Hello, my name is Jess, and I have just completed my exchange year in Singapore studying at Singapore Management University for my third year of my International Legal Studies LLB. A huge challenge of moving to a new country, and in some cases a new continent, is becoming accustomed to the local food.
When I moved to Singapore for my exchange I was first overwhelmed by what to eat as there were many choices and often found myself craving comfort food from back home. However, indulging in local food is one of the best ways to learn about the culture of your new home. This blog post will take you through some tips and suggestions for great food in Singapore and around Singapore Management University.
General tips for food in Singapore:
- You need to be open to trying new food: If you are from a Western country with little experience of South-East food, please do not limit yourself to saying you will only be eating the food you are typically used to eating in your home country. By doing this, you are not only not expanding your palate but also making your food journey hard as Singapore is in South-East Asia, therefore cuisines here are mainly South-East Asian. You might be surprised when you end up finding your new favourite dish!
- Specific dietary needs- An amazing thing about Singapore is how multicultural it is. There are ethnic groups from various parts of Asia that live here so it is pretty easy to find the food you need. If you are vegetarian/vegan, Indian food will come in clutch. If you can only eat halal, there are so many halal-friendly options. Even if you are a picky eater, you will be able to find amazing food spots in Singapore, especially around SMU as it is in the city centre.
- Hawker centres- These are a more sanitary alternative to hawker carts and contain many stalls that sell a variety of affordable meals, which you can rely on as a student. In Singapore, grocery shopping and home cooking are often more expensive as most products are imported into Singapore with little local produce being available. This is why hawker centres are important, especially if on a tight budget. Hawker centres are scattered across Singapore and are important to know about as the location you decide to live at will likely have one. It may be daunting to go to hawker centres at first as you will mostly only find locals dining there but do not worry as Singaporeans are very welcoming to you trying their local dishes. Even recently, Lady Gaga ate at Maxwell Food Center, a hawker centre in Singapore! Bill Gates was also seen at Newton Food Centre earlier in the year. There are also often hawker stalls that sell Western foods if you do want a comfort meal.
Food on campus:
Now with that said, Singapore has a range of dishes you can try and explore due to how multi-cultural the country is and what’s even better? SMU is in the heart of the city centre making it easy to try all of these amazing cuisines.
Some of my favourites at SMU:
- Supergreen- Build your salad, rice or pasta bowl. There are various toppings and sauces. My favourite order is Brown rice, mixed greens, sweet corn, onion, onsen egg, smoked duck and honey and lime drizzle.
- Triplets Bakery – If you need a quick snack between classes or on a revision break, the $2 waffles are a great option. You can choose from various fillings, Kaya is a personal favourite of mine. You can also find some traditional baked goods at Triplets.
- Prince Noodles- Traditional handmade ‘ban mian’ noodles, located outside the law library making it perfect for a study break lunch.
Click here to find the rest of the restaurants and cafes on campus.
Around Campus
If you have some extra time between classes or just don’t fancy options on campus, here are some nearby suggestions:
- Sunshine Plaza Ichitei- Japanese food
- Hangawi Korean food (in the Fortune Centre)– Korean food
- Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen
- Ng Kuan Chilli pan mee- The dry noodles here are the best.
- A9 dumpling noodles (in the Fortune Centre)- The lines here can be crazy as there is only one worker in the store but it is really good.
- Izakaya Hikari (in the fortune centre)- Japanese spot
- Taste good 好味小厨– Try the salted egg rice here.
- Mixue- They sell a huge S$1 ice cream and affordable iced beverages.
So, these are the food suggestions that are good starting points to explore around SMU. As you talk to more local students and make friends with more of them, you will find more great places.
Many Thanks,
Jessica
