Singapore’s hawker food is the stuff of legend, and celebrities like Anthony Bourdain have raved about the dazzling array of cheap delicious dishes available. There is a large number of hawker centers in Singapore. Wherever you go, you will have to share a table, queue for food and sweat it out. There are dishes from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.
CNN: The street food scene in Singapore is now less “street food” and more “food court.” Regulated out of existence years ago, street food vendors moved into government-sanctioned "hawker centers" where they still sell the same dishes. While this may undermine the cuisine’s credibility as street food, it offers those with delicate stomachs the opportunity to partake -- strict safety and hygiene regulations make Singapore's hawker food some of the safest “street food” around. Hawker centers offer a blend of inexpensive Malaysian, Indian and Chinese cuisines, which combine to offer a uniquely Singaporean eating experience. A strong food culture also means that Singaporeans feel passionately about their hawker centers and the dishes found there, keeping standards of tastiness and authenticity high.
Makansutra Gluttons Bay Hawker Center
Offering a spectacular view of the Marina Bay skyline, Makansutra Gluttons Bay Hawker Center is one of the best hawker centers in town. About 12 hawker stalls flank an assortment of plastic-covered stone tables and long wooden tables topped with large umbrellas (the only concession to the weather); the area has enough seating for over 500 guests, who come every night to take in the view and the authentic hawker fare.
"Marina Bay is a very iconic part of Singapore - Gluttons Bay is about delivering a street food experience in the slickest part of Marina Bay," says Makansutra founder and Singapore Street Food Guru K.F. Seetoh. "I said we should bring back the old style, open-air street food stall that we used to have in the 60s and 70s. And we keep prices as cheap as possible."
You can choose from a wide range of famous local treats such as fried carrot cake, oyster omelet, chilli crab and roti jala (lacy pancakes served with delicious curry).
After dinner, you can watch free street performances frequently organized by arts center Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, located just next door. Or you can walk over to the Marina Bay Sands or the Fullerton Hotel to take an after dinner drink.
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