6 food centres to visit in Singapore

Can’t decide where to start on your Singaporean food adventure? Here are our top 6 picks of hawker centres in the country to check out.

Old Airport Road Food Centre

Built on the runway of Singapore’s old Kallang airport, Old Airport Road Food Centre is a favourite hawker centre for locals to get their fix of cheap good hawker food, though this hidden gem has become increasingly popular with tourists in recent years. There are over 150 stalls to choose from on the first level, and more sundry shops can be found on the second level. Popular picks that see long queues include Nam Sing Fried Hokkien Mee, Xin Mei Xiang Lor Mee and Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow. Each stall has their own opening hours, do your research before you visit.

Maxwell Food Centre

Maxwell Food Centre is one of the more popular hawker centres with both Singaporeans and tourists in the heritage Chinatown district. It garnered international interest thanks to visits by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to the Hainanese Chicken Rice at Tian Tian Chicken Rice, now a Michelin Bib-Gourmand recipient and a must-try dish at this hawker center. But if you’d rather skip the perpetually long queue, there are plenty of other stalls that locals love, like Zhen Zhen porridge and Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake.

Chinatown Complex

It’s easy to get lost in Chinatown Complex Food Centre, home to the largest hawker centre in Singapore, with over 260 food stalls on its second floor, offering a generous variety of Singaporean street food fare. From the cheapest Michelin meal at Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, to international craft beer on tap at Smith Street Taps, there is a whole plethora of choice, all at budget friendly prices.

Tekka Centre

Tekka Centre’s first level houses a bustling hawker centre. Located in Little India, naturally you have to try the North and South Indian food stalls here. Allaudin’s Briyani specialises in tasty briyani rice dishes while Sri Tiffin is where you can get your fix of masala thosai. The name Tekka comes from Teh Kia Kah or Tek Kah, a Hokkien name meaning ‘foot of the bamboos’, a reference to the many bamboo plants growing along Rochor Canal.

Tiong Bahru Food Centre

Tiong Bahru Food Centre has 85 food stalls to choose from, with several hawker food stalls awarded Michelin Bib-Gourmand and The Plate awards – just look for the long queues. A breakfast favourite is Jian Bo Shui Kueh, with its steamed rice cakes topped with diced preserved radish and a dollop of chilli. Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow, Teochew Fish Soup and Lor Mee 178 are good places to start your eating journey, though Tiong Bahru does have many indie cafes and restaurants to check out as well.

Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre

The historic Lau Pa Sat or ‘the old market’ in the middle of Singapore’s Central Business District is a tourist favourite hawker centre, both for its convenient location near the attractions in the downtown area, and its unique octagonal shape and wrought iron arches with its iconic clock tower in the center. The small road next to the food centre is blocked off at nights to allow for satay sellers to take over, recreating a once-famous Satay Street under the stars.

See more: The most crowded places in Singapore

Source: Internet

Ideal destinations to work or study in Shenzhen, China

Shenzhen is a great city if you want to savour China’s relentless energy and hustle and bustle. But finding a quiet spot to study might sometimes be a bit harder. But whether you’re revising for your mid terms on a study abroad programme, swatting up Mandarin characters for your Chinese primer or remote co-working on a project as a digital nomad, we’ve found the top places to get the focus you need.

24 Hour Bookbar

Shenzhen might have a reputation for being a hypermoderncity with a burgeoning start up scene and it is incredibly science and technology orientated. But it also has a huge book reading culture. As well as a giant library in the heart of the city’s dazzling new CBD district, the city also boasts a bookstore that claims to be the world’s largest. Among the extensively stocked stores, catering to many of your literary and academic whims and needs is a 24 hour book bar. It’s a perfect place to pull an all nighter.

GEE Coffee

Art hub OCT Lofthas a lot offer visitors. With galleries and design stores amid quirky statues, graffiti and greenery, there’s plenty going on. Among the creative offerings are a number of high quality coffee shops to while away the hours with a book or else swot up for an upcoming exam. With quality coffee, decent food, and a chilled out atmosphere, this is good place to plan some up coming creative projects.

Old Heaven Books

Another gem tucked away in OCT Loft is Old Heaven Books, a curious space with an independent spirit, beloved among Shenzhen’s arty crowd. Collaborating with legendary livehouse B10, not only does the venue serve up coffee and boast a great book selection, it also puts on inspiring events. LPs, cassettes and jazz posters abound. It also has a covered outdoor area.

SimplyWork Co-working Space

For those wanting to start a business and make use of the city’s burgeoning start up infrastructure, investing in a co-working space might be a good option. This spaceis in the heart of Shenzhen’s tech heavy, Nanshan district and features a number of amenities to help with getting work done efficiently and without unnecessary distractions. Run by a team of local entrepreneurs, it also has features zones to relax in and is open 24 hours a day.

See more: Visit attractions in Shenzhen, China

Source: Internet

The unique souvenirs you can buy in Taiwan

Anyone that travels understands the joy of taking something home to share with friends and family. Whether it’s a local delicacy or piece of finely crafted jewelry, these slivers of local culture allow you to share your experiences with others. So what does Taiwan have to offer as a souvenir that you won’t find anywhere else? Here are some of the favorites.

Pineapple cake

One of the most popular sweets available throughout the island is the humble pineapple cake. It’s a buttery pastry with a deliciously sweet pineapple paste at its center. These usually come in airtight packaging so taking them home on the plane is no trouble at all.

Mini Sky Lanterns

You may have heard of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, but you probably didn’t realize that you can buy these wonderful little miniature sky lanterns as souvenirs. Handcrafted and set within see-through containers, they make a nice little ornamental gift for someone’s mantelpiece.

Read more: Best autumn festivals to celebrate in Taiwan

The world’s best jade

Of course, you can buy jade all around the world, but Taiwan is well-known as a place to find some the finest jade on the planet. The jade market in Taipei offers an incredible range of pieces in all shapes and sizes but expect to pay premium prices for high-quality pieces.

Taiwanese tea

The teas of Taiwan’s mountain regions are among the most sought after in the world so if you have a tea connoisseur in the family then you surely have to take home a box of leaves. Look out for Oolong; it’s the most popular, and with good reason.

Taiwanese peanut nougat

They do things differently here in Taiwan so don’t expect the typical nougat you find in candy bars in the west. Taiwanese nougat is often quite hard and chewy and full of peanuts. Some will also have sesame too while others may have pieces of brown sugar. Nougat is the most traditional of treats in Taiwan and expect to find boxes of it everywhere especially during festivals.

Sun cakes

The sun cake is a flaky pastry that traditionally has a sweet and sticky filling. These days though you can get many different flavors such as dried pork and even green tea. In truth though, the originals are still the best.

Source The Culture Trip