The diverse melting pot of nationalities in Singapore is represented by the many hawker centres, which are fiercely competitive and battle it out to win over the hearts (and stomachs) of locals and foreigners alike.

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August 9 was Singapore’s 51st birthday and we all know that food is a huge part of Singaporean culture. We asked four Executive Lifestyle experts to tell us which hawker centres and dishes they love most.

Expert #1: Silvia Boen, Business Development Professional, Hospitality

Q: Where are you originally from and what type of food do you cook or eat mostly?

A: I’m originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. I recently married a Korean and fell in love with Korean food even before I met him. Being part of his family, I got the opportunity to learn and prepare Korean food at home. I like Korean food since they are rich in colours and the beautiful presentation.

Q: What is your favourite Singaporean dish and can you share the story or recipe?

A: I have been living in Singapore for eight years and I came across many delicious local foods. If I had to choose one, I’d say my favourite is Bak Chor Mee, a noodle dish with minced pork, pork liver, fried pork lards, fish balls, and fish cake slices. The way I can describe it is the dish is highly customizable. It comes with a lot of noodle options and the seller will usually ask if you want it mild, medium, or super spicy. The dish is also served together with clear pork broth soup and condiments such as cut red chillies and soy sauce.

Q: What do you love most about living or working in Singapore?

A: I love this city more than ever. Over the years, they have built more parks and improved the public transportation network, making places accessible. For me, it’s a fortunate thing to be able to enjoy nature in the weekend, whether riding the e-scooter in the parks, paddling the kayak, or just strolling around the Esplanade watching outdoor concerts.

Q: What is your favourite hawker centre and how did you stumble upon or discover it?

A: In my first year in Singapore, I worked in the Bukit Timah area. A local friend brought me to Good Good Eating House – a small and cosy hawker stall in Sixth Avenue.

Q: What is your favourite hawker dish?

A: Bak Chor Mee!

Expert #2: Lise Chew, Founder of The Supermamapreneur and CEO of Natural Pharma Pte Ltd.

Q: Where are you originally from and what type of food do you cook or eat mostly?

A: Singapore. We make a wide variety of food. Sometimes typical Chinese stir fry dishes with rice or noodles like Beef Kway Teow soup. We also enjoy a good roast or grilled meats like pesto chicken and salads with Caesar or vinaigrette. If the weather permits, we’d enjoy steak or ribs or a sausage sizzle outdoors with barbeque and a summery strawberry salad. Then, of course, the kids love pasta or pizza.

Q: What is your favourite Singaporean dish and can you share the story or recipe?

A: Hainanese chicken rice!

Q: What do you love most about living or working in Singapore?

A: It’s safe and I love the freedom we have here. Jewellery is one of my greatest loves and I can enjoy and wear it without getting mugged on the streets.

Q: What is your favourite hawker dish?

A: It’s a tough fight between sambal stingray, barbeque chicken wings, and Char Kway Teow.

Read Lise’s crowd-pleasing Hainanese Chicken and Rice recipe.

Expert #3: Gobbs S.Y. Lim, 

Creative Daydreamer and Co-Founder of Brew Creative

Q: What do you love most about living or working in Singapore?

A: Singapore is a great example of a work-in-progress. It’s a nation in-progress with much room for improvement, making it both challenging and exciting to live and grow with. Meanwhile, I appreciate the cultural diversity and racial harmony that enables me to walk randomly into Meera’s Curry Restaurant at 5 Veerasamy Road for my supper and after, a free evening performance outside the Indian Heritage Centre.

Q: What is your favourite hawker dish?

A: I relish the fact that I can easily shop for Chinese, Malay, Indian and Western food under the roof of any hawker centre. If I can only pick one, my favourite hawker centre would be the Toa Payoh Lor 5 hawker centre, only because I was recently there with a bunch of great friends. In the spirit of diversity and harmony, here’s a shout out to my favourite hawker dishes – Chey Sua Carrot Cake and Soon Heng Rojak.

Gobbs S.Y. Lim shares two hearty soup recipes that brings family closer together.

Expert #4: Vanessa Jacqueline, Herbalife Independent Business Distributor

Q: Where are you originally from and what type of food do you cook or eat mostly?

A: I’m Eurasian and I can cook dishes such as buah keluak, chap chye, and hokkien mee.

Q: What is your favourite hawker dish?

A: My favourite hawker centre is Blk 84, Bedok North Street 4. For my favourite dish, it would have to be sambal kangkol and sambal stingray and sotong.

Vanessa Jacqueline goes traditional in her traditional buak keluak recipe.

Now that our experts have spoken, there seem to be various personal favourites when it comes to hawker centres and dishes. Can you add to our list? We’d love to hear from you!

Written by Monina Eugenio

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_{Edited by Monina Euginio
Image credit: Stingray, Sambal Stingray, Rojak Buah -Traditional Asian Fruits Mixed Salad, with ketchup. peanut and sesame seeds from Shutterstock, Bak Chor Mee, Malaysia grilled chicken rice. Asian style Hainan chicken rice close-up. Asian food from Shutterstock}

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