Singapore Part I:
Although it’s tiny in size, Singapore packs a massive population of 6 million people, making it a seriously dense city-state. But what makes this place incredibly pleasant instead of a claustrophobic nightmare is that a massive 50% of the island is covered in lush greenery, featuring over 50 major parks and four pristine nature reserves.
Singapore is made up of several distinct ethnic enclaves, each boasting its own unique flavor. Our mission was to hit up every single one of them to fully soak in the diversity.
Exploring the Enclaves
Upon arrival, we checked into a beautifully restored pre-war shophouse hotel right in the heart of Chinatown. Now, in almost every other major city on earth, Chinatown is notorious for being a filthy dump. Not so in Singapore. The place was absolutely spotless. Even the bustling outdoor food alleys—places that would normally be crawling with cockroaches elsewhere—were completely immaculate. It was an absolute pleasure to walk around, eat, and sleep without a hint of funk in the air.
From there, we branched out and explored Little India, the Malay section, and the Arab district. What blew me away was how incredibly distinct each neighborhood turned out to be. The food being hawked, the rich smells hitting the streets, and the unique sounds changed completely from block to block.
We even hopped on the super-efficient MRT subway system and ventured deep into the suburbs for four days of exploring. The second we left the city center, Barbie and I were quite literally the only Westerners to be seen. It gave us a fantastic taste of how clean, normal, and pleasant regular suburban life is out here.
Beating the High Cost of Living: The Hawker Strategy
People constantly warned me that Singapore would blow a massive hole in my wallet, and they were correct. This is a premier destination to burn through your moolah at lightning speed.
Because food is your second biggest expense here after lodging, I had to draw deep from my old-school New York City instincts and sniff out where the locals eat. Since we were eating out for every single meal, finding these casual, hidden-gem joints was the only way to avoid getting absolutely hosed at the overpriced tourist restaurants that are everywhere.
Personally, I prefer these local spots anyway. They offer a much more vibrant, colorful atmosphere, and almost every single stall has its own hyper-specific “go-to” specialty dish.
[THE SOUTHEAST ASIA STREET FOOD REALITY]
Thailand/Indonesia ──> Street food on literally every street corner.
Singapore ──> Street food banned since the 1970s.
The Solution ──> The almighty, highly organized Hawker Center.
Singaporeans are completely obsessed with their food. In Thailand, every other storefront is a massage parlor; in Singapore, every other storefront is a place to eat. Nobody is going hungry on this island.
But here is the catch: street food has been banned here since the 1970s. All that legendary food action has been consolidated into organized “Hawker Centers.” These are essentially massive, open-air food courts packed with tiny stalls serving up amazing Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Arabic dishes. They are the undisputed kings of the local culinary scene.
💡 Big Doug’s Gold Rule for Hawker Simpletons
If you’re an amateur traveler feeling completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of food stalls and choices, follow this simple rule: Get your ass into the longest line of locals. If a stall has a massive line of Singaporeans wrapped around the corner, it means they know their shit. Trust the line.
My Personal Hawker Favs
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Maxwell Hawker Center: The undisputed Big Kahuna of food centers right in the city center.
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Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre: My personal favorite. It requires a quick MRT ride out into the suburbs, but the reward is elite-tier food stalls that are roughly 50% cheaper than the tourist traps downtown.
The Ultimate Hainanese Chicken Rice Mission
Every country has its single, defining signature dish. In Singapore, that competition begins and ends with Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Just like I successfully hunted down the absolute best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai, I made it my personal mission to track down the ultimate version of this chicken masterclass. On his travel shows, Anthony Bourdain heavily touted Tian Tian and Chin Chin Eating House. I tracked them both down, and I can officially confirm they were awesome. But because relying solely on a TV guy is lazy travel, I set out to locate my own hidden gems too.
Overall, the ethnic food throughout Singapore was mind-blowing. After spending our previous three months in Asia living on a steady, repetitive diet of standard white rice and basic noodles, diving into Singapore felt like having a massive, world-class buffet thrust upon us.
Pulling the Trigger on Airbnb
For the first few days, we stayed in our Chinatown hotel to soak in the historic vibes. After that, we transitioned and pulled the trigger on an Airbnb condo rental in the bustling Bugis area.
I’ve had plenty of people rave about the Airbnb setup over the years, but this was my first time actually booking one. I always found it a little strange the idea of living in someone else’s space, but it works brilliantly here. Staying in a residential condo allowed us to experience the heart of Singapore exactly like a local would. We rented the place for a full week, and we are absolutely going to keep doing the Airbnb route in future cities whenever we plan to park ourselves for seven days or more.
Three Months Down, Many More to Go
We have officially been on the road for a bit over three months now, covering four distinct countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore. Out of all of them, Barbie and I have easily been the most physically active here.
A lot of backpackers and flashpackers skip Singapore entirely because of the steep prices, or they only allocate a meager two or three days to it. That is a massive error. There is absolutely no way you can properly cover the sheer volume of sights and attractions this country has on tap in a few days. We’ve been here for ten days straight and feel like we’ve only just covered the essentials.
We are packing our bags and heading across the border into Malaysia for a two-week sidetrip, but we will actually be returning right back to Singapore for another two-week stint over the holidays and into the New Year.
We initially planned for a much longer journey through Malaysia, but we cut it short because we scored an awesome opportunity to come back and house-sit for a really cool dog named Hector. He’s an incredibly athletic German Shorthaired Pointer who requires a ridiculous amount of daily exercise, so Hector is bound to keep my ass in peak physical shape. It’s our very first official house-sit, and we’re looking forward to exploring more of these gigs as we continue wandering the globe.
Singapore Neighborhood Food
Chinatown & Clarke Quay
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Song Fa Bak Kut Teh (Hit this twice): Incredible, peppery pork rib broth that clears the sinuses.
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Tong Ah Eating House, Good Morning Nanyang, Shiraz Mazzeh: Fantastic local stops.
Bugis Area
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Chin Chin Eating House & Alex’s Eating House (Hit both twice): Pure, unadulterated chicken rice perfection.
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Chong Qing Grilled Fish: Heavy spice that hits the spot.
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Senjyu, Dessert First, Ah Chew, Bugis Junction Mall: Great local dessert and casual stops.
Food Courts & Other Districts
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Orchard Road: Food Republic @ Wisma, Atria Center & Takashimaya Food Court (High-end mall eating at its finest).
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Arab/Muslim Area: Zam Zam (Massive, legendary Murtabak).
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Suburbs: Jurong Point Mall food stalls.
LOOSE STOOLS INDEX
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Rating: 5 / 10 (System Overdrive)
You would naturally figure that eating the cleanest, freshest food of the entire journey here in immaculate Singapore would cause the index to surge into the high nines. Unfortunately, the opposite occurred. Because Barbie and I stuffed our faces with such a wild, relentless variety of rich ethnic foods, my bowels went into absolute overdrive just trying to process the complex spice data. The plumbing is functioning, but it’s working overtime.
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 