On the way to Chinatown we decided to stop for a lunch in less touristic place and mix with locals at Maxwell food centre, one of many hawker centers in Singapore!

You can find here dozens of stalls with huge variety of food, refreshing local beverages and sweet treats.

As an appetizer, we tried deep fried dumplings (3S$) on a stall number 92, filled with meat and vegetables, juicy inside and very crispy outside, delicious!

Tian-Tian Chicken Rice at stall 10&11, very simple meal consisting of tender chicken and interestingly spiced rice (3.5S$ small portion), food disappeared from the plate immediately! This stall defeated Gordon Ramsey in “Hawker Heroes Challenge” and is vary famous in Singapore. We also tried hot&sour soup (stall 92) and egg-chicken-vegetable-rice. The latter was scooped on the plate with impressive vigor and speed. While it doesn’t look like a gourmet dinner, the flavors where great and only 3.1S$.

Sugar cane juice (1.2S$) is very popular here but for me, way to sweet. Sebastian liked his three-layer coffee: a bottom of coffee sirup, followed by condensed milk and strong coffee on top :)

The Buddha Tooth Replic Museum was the first temple we noticed in the Chinatown district. Note that you need to be dressed properly to enter this (and other) temple(s). Inside the temple is richly decorated with lustrous gold.

The Chinatown complex, opened in 1984 is a place full of souvenirs, traditional chinese decorations, clothes and local food. We also spotted some counterfeit watches and bootleg DVDs being sold in a nearby alley. The dominant color inside is red and gold, the colors of traditional chinese decorations.

Oh, what is this horrible smell! A bag of garbage after festering a few hours in the sun? Decaying meat? No! We are approaching a stall with durians :D Now it becomes obvious why it is strictly forbidden to take durians on the public transport. Next time I will not breath through my nose and try them :p

Few days later, I noticed durian flavour cookies, chocolate and candy in one of the Chinese supermarkets. Since I was very curious about the flavour, I bought bar of chocolate. How big my surprise was when I discovered that these products smell like the fresh fruits! :O Ugh…. I do not recommend to open any of them in a public places ;) Now the chocolate is wrapped tightly in a plastic bag and waiting on a balcony for someone willing to try it! :D

Chinatown is full of narrow streets, small shops, tailors where you can order a custom suit, which is fitted and ready in only 6h, massage places and restaurants. However, food here is very similar to what you can find in Maxwell center but at twice the price. I would recommend to go for the cheaper and more authentic option, especially for tourists on a budget.

Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest and the most important Hindu temple in Singapore, unique due to colorful statuary above the entrance, you can visit it but remember to take off your shoes!

Thian Hock Keng temple is the oldest and the most important place of worship of the Hokkien people (a Chinese dialect group) in the country.

Oasia hotel near Tanjong Pagar stands out from other buildings which are mostly made with steel and glass. This one has a unique claret color and few enormous gardens with swimming pools, an outstanding combination! :O

Practical info:

  • Food at Maxwell center in price range 3-7S$, drinks 1-2S$
  • MRT station - Tanjong Pagar (starting point of our walk)