Favourite breakfast haunt: “Two Men Bagel House. Basically, everything here is great and their bagel sandwiches are stuffed to the brim.”

What to order: “The Personal Best, Sunday Best, BEC and Lox (pictured) bagels. Each of its three outlets has a different menu so I speak just for the outlet that I frequent.”

Go-to restaurant for a special occasion: “RVLT – it has a rowdy fun atmosphere which may not be suitable for a quiet date, but nonetheless it has great food alongside a massive natural wine selection.”

What to order: “Chicken nuggets, sourdough with seaweed butter or any pasta-type dishes (pictured) on the menu at the time.”

Best restaurant that serves your favourite cuisine: “Gokul for vegan food. It’s always consistent over the years, and I’m amazed at how they can do vegan versions of local dishes that somehow taste even better than the original.”

What to order: “‘Mutton’ dum biryani, roti prata and ‘chicken’ rice and dry laksa.”

Favourite supper spot: “Boon Keng New Taste on Bendemeer Road. It’s open till really late, and there’s a large variety of food to order. BBQ skewers are some of the best on this island.”

What to order: “Mutton skewers, BBQ egg, BBQ lettuce, beef noodle soup, chicken, and anything eggplant and lotus root in chilli oil.”

First place you have a meal at when you land in Singapore: “East Bistro in My Village. It’s super low-key and almost hidden, but the food blows you away.”

What to order: “King prawn crispy noodles, claypot oxtail, seafood pao fan, sesame ball and steamed brown sugar cake.”

Best underrated dining spot: “Songane. It’s a Korean place that specialises in some less common dishes, namely duck stew and stir-fried duck. It’s a little family-run business and the two girls who manage the floor are real sweet and make everyone feel very welcome.”

What to order: “Banchan (raw squid especially), mul nangmyeon (cold broth noodles, pictured), mandu (dumplings), steamed egg and duck stew.”

Favourite new discovery: “Social Smoker has great, loud vibes and tasty barbeque in the northern part of the island. Book ahead and try to get a slot on weekdays because they sell out of stuff fast on weekends.”

What to order: “Sides like corn bread bibingka, creamed spinach and mac ‘n’ cheese (pictured). Smoked ribs and smash burger are my recommendations for proteins.”

Favourite hawker centre/stall: “Four Seasons Chendol has perenially awesome chendol!”

What to order: “Chendol with extra atap chee.”

Favourite breakfast haunt: “Tong Ah Eating House at Keong Saik Road. This traditional coffee shop serves the standard local breakfast staples of kaya toast, two soft-boiled eggs and local kopi or teh.”

What to order: “I come here for the butter coffee when I feel like being indulgent. Local coffee that is rich enough and enhanced with a thick slab of butter.”

Favourite supper spot: “Lee Kwang Kee. It’s inexpensive, comforting and opens till late. Its Teochew fish porridge is perfect for a rainy day or after a couple of drinks!”

What to order: “Fish porridge. It comes in a large black pot that is more soup than rice. The broth is rich, almost milky and the fish is fresh.

Go-to restaurant for a special occasion: “Ki-Sho. The omakase is one of the best in town.”

What to order: “Omakase.”

First place you have a meal at when you land in Singapore: “Penang Seafood Restaurant in Geylang. When I land in Singapore, I’m always craving local food so I usually stop by a tze char place that’s on the way back home.”

What to order: “Lala Hokkien mee and Penang char kuay teow.”

Your favourite wine bar: “Wine Mouth. Love the vibe and hidden location – follow the red stairs up into wine heaven.”

What to order: “It has a large selection of natural wines and carefully curated spirits. Ask for a recommendation and try something new!”

Best watering hole for affordable drinks: “Caffe Fernet has a good happy hour until 6.30pm. Choose outdoor seating with a nice view of Marina Bay.”

What to order: “Aperol Spritz is $16++ during happy hour and features our Brass Lion Singapore Dry Gin.”

Best underrated dining spot? “Ao Ringo – an unassuming little space in Orchard Plaza that serves Spanish and Tokyo cuisine.”

What to order: “Its fixed price seven-course menu at $99.90.”

One place that must be reserved early: “Jypsy. It’s been hard to reserve a space since they moved to One Fullerton. The view, selection of gin and tonics and their modern Japanese dishes are perfect for sharing.”

What to order: “Ceviches, crudo and sashimi (pictured).”

Favourite new discovery: “Firangi Superstar – the sexy modern Indian restaurant that opened last year in the midst of the pandemic.”

What to order: “Back In The Saddle is a tandoori spiced lamb dish that is juicy and succulent.”

Favourite hawker centre/stall: “Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle. While I like the dry style of Hokkien mee, the wet saucy Hokkien mee has a special place in my heart. In my opinion, Xiao Di has one of the best versions of this style in Singapore. Every spoonful of noodles comes soaked in the rich and robust prawn stock, and the homemade chilli on the side adds a different dimension to the dish.”

What to order: “Hokkien mee.”

Favourite supper spot: “Newton Food Centre has a huge variety of all my local favourites – and they taste so good.”

What to order: “Hup Kee fried oyster omelette, Guan Kee grilled seafood, Heng carrot cake, and TKR honey chicken wings.”

Go-to restaurant for a special occasion: “Osteria Bbr By Alain Ducasse. The food, ambience  and the service is amazing – overall, it is a place serving quality food that is pocket-friendly.”

What to order: “Pizza, beef tenderloin, sea bass and chocolate tart.”

First place you have a meal at when you land in Singapore: “Long Beach at Dempsey. I have been patronising the restaurant so often that I am friends with the manager there. She would always make it a point to make me feel welcomed.”

What to order: “Chilli crab and salted egg yolk crab.”

Best underrated dining spot: “Central Hong Kong Cafe. I chanced upon this place by accident earlier this year when I was in Sentosa for a staycation with my girlfriend. Every dish that we ordered was tasty, full of flavour, and most importantly, not oily and salty. Prices were pocket-friendly too.”

What to order: “Hong Kong wanton noodles, Hong Kong style fried beef hor fun, spicy stewed beef brisket lamian and thick toast peanut butter condensed milk.”

One place that must be reserved early: “Summer Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. Cantonese cuisine is something I really love and grew up eating a lot – and the food handcrafted by Chinese Executive Chef Cheung Siu Kong is really top-notch. I used to be a trainee at the hotel in 2012 during my younger days, so that place holds great memories for me.”

What to order: “Steamed prawn dumplings (har gao), Steamed pork dumplings (siew mai), steamed barbecue pork bun (char siew bao), double-boiled superior chicken soup, sauteed diced beef.”

A place that pushes the boundaries when it comes to gastronomy: “Esora. Every dish is created using the best produce of the season. I love my food ‘clean’ and ‘refreshing’ and the dishes served here hit every sweet spot.”

What to order: “Menu changes every season.”

Best restaurant that serves your favourite cuisine: “Lei Garden has a rich and varied array of dishes that are tasty, with fresh ingredients. I have dined here many times and the food quality is always consistent.”

What to order: “Steamed prawn dumplings (har gao), steamed pork dumplings (xiao long bao), steamed barbecue pork bun (char siew bao), deep fried prawn dumplings, lobster superior broth porridge.”

Favourite hawker centre/stall: “Hup Kee Fried Oyster Omelette at Newton Food Centre. I mainly visit it for one reason, and that is to eat here. Its version remains one of my favourite fried oyster omelettes in Singapore. The crispness of the dish is what I love best.”

What to order: “The fried oyster omelette.”

Favourite breakfast haunt: “Heap Seng Leong. I like coming to this traditional kopitiam because time slows down here, while you have your coffee and people watch. Traditional kopitiams are slowly vanishing from Singapore’s food landscape, and I always make it a point to visit them regularly before they are gone.”

What to order: “Kopi guyou (pictured), coffee with condensed milk and a slab of butter. I like that the condensed milk and butter make the coffee taste extra rich and the fact that you don’t usually find this very often. You could order kaya toast to go with your coffee, but the star of the show is the latter.”

Favourite supper spot: “Ming Fa Bak Chor Mee. I grew up in Marymount and have fond memories of spontaneous suppers all along Upper Thomson Road during my school days. After supper, you could always hop next door for a second round of roti prata, beancurd, or ice-cream.”

What to order: “Bak chor mee, with extra vinegar.”

Go-to restaurant for a special occasion: “Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine. While living overseas in Melbourne, I’ve noticed how ‘rough’ Chinese food is here – to get similarly high-quality, delicately made Chinese food as what we get in Singapore, you’d have to spend a fortune. This is why eating at somewhere like Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine always feels like a treat – imagine how good your usual Chinese restaurant food in Singapore is, and take it up another notch.”

What to order: “Peking duck. The skin is always glassy and crunchy, and the crepe is homemade I believe.”

First place you have a meal at when you land in Singapore: “Whampoa Food Street (Keng) Fish Head Steamboat. This homely roadside restaurant serves Teochew steamboat, where you cook ingredients in a milky fish bone broth flavoured with teepoh (dried solefish) and Chinese salted plum. For someone whose palate skews slightly acidic, slurping the soup, especially after it has taken on the flavour of everything you cook in it, is pure bliss.”

What to order: “Steamboat with any ingredients of your choice.”

Best underrated dining spot: “The Flying Squirrel. I like this restaurant for sentimental reasons: it was where my husband and I went on our first date. We stumbled upon this small hole-in-the-wall Amoy Street spot, which felt hip but intimate at the same time.”

What to order: “The sushi, coffee and dessert are great.”

One place that must be reserved early: “Mustard Seed. Imagine bold local flavours tempered with a Japanese sense of restraint. This is a great example of modern, elevated Singaporean cuisine, and where I’d take friends from abroad to give them a taste of Singaporean food in a wonderful setting.”

What to order: “Mustard Seed only offers a fixed tasting menu that changes frequently.”

Best restaurant that serves your favourite cuisine: “Beerthai House Restaurant at Golden Mile Complex. I am a sucker for good Thai food and Beerthai is consistently good any time of the day.”

What to order: “The pork laab (minced meat salad) which comes with offal and chopped pork skin. The red duck curry is also very good.”

Favourite hawker centre/stall: “Xi Xiang Feng. I discovered this yong tau foo place by chance when writing Wet Market to Table (her 2019 book that explores uncommonly used vegetables, fruits and herbs found in Singapore wet markets). They have so many ingredients that you might not find at a typical stall, and their addictive yong tau foo sauce is not overly sweet or garishly red.”

What to order: “Dry yong tau foo.”

Text: Rebecca Rachel Wong/ FEMALE