zing.
We've written about Old Airport Road Food Centre before - this venerable old Singapore hawker center has now exported one of its more popular stalls to the Singapore Food Trail.
Old Airport Road Satay Bee Hoon & Satay Celup specializes in two, peanut-sauce-based goodies: satay bee hoon, a noodle dish with a thick peanut sauce; and satay celup (pictured above), or skewered meats simmered in boiling hot soup stock and served with a side of peanut sauce.
Assuming you're not allergic to peanuts, these two dishes go great together: the bee hoon providing a starchy base to the satay celup's fat and meat mouthfuls.
The satay sauce is made onsite, using about 15 secret ingredients by the owner, Mr. John Hay, who runs his Singapore Food Trail stall himself.
It just wouldn't be a Singapore hawker center without that greasy, flavorful favorite char kway teow - and on the Singapore Food Trail, it's Changi Village Mei Xiang Carrot Cake/ Char Kway Teow who steps up on the plate, serving this Malay/Chinese noodle stir-fry with aplomb. Every order is cooked fresh, with flat rice noodles stir-fried on the spot with soy sauce, cockles, beansprouts, praw, chili, and egg.
I suspect the char kway teow made here is authentic in every detail - meaning that the whole shebang is stir-fried in pork lard - so weight watchers should steer clear. (That's more for the rest of us.)
The 1960s lives on in the Singapore Flyer, through a period-themed al fresco "food street" on the Flyer's ground level that hearkens back to the days when itinerant food vendors roamed the streets. Travelers waiting for their "flight" can pass the time exploring the food carts lining the faux "lane", street signs and all, and ordering what they like from the different stalls.
All of the carts on the Singapore Food Trail made their name elsewhere - the signs bearing their names also bear the stalls' original locations.
The street signs lining the "trail" also pay homage to their hawker centers of origin. Of the hawker stall owners, "most of them have 30 years of experience," says Alicia Chua, business development executive for Select Group Limited, the company responsible for the Singapore Food Trail's operations. "For [Katong Keah Kee Fried Oysters], it's the own boss himself who comes here to cook the oyster. Some [send] relatives, some of them [send] hired helpers."
Getting some of these old hawker lions on board wasn't easy - "We started in 2011 - my boss personally asked them to come over," says Chua. "Some of them were willing, some of them were not."
- How to get there: Singapore Food Trail is located in the Marina Bay district, immediately under the Singapore Flyer. Ride the Singapore MRT and disembark at Promenade MRT Station (CC4/DT15) - take Exit A and follow signs leading to the Singapore Flyer. Singapore Flyer on Google Maps. For more on using Singapore's transport system, read our article about Riding Singapore's MRT and Buses with the EZ-Link Card.
- Hawker hotness: For more on Singapore's hawker culture, read our introduction of Singapore hawker centers, or check out our list of top ten hawker centers in Singapore. For an event that focuses on the street food scene (in Singapore and elsewhere), check this out: The World Street Food Congress Convenes in Singapore.
Pick and Choose at the Singapore Food Trail
17 hawker carts line the faux tarmac "road" winding around the Food Trail interior; the carts here represent some of the best hawker stalls on the island, hand-picked by the management to create an all-around Singapore food experience. The interior has room for about 600 diners; part of the eating section extends out into the open, where a canopy protects outdoor diners from the sun and rain.
So what's good?
Everything, actually: these aren't Singapore's most famous hawker names for nothing. Satay, fried oyster, char kway teow, and popiah, and much more, all made by hand and prepared by the best in the business. Don't know where to start? Read our list of ten dishes to try in Singapore before ordering.
Handmade, Pingpong-Sized Fishballs
Mr. Tang Kwan Chye mans battlestations at Top 73+1 Fishball Noodle, producing gigantic, handmade fishballs for his noodle soup - a Clarke Quay favorite for over 20 years. This Teochew noodle dish is quite simple, but remains a Chinese comfort food favorite - a clear soup stock laden with rice noodles, garnished with lettuce and cabbage, and stocked with about a half-dozen pingpong-ball-sized fishballs made from the flesh of yellowtail fish.
The owner makes the fishballs himself, molding them by hand every day. The irregular shapes of the fishball betray their handmade nature; elsewhere on the island, supermarket fishballs are suspiciously perfect in their roundness. The fishballs' freshness gives them their characteristic springiness; the hearty noodles and soup almost seem like an afterthought.
Oyster Omelets Made to Order
Mr. Law Jock Keah himself cooks up the stall specialty at Katong Keah Kee Fried Oysters, a Teochew fried oyster omelet called orh lua that Mr. Law has been making for the last half-century. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside with little pockets of oyster flavor, Katong Keah's orh lua goes down great as a mid-afternoon snack, or as a side dish to other, more substantial meals. A chili sauce on the side adds the requisite zing.
We've written about Old Airport Road Food Centre before - this venerable old Singapore hawker center has now exported one of its more popular stalls to the Singapore Food Trail.
Old Airport Road Satay Bee Hoon & Satay Celup specializes in two, peanut-sauce-based goodies: satay bee hoon, a noodle dish with a thick peanut sauce; and satay celup (pictured above), or skewered meats simmered in boiling hot soup stock and served with a side of peanut sauce.
Assuming you're not allergic to peanuts, these two dishes go great together: the bee hoon providing a starchy base to the satay celup's fat and meat mouthfuls.
The satay sauce is made onsite, using about 15 secret ingredients by the owner, Mr. John Hay, who runs his Singapore Food Trail stall himself.
It just wouldn't be a Singapore hawker center without that greasy, flavorful favorite char kway teow - and on the Singapore Food Trail, it's Changi Village Mei Xiang Carrot Cake/ Char Kway Teow who steps up on the plate, serving this Malay/Chinese noodle stir-fry with aplomb. Every order is cooked fresh, with flat rice noodles stir-fried on the spot with soy sauce, cockles, beansprouts, praw, chili, and egg.
I suspect the char kway teow made here is authentic in every detail - meaning that the whole shebang is stir-fried in pork lard - so weight watchers should steer clear. (That's more for the rest of us.)
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