1) Tian Tian Chicken Rice

Add: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St (Near Chinatown MRT/ Outram Park MRT)

- Singapore's most famous dish, chicken rice, and Tian Tian is the best in town, in my opinion. 

- It's a stall in a hawker centre, so it's going to be quite hot and sweaty experience. 

2) Outram Park Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh 

Add: Tanjong Pagar Complex, 7 Keppel Rd

(Near Tiong Bahru MRT)

- Bak Kut Teh is a herby, peppery pork ribs soup. Very delicious, esp if you enjoy pork. 

- This is quite hard to get to even for Singaporeans, so do take a cab there. 

3) 328 Katong Laksa

Add: 53 East Coast Rd

(Near Eunos MRT, but will need to cab there)

- The best laksa ever! The rice noodles are authentically cut into small pieces so you eat them with a spoon here. 

4) Chilli Crab at Long Beach

Add: 25 Dempsey Rd

(Near Orchard MRT, but will have to cab in to Dempsey area)

- Most Singaporeans swear by Long Beach for chilli crabs. Some may prefer the one at Jumbo, but I think the standard has dropped there. Get the fried mantou too. 

- Also order the Black Pepper Crab + Salted Egg Yolk Crab if you've tummy space. 

- There's one other place which I go for my chilli crab fix: Blue Lotus at Quayside Isle, Sentosa Cove. It's a more upmarket restaurant. 

5) Chomp Chomp at Serangoon Gardens

Add: 20 Kensington Park Rd

(Near Serangoon MRT) 

- Many Singaporeans bring their foreigner friends there to eat. It's quite inaccessible, but so worth the trip! You can try:

- Hokkien Mee (it's a type of prawn broth-braised noodles, very yummy)

- Sambal Stingray (yes, the fish that killed Steve Irwin is grilled, then lathered with a layer of fragrant sambal chilli... Best supper food)

- Sugarcane drink with lemon (really refreshing with the food)

- Grilled Chicken Wings (you'll be surprised at the taste, it's very addictive!)

Some of my favourite spots to visit in Singapore:

1) Teppei - affordable Japanese omakase. Go during lunchtime, cos dinner is usually fully booked. 

2) Tendon Ginza Itsuki - authentic tempura bowl that's very affordable. 

3) Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee - if you love coffee, this is the best cafe to check out. Hipster! Very inaccessible though. 

4) Open Door Policy - great for a chill dinner if you're around the Tiong Bahru hood. That place is a treasure trove for good food!

5) Violet Oon's National Kitchen - Violet Oon is one of Singapore's most recognised food icons. The food here - mostly Peranakan-Western - is tops. Try the Dry Laksa, Ayam Buah Keluak, Kueh Pie Tee & the Bubur Chacha Creme Brûlée. 

Places to visit

1) Gardens by the Bay

- Even a Singaporean like me love it there. It's an air-conditioned garden that's super photograph-worthy and nice to walk in. 

2) National Gallery Singapore

- It's recently opened and most of my friends who visited it loved it. Must be really good!

3) Orchard Road

- I go there EVERY other day when I'm in Singapore. It has everything! I like to take Orchard Ion as a base cos it connects everywhere. Orchard Ion is really wonderful. It has a very famous local designer shop called 'In Good Company' + really good Chinese restaurants at Level 5 (Putien & Paradise Inn) + superb food basement at B4. 

- Shaw Lido: if you wanna buy stuff at Isetan. There's a nice dessert shop called Tarte by Cheryl Koh there, if you need a tea break. 

- Scotts Square: not much there, but there's a popular all-day breakfast restaurant Wild Honey there. 

- Tangs: their retail section is worth a trip. They've everything! The ladies clothes section will make every grown woman go weak in the knee. 

- Takashimaya: this is another of my favourite. They have an awesome food hall that sells really high-quality food. Lots of imported food items there too.