Singapore is known for its myriad of cultural influences that play an important role in the country’s beloved cuisine. Renowned for its street food, some of Singapore’s best eats have their roots in Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, and even Indian cuisine. If you want to be close to the culinary action, look to stay in one of the more ethnic neighborhoods, like Chinatown or Little India. While pretty much every local dish you try in Singapore will be amazing, it’s worth making a special detour for the following six.

Sambal Stingray

Sambal Stingray is a local hawker center favorite in Singapore. Just as its name suggests, it’s stingray barbecued in a banana leaf with sambal paste on top. It’s one of the most ordered dishes by locals, and is definitely worth trying at least once.

Chilli Crab

You’ll want to forego wearing white when you try the popular Singaporean chilli crab. It’s messy but oh so worth it! Crabs are stir-fried in a thick, sweet and savory sauce made with a base of tomatoes and chili paste and ribbons of egg. Most times, it’s not overly spicy, but you can find Chilli Crab that packs some serious heat if you ask. The best part is the Mantou, or steamed buns, served on the side to soak up all the leftover sauce.

Durian

Durian is undoubtedly the one food that people either love or hate — there doesn’t seem to be much in between. If you can get past its horrific stench, which has been compared to raw sewage or rotten onions, the flesh is custard-like and somewhat sweet. You can eat it raw, or it’s used in a variety of other ways. One caveat about Durian in Singapore — it’s banned in most public places. You can’t take it on public transportation, and hotels typically have a very strict policy on eating durian in your room.

Chai Tao Kway

Typically called carrot cake on some menus, chai tao kway is actually a fried radish cake. You’ll find two varieties — black and white. The chopped turnip cake is stir-fried with garlic, eggs, and spring onion, and sometimes shrimp (dried and/or fresh). The white version contains no soy sauce whereas the black version has a sweet molasses-based sauce.

Hainanese Chicken

This popular dish came from early Chinese immigrants from the Hainan province in Southern China. The chicken is poached and the stock is skimmed off with some fat and liquid. That’s cooked along with garlic, ginger, and even pandan leaves with the rice to produce what’s often called “oily rice.” If you aren’t a fan of deboning the chicken yourself, some food stalls now offer it without the bones.

Ice Kachang

Ice Kachang, or Malaysian-style shaved ice, is the best way to beat the heat in Singapore. The mound of shaved ice typically has red beans, jelly, and sweet syrup on top. Other toppings include peanuts, or peanut kachang, sweet corn, condensed milk, durian, mango, ice cream, and more.

With these, and so many other delectable dishes to choose from in Singapore, it’s certain you’ll find a dish to call your favorite. But before being able to taste such meals on Singapore, you may want to consult with professionals like that family immigration lawyer.

This post was in partnership with IHG Hotels, but as always, all opinions, views, and calories gained are my own! 

That gooey, sticky, sweet, and spicy sauce that coats the entire crab. Mmmm…

Certainly not a first date food..heck, not even a three month relationship food in some instances, but still a must try if you are traveling in Singapore.

Singapore’s multi-cultural background has earned it the reputation of being one of the top food destinations in the world. The country has a range of culinary influences that include Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, and even the Middle East and some Western traditions. This translates into some substantial culinary offerings that are unrivaled in other parts of the world.

Considered a signature dish of Singapore, you can find chilli crab at Hawker Centers, local restaurants, and anywhere that serves traditional cuisine.  Each spot will have a different take on the Singapore Chilli Crab, but essentially it’s a whole crab stir-fried with a fragrant sauce that resembles a tomato based gravy. It has garlic, chilli, ribbons of egg, and definitely packs a punch. You sop up the chilli goodness with fluffy white mantou (Chinese buns).

It is believed that the origin of chilli crab dates back to the 1950’s when Cher Yam Tian added bottled tomato and chilli sauces to the crab to spice up the regular dish. She eventually started selling it in a push cart, then moved to a food stall and 15 years later, opened Palm Beach Restaurant, which she sold in 1984. Some believe the more popular version of chilli crab seen today was created by Hooi Kok Wai of Dragon Phoenix restaurant — he modified Cher’s recipe to add eggs, vinegar, sambal, lemon juice, and tomato paste.

I’ve tried Singapore style chilli crab in several restaurants, in and out of Singapore, as well as the famed Newton Hawker Center. The best chilli crab easily was that from the hawker center — it was rich, tomatoey, slightly sweet with a manageable spice level.

In case you aren’t swayed by our recommendation, CNNGo named Singapore Chilli Crab as one of the World’s Top 50 Foods and Newton Hawker Center even declares it’s one of top 10 foods to try!

Where is your favorite spot for Singapore chilli crab? 

Quek operates two other restaurants in Taipei — another Just In Bistro and Justin’s Signature.  The new Just In Bistro & Wine Bar will be one step up from the original one, but still not as formal as Justin’s Signature.  Quek describes his new venture as “Bistronomic” a combination of high-end gastronomic offerings, but at bistro prices in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.  The cuisine is Franco-Asian, playing on his extensive experience with both French and Asian cuisine.

We stumbled upon the grand opening notice on Sunday and somehow managed to get seats for Monday night’s grand opening festivities.  Just In Bistro features bar seating at the front of the restaurant and a small dining room at the rear.  There is a private room that will be available for booking soon and even a show kitchen.  The dining room is small, with only 8 or so tables.

Within minutes of being seated, Chef Justin Quek came over to talk to us.  He talked about his vision and about his food sources.  He is working with local farmers to provide the freshest of ingredients and all seafood is locally caught.  There is an entire oyster menu that includes delicate offerings imported from France.  One page of the menu includes some classic and signature Singaporean dishes.  In trying to keep a local tie in wherever possible, Quek also shared that the artwork on the various pages of the menu was designed by a local Taiwanese artist.

After discussing the dishes for a few minutes with Chef Quek, he offered to put together a special menu and individual wine pairings for the evening.  This is always our preferred way to go rather than ordering straight off the menu as you get a real feel for the chef’s talents and specialties.

Baked “Le Creuset” Egg Cocotte, Fricassee of Mushrooms, Homemade Duck Foie Gras Torchon and Truffle Scented Mushroom Jus(NT $270)

Wine: Vueve Clicquot, Yellow Label, Brut Champagne

Infused with a wide variety of flavors, this definitely set the bar high.  The egg was cooked perfectly with a runny yolk — the perfect compliment with foie gras.  The foie gras is homemade and in this dish it is a torchon, which means it is wrapped in a towel (torchon) and poached.  Many of Chef Quek’s dishes have a strong French influence as he worked in France for a number of years.

Breaded “Wu Gu” Bamboo Shoot, Mayo & Truffle Salt(NT $280)

Wine: Vueve Clicuot, Yellow Label, Brut Champagne

Our next course was a special dish that won’t always be available on the menu — bamboo shoots.  Much like the European white asparagus season, Taiwan is known for its white bamboo shoots that are cooked in a variety of different ways.

The type of Taiwan bamboo is “Wu Gu”, regarded as the best available on the island and comes from the Wugu region near Taipei City.  The season just started this week and each day, harvested bamboo shoots are being auctioned off and sold on roadside stands.

If you have the opportunity to visit Just In Bistro soon, be sure to try this before it’s off the specials board and not available again.  The breading on the bamboo is so light and airy, and rather than overpowering the delicate sweetness of the bamboo shoot, it simply enhances it.  The light bit of truffle salt and the drizzle of mayo really elevate this traditional Taiwanese culinary staple.

Capellini with sauteed crabmeats “Marco Polo” (Starter NT $480 and Main $680)

Wine: Casa Lapostolle, Chardonnay

This was a dish that we probably would’ve never ordered on our own as we tend to skip over pastas, especially when they involve seafood.  After a few bad experiences in Taiwan, we’ve become quite skeptical ordering pasta out.

I’m thrilled we let Chef Justin surprise us as this was a phenomenal dish.  The capellini was so tender and light and he told us he used the aromatic oils from the crab shell.  Each bite was like a mouthful of succulent, sweet crab.  Justin discussed that the name for this dish comes from the explorer Marco Polo — there was a romantic theory that he brought noodles back from China and introduced them to Italy.  While that myth is considered debunked, there is definitely some truth that Marco Polo bridged a gap between Europeans and Asians.

Wok Fried Whole Pepper Maine Lobster Served with Steamed Jasmine Rice (NT $1980)

Wine: Schloss Vollards, Riesling Kabinett

When the wine was poured for this course, we still had no idea what we were being served.  Since it was a Riesling, we certainly expected something on the spicy side and sine Chef Justin had talked about the pepper Main lobster, we were hoping.

Sure enough, we had a whole Maine lobster that was wok fried with a pepper sauce.  It was absolutely one of the best lobster dishes I’ve had.  The lobster was so tender, so sweet, and the pepper sauce was not nearly as spicy as I expected.  It was much lighter than what I’ve typically had with the Singaporean chili crab.

Le Creuset Skillets Souffle (NT $480)

Grand Marnier Navan Vanilla Cognac

I am a souffle fanatic and this exceeded all my wildest souffle dreams.  Made in a skillet, it is a one-of-a-kind souffle that is big enough for 2 or 3 people to share.  The current seasonal offering is apricot with an apricot sauce on top.  The souffle literally melted in our mouths and it more resembled a toasted marshmallow than the egg consistency in many souffles.

If the souffle was not over-the-top by itself, it was paired with a very special liqueur — Navan Vanilla Cognac, which is made by Grand Marnier, and according to Chef Justin, he is the only person who has it right now in Taiwan.  It was served in a wine glass with two small ice cubes and it went down so smoothly — I am definitely going to be on the hunt for this on our next trip outside of Taiwan.

At this point, we obviously assumed we were done but we turned around to find another dessert being brought over to us!

Old Fashioned Crepes Suzette with Vanilla Ice Cream (NT $460)

Another dish that Chef Justin is very proud of is his Old Fashioned Crepes Suzette with homemade vanilla ice cream.  Traditional Crepes Suzette feature a beurre Suzette, a sauce that is made from caramelized sugar and butter, has orange juice, zest, and an orange flavored liqueur, served flambe.  What a treat.

Black Tea Chocolate Truffle Mint (NT $145)

It was time for coffee and tea and I was rather smitten with a few of the tea offerings — especially the chocolate truffle mint tea.  This is definitely a tea I wish was served by the pot, not by the cup!

Justin Quek’s Private Wine Selection

Something I did not mention yet is that Justin Quek has his own private label wine made by an Australian winemaker.  We were curious about it on the menu and he instantly offered to open a bottle and let us try some.  We were on the lobster course and he said it would pair well with it, which came as a bit of a surprise.  However, it did pair quite well and the peppery flavor of the lobster really enhanced the smoky notes in the wine.

For those interested in the wine, it is called JQ and is made by Phillip Jones from Bass Phillip in South Gippsland, Australia.  It is a small production and retails at Just In Bistro & Wine Bar for $3,600 NT.  We took the opportunity to purchase a bottle and have him sign it.

There is a magnum private label Riesling for $4,600 NT, but sadly, it has not arrived yet — we were told it’s still on the boat in transport.

Reflections

Overall, we were rather impressed with the new Just In Bistro and couldn’t thank Chef Justin Quek for treating us to one of the most personalized and enjoyable dinners we’ve had.  He even took the time to print out our specialized menu with wine pairings that we could take home, which we had signed as well.  It is not often that a grand opening goes that smoothly and is devoid of major hiccups and issues — quite a testament to the quality staff he has in place.

Since we had such an enjoyable dinner and Justin was leaving on the 22nd for a wine event in New Zealand, we decided to come back just a day later to try a few more specialty items and have the opportunity to enjoy Quek’s company.  Look for our return visit details in a subsequent post since we tried even more dishes the second time around.

Congrats to Justin Quek and his talented staff on a flawless grand opening and bringing another gem to Taipei’s burgeoning culinary scene.

Just In Bistro & Wine Bar (XinYi District)
No 30, Songshou Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City 110
Telephone: +886 2 8786 2000
Website: www.justinquek.com
Hours: 11am Bar (light meals) 12:00-14:00 lunch, 14:00-18:00 drinks, 18:00-22:00 dinner, 22:00-00:00 midnight snacks
Credit cards accepted

Located inside the NEO19 停車場 entertainment/dining complex
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This is a delicious dish to try in Singapore  Hawker Centers.  Not the traditional carrot cake that is often consumed for dessert – this is made with white daikon (radish) which is often called “carrot” in Southeast Asia.

A signature dish in Singapore, Chili Crab is fairly spicy, super messy, but certainly a worthwhile treat.  This photo is from Prima Taste, a Singaporean restaurant chain that now has a branch in Taipei, Taiwan.  When ordering Chili Crab, Prima Taste provides thick rolls to sop up all the sauce left on the plate so you get every last bit of that deliciousness!