|
Hawker Centres
Hawker
centres are where you will find a veritable feast of Chinese, Malay
and Indian treats. It is best to find yourself a seat before you
order. Placing a packet of tissue on the table will signal to others
that the table has been reserved. Sharing a table with strangers is
fine if you cannot find a vacant one.
Place your orders at each stall, state your table number and your
selections. Most hawker centres have numbers on each table, however
self-service is practised in some hawker centres and food courts. It
is also a good way to ask Singaporeans about their favourite food or
stall. Chinese dishes are served with chopsticks, though a fork and
spoon will be made readily available upon request. When ordering
seafood, you should ask for the exact price you will be charged for
the dish to avoid any misunderstanding.
Some favourite hawker centres in the city area
include Bugis Street, Lau Pa Sat,
Chinatown Food Street
and Maxwell Road Market. For an in-depth taste of Singapore's hawker
centres, visit the
Makansutra
website.
Food Courts
Food courts are basically air-conditioned,
indoor hawker centres. They are popular because they offer diversity
of choice in a clean, modern and sometimes even upmarket setting. As
with hawker centres, it is best to find a seat before you order your
food. Some favourite food courts in the city areas include Bugis
Junction, Clarke Quay, Picnic Food Court, Takashimaya Food Village,
China Square Food Centre and Kopitiam.
Prices
Singapore has a
wide range of differently priced menus to suit the needs of travellers.
Local fare found at hawker centres and kopitiams or
open-fronted local coffee shops are very reasonably priced indeed
while luxurious meals served at five-star establishments are still
excellent value for money. For discounts, check out the Traveller's
Card from OneLoyalty. With the Traveller's Card, you can get rewarded
every time you spend. Earn instant cash-back of up to 19.5% off the
purchase price at participating merchants. Redeem the cash-back in the
form of OneLoyalty$ on your next transaction or accumulate it to shop
for free. To find out more, visit the
OneLoyalty website.
Dress Code
Smart casual dressing is the rule for most restaurants in the
city. At open-air food centres, you'll probably find dressing in
shorts and sandals far more comfortable.
Credit Cards
Most major credit cards are widely accepted at Singapore restaurants,
with the exception of the more simple establishments, food courts and
hawker centres, You may wish to call ahead to confirm that your card
will be accepted.
Service Charges
Most hotel restaurants and dining establishments levy a service charge
of 10%, a government tax of 4% which will increase to 5% in 2004 and a
cess tax of 1%. Some suburban eating places and most hawker centres
and food courts do not levy this charge. Tipping can be practised at
your discretion.
No Smoking
In the interests of public health, smoking has been banned in most
air-conditioned buildings and restaurants. |
Food Tips
Information
provided by
Singapore Tourism Board.
