Singapore - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 668

9

In more modern, mid-range hotels ,
an en-suite room for two with air
conditioning and TV will cost around
S$90-140.
Electricity is supplied at 220 volts.

to an indigenous cuisine is Nonya , a
hybrid of Chinese and Malay food
developed by the Peranakan community,
formed as a result of the intermarrying of
nineteenth-century Chinese immigrants
and Malay women. However, there are a
few quintessentially Singaporean dishes
to look out for, such as chilli crab
(wok-fried crabs cooked in a chilli and
tomato sauce) and Hainanese chicken rice
(boiled chicken served on rice cooked
with chicken stock). For other dishes,
see “Food and drink” in the Malaysia
chapter (see p.412).
Vegetarians need to tread carefully,
as chicken and seafood will appear in
a whole host of dishes unless you make
it perfectly clear that you don't want
them. he best bets for vegetarians are
specialist Chinese and Indian restaurants,
as well as international fusion ones; a
few stalls at hawker centres serve
vegetarian food too.
Most restaurants are open daily between
11.30am and 2.30pm and 6 to 10.30pm,
though cheaper places tend to open
longer hours. Tap water is drinkable
throughout Singapore.

FOOD AND DRINK
Eating is one of the most profound
pleasures that Singapore affords its
visitors, and ranks alongside shopping
as one of the two main national
pastimes. An enormous number of food
outlets cater for this obsession, and
strict government regulations ensure
that they are consistently hygienic. By
far the cheapest and most fun place to
dine is in a hawker centre or food court ,
where scores of stalls let you mix and
match Asian dishes, fast-food style, at
really low prices; it's possible to eat like
a king for S$8. Otherwise, there's a
whole range of restaurants to visit,
ranging from no-frills, open-fronted
eating-houses and coffee shops to
swanky establishments serving any
cuisine you can think of. Even in
restaurants, you'll be hard-pressed to
spend more than S$40-50 a head,
including drinks, unless you opt for one
of the island's more exclusive addresses.
All types of cuisine can be found here,
from North and South Indian to Malay,
Indonesian, Korean, Japanese and
Vietnamese. Chinese restaurants are some
of the most popular, which reflects the
fact that three-quarters of the population
is Chinese. he closest Singapore comes

CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
Singapore is a young and vibrant country
and Singaporeans are easy-going, friendly
and generally liberal in outlook. he state
itself, however, is still synonymous with
strict rules.
Sexual activity between men is illegal,
though the authorities tend to turn a

CHINESE FOOD
The majority of the Chinese restaurants in Singapore are Cantonese, from Guangdong in
southern China, though you'll also come across northern Beijing (or Peking) and western
Szechuan cuisines, as well as the Hokkien specialities of the southeastern province of Fujian,
and Teochew dishes from the area east of Canton. Whatever the region, it's undoubtedly
the real thing - Chinese food as eaten by the Chinese - which means it won't always be
particularly appealing to foreigners: the Chinese eat all parts of an animal, from its lips to its
undercarriage, and dishes such as “frog porridge” may be an acquired taste.
Fish and seafood are nearly always outstanding, but for something a little more unusual,
try a steamboat , a Chinese-style fondue filled with boiling stock in which you cook
meat, fish, shellfish, eggs and vegetables; or a claypot - meat, fish or shellfish cooked
over a fire in an earthenware pot. In many Cantonese restaurants (and in other regional
restaurants, too), lunch consists of dim sum - steamed and fried dumplings served in little
bamboo baskets.