No food tour in Singapore would be complete without trying some delicious local food in a hawker center. And why not stop in one of the many stalls that have been awarded a Michelin star ? I tried Hawker Chan in Singapore, one of the first two street food stalls to ever receive the famous star!
Singaporean cuisine is very diverse, with influences from China, Malaysia, and many more. To experience local dishes, hawker centers are a must. You’ll find many stalls offering various mouth-watering dishes for an affordable price. It’s heaven for all street food fans!
The Hawker Centers: Singapore’s Culinary Heartbeat
If you’re planning a trip to Singapore, you must have heard about their hawer centers. In those big outdoor (or semi-open) food courts, you will find many different stalls that offer a wide array of dishes of an affordable price. It’s the perfect place for any street food lovers. As of 2023, several of those stalls had received a star in the famous Michelin guide for their specialty dish, but one of the first two to have received it was Hawker Chan in 2016 (along with Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle). Since then, it gained international recognition as one of the most affordable Michelin-starred meals globally.
Naturally, I had to try it when I visited Singapore.
A Michelin-starred meal for 3 dollars
Hawker Chan has several locations in Singapore, but I went to one located in the Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, which is the one that was originally awarded the star. Priced at 3,50 SGD (less than 3$ and 3€), I was really excited to try my first ever Michelin dish.
When I arrived in the hawker center, it was already quite busy. I first walked around a little bit to see all the dishes available, and honestly, I wanted to try so many of them! It was a bit overwhelming, even though I had come here for one specific dish, there was so many other food that looked delicious.
Funnily enough, I noticed one stall that had a long line, with seemingly a good mix of both locals and tourists, and even some older folks, so I figured that the food there must be pretty good. I checked their menu, and wouldn’t you know, I realized that it was actually Hawker Chan. So I guess it was a good sign and it made me even more impatient to try. Despite the long line, the service was pretty fast. I paid for my food, and I went to find a place to sit.
Conlusion
This surprisingly simple dish was very good. Of course, they are famous for a reason! The chicken was very tender and I loved the texture of the glossy skin.
I later found out that, sadly, they had lost their star recently, but it doesn’t really matter to me, I’m still really impressed and I still think that it’s a really cool thing to try.
Overall, I would say that this a pretty fun experience to try in Singapore. Hawker centers are definitely a must, as they have a quite very unique atmosphere and so many affordable options to chose from. Also, if like me, you’ve always thought of Michelin-starred restaurants as something luxurious and highly unaccessible, I think it’s a really cool experience to be able to try an affordable dish that was awarded the famous star. Besides, it’s a full meal that tastes really good for less than 3 US dollars, so I think it’s worth it. But as I mentionned before, there so many other dishes that I wanted to try as well, and I wish I had more time in Singapore to come back and eat more.