Since coming back to Singapore from Melbourne I’ve enjoyed being able to eat food at much cheaper prices than what I endured over in Australia. Most days I eat at the hawker centre next to my work place and you can easily satisfy your cravings for $3-4 dollars compared to the $8-10 I would spend in Melbourne.
However despite the ready availability of affordable meals there’s been an alarming rise in food prices in Singapore with most cafe meals costing between $12-20 per person and restaurants about $20-40 per person. Food courts are the scourge of a the food world here and can set you back a minimum of $4.50 for a meal. The plus side though is that there is a wealth of different foods to savour now compared to when I was a kid.
My wife and I both believe that good food shouldn’t be costly and whenever possible we look for places that serve decent to good food at remarkably affordable prices. This page lists some of the food places that we’ve enjoyed over the years, that have become our go-to places to entertain friends and satisfy our tums. It doesn’t necessarily reflect the cheapest or best of any type of eating place but for various reasons known or unknown we’ve been drawn back to them time and again.
1. Paradise Dynasty
Located in Ion Orchard (and now a branch at VivoCity) this is one of the best places for xiao long bao and la mian. The cost of each bowl of noodles isn’t exorbitant (prices are below $10) for the amazing broth but when you’ve ordered a couple of dishes things do add up. This is our favourite restaurant to bring visitors to Singapore to.
2. Saveur
The prices have gone up a bit the last time we went but where else can you find good french dishes at prices from $10-15 a dish? We really like the salmon confit, beef cheeks and pistachio panna cotta. 2 branches at Purvis Street and Far East Plaza.
3. Joe’s Kitchen
Not the most thai sounding of places but boy is the food good. Decent thai dishes for very decent prices is all you need to keep drawing people back. We really enjoyed the vermicelli crab. Located facing the main road at Blk 125 Bukit Merah Lane 1.
4. Two Chefs Eating Place (双厨菜馆)
Google up best zi char places in Singapore and you’ll find this eatery on most lists. It’s always crowded so lately we’ve taken to ordering take-away so that we don’t have to stand around for an hour for a table. Incredibly good value for money for very generous portions, my mouth is literally starting to water just thinking about their food. Located at #01-129, 116 Commonwealth Crescent.
5. Alexandra Food Centre and the neighbouring Block 119
My favourite hawker centre. EVER. The roast meat, seafood, duck rice, beef noodles, hong kong noodles, avocado drink and chin chow stalls are so, so good. This place has such a high concentration of good food that we find something new to eat every time we go there. There’s even a western styled food court featuring German and French style cuisine and amazing friend chicken wings in the adjoining block. The design of the hawker centre is surprisingly good as it feels airy and bright unlike others. Only criticism is the parking which is bad. Take the bus if you hate fighting for parking lots.
I’ll be adding to this list more and more as time goes by.
The Sæntinel 