Street food Singapore, Malayasia, Thailand

[2big2zip]

Are there any recommendations for street food in Singapore, is one Hawker center better than another?

 

Any recommendations for Langkawi or Penang Malaysia or Phuket Thailand?  

[diesel1973]

Don't know if this applies but both tours I have taken in China the guides stressed to not eat food from street vendors. Her reasons were 1. Don't know how it was prepared 2. Don't know how fresh it is 3. Our systems are not used to that type of food. I wanted to try Scorpions on a stick but was advised not to.

[Philob]

45 minutes ago, 2big2zip said:

Are there any recommendations for street food in Singapore, is one Hawker center better than another?

 

Any recommendations for Langkawi or Penang Malaysia or Phuket Thailand?  

Start out with Mike Chen on U-tube

There should be no issues with eating street food in Singapore. Of course it depends on your stomach, YMMV. 

 

SWMBO is from Southern China, even she doesn't eat street food in China.  Taiwan yes, China no.  

Edited February 10, 2019 by Philob

[cruising cockroach]

Penang is fine.

[Northern Aurora]

We spent a week in Singapore in 2016 following 30+ nights on a cruise ship.  Singapore is incredibly clean with high, high standards for food preparation.  While there are some ratings regarding Singapore hawker courts, the "best" one is most likely the one closest to where you are.  Quite frankly, we hit several and they were all very good.

[Hoyaheel]

If you want street food in China, do a food tour - they're not going to take you someplace with problems; they have ongoing relationships with vendors. We LOVED our UnTour night market tour in Shanghai, and I've sent other family & work colleagues on tours with them as well and we've all loved. Though OP did not ask about China, so....

 

We loved every hawker center we went to in Singapore. I know lots of traditionalists are upset by some of the gentrifying the govt has been doing, but as someone whose first trip was in 2016, we were happy 🙂 Lau Pa Sat is known for its satay. Maxwell is where the "famous" chicken rice stall is (which ironically we didn't eat but we loved what we did eat....) We also ate in little India and 2-3 other places I can't remember without looking at My Maps but we just ate wherever we happened to be exploring when we got hungry 😉 Do note times though - Maxwell closes around 3-4pm so no dinner there.

 

We did a food tour in HCMC that was nice (not "great") and our timing didn't work out to do one in Bangkok or Phuket, our ports in Thailand.....

[ROCruiser]

We loved the Hainanese Chicken rice from both Tian Tian and Ah Tai at Maxwell Center.  Will have to try the roast meat stall that had a long line formed even before they were opened. Also enjoyed the satay at Lau Pa Sat!

[diesel1973]

Will be doing a land tour to Thailand and Vietnam. How will the street vendor food be there?

[Globaliser]

On 2/10/2019 at 2:02 AM, diesel1973 said:

Don't know if this applies but both tours I have taken in China the guides stressed to not eat food from street vendors. Her reasons were 1. Don't know how it was prepared ...

 

In the case of a lot of street food, you can see it being cooked in front of you and you can eat it as soon as it has been cooked. That gives you a better assurance about preparation than, say, a hotel buffet where you can't see what the kitchen is doing, and then the food often sits in some warming dish at a temperature that's relatively low and sometimes low enough to allow bacteria to breed rapidly.

[iancal]

We have eaten street food in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam over five separate winter vacations.  Not China though.  We had street food a few nights ago in Ranong, Thailand.  It was excellent!

 

Neither of us has ever been ill.  The one time we were ill it was from eating western style food in a western restaurant in Phuket.

[Hoyaheel]

What I learned in traveling & eating in LOTS of places, as well as from doing a graduate degree in public health - go where the lines are longest. Lemming theory is quite helpful much of the time - locals aren't going to eat bad food AND if there's a long line, there's quick turnover - food will be fresh cooked, not sitting out, as noted above. 

 

There are no guarantees in life. But in 25 years, I've only had to use cipro once 😉

 

If you know you have a delicate stomach, it's probably not going to be enhanced by eating street food. But if you eat a wide variety of food at home, I don't see a problem eating street food in Asia. I do have limits - I don't handle chile spice well, which can be a problem in some places (we had a tour guide who tried to kill my husband in Bangkok, telling him to add a condiment that was "not spicy, not spicy at all" 😉 He loves spice and he still drank his entire beer in one gulp after that 🙂

[diesel1973]

Thanks for your responses. I am not a picky eater and will try anything once so I doubt I will have a problem.

[jkgourmet]

We've done street food all over Thailand (but especially Bangkok), Singapore, and Melaka and Kuala Lampour in Malasia.  All independently. (And a lot in Mexico.)

 

a few rules we have successfully followed that eliminated getting sick and resulted in delicious food:

 

1.  Use Purel after you get your food, but before eating it.

2.  If the same person is touching money AND serving food, don't eat there (money is very, very contaminated).

3.  Look for the vendors that are crowded with LOCALS.

 

P.S. We ate the Haiwanese chicken at Tian Tian.  The most memorable thing about it was the long line due to the Anthony Bourdain affect.  We should have taken our own advice and noted that the line included very few Asians, and selected another vendor.

[Hoyaheel]

15 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

P.S. We ate the Haiwanese chicken at Tian Tian.  The most memorable thing about it was the long line due to the Anthony Bourdain affect.  We should have taken our own advice and noted that the line included very few Asians, and selected another vendor.

 

We were too hungry & lazy to wait in that line 😉 Sometimes that does work to my benefit!

[Hoyaheel]

One thing I want to add in case it's not clear from videos you watch or from being in a hawker center. You don't have to buy a "meal" from one vendor! You can pick many items from many vendors, then sit & eat!!  It took me a little time watching what others were doing before I felt comfortable doing the same, but that's really how they're set up - many food & drink stalls, shared seating.....Some days husband and I would just trade off getting up for another plate of something to share....

 

Also, not every stall selling drinks had beer available, but there were enough. It was HOT & HUMID in Singapore and I thought it was lovely to have a beer with my food. In case you might also feel the same 😉

Edited February 11, 2019 by Hoyaheel

[Ashland]

Singapore...Lau Pa Sat...Night time BBQ for satay (starts at 6:30pm)...so good we went two nights during our pre-cruise stay.

[PCWalton1]

We were lucky and there was no line at Tian Tian. The chicken was great.

 

 

In Penang we ate fried noodles, durian, fresh coconuts, and a variety of foods off of banana leaves plates. No issues, just enjoyment. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Globaliser]

This thread reminds me to mention a slightly off-the-wall dining experience for anyone who's got time to kill at SIN airport: going to the staff canteens (which are open to the public). It looks like there's now one in T2 as well as one in T1: https://www.littledayout.com/2017/04/26/get-to-changi-airport-staff-canteen-hawker-center/

[iancal]

It is quite amazing at some of the night markets.  Often the beer is sold by the person who takes care of the tables.  We might order three dishes from two or three different stalls.  Always the same...they say go and sit down, we will bring it to you.

 

And they always do, no matter how crowded it seems.   We like the bbq pork and chicken.  We don’t bother with the mysteries meat that looks like wieners though.

[mybetsee]

My husband is a Celiac and must have a gluten free diet.  Has anyone had any experience getting gluten options in Singapore?  We will be spending 2 days post cruise in Singapore.  

[ROCruiser]

On 2/12/2019 at 12:20 AM, Globaliser said:

This thread reminds me to mention a slightly off-the-wall dining experience for anyone who's got time to kill at SIN airport: going to the staff canteens (which are open to the public). It looks like there's now one in T2 as well as one in T1: https://www.littledayout.com/2017/04/26/get-to-changi-airport-staff-canteen-hawker-center/

Thanks for this information, Globaliser!

[cruising cockroach]

On 2/18/2019 at 11:27 AM, mybetsee said:

My husband is a Celiac and must have a gluten free diet.  Has anyone had any experience getting gluten options in Singapore?  We will be spending 2 days post cruise in Singapore.  

 

No guarantees but wheat isn't a common ingredient in local food.

[CruzinNoony]

Can anyone tell me if the Maxwell Food Center is near any of the ho-ho stops?  

[Hoyaheel]

14 hours ago, CruzinNoony said:

Can anyone tell me if the Maxwell Food Center is near any of the ho-ho stops?  

It's a couple blocks from Buddha's Relic, probably not too far from another Chinatown stop - I can't recall the different route stops but I think a couple routes have Chinatown stops.....