A savory walk under Singapore’s neon lights

Geylang Road in central Singapore is synonymous with nighttime, when a dizzying array of neon street signs come on and crowd large groups of tables spilling out onto the sidewalk. It’s a tasty place for a nighttime stroll, to discover vespertine feasts with local specialties such as crab topped with an invigorating white pepper sauce or steaming porridge with marinated frog legs.

“In Singapore, eating is a national pastime,” he said Dr Lily Kong, a professor of social sciences at Singapore Management University. “It gives a sense of pride; it is a place of community. Hawker centers, or food halls filled with dozens of stalls selling affordable and quickly prepared meals, were recognized by UNESCO in 2020 as part of the intangible cultural heritage of the city-state. The cuisine is inspired by the country’s dominant ethnic groups – Chinese, Malay, Indian – and many of its famous dishes, such as Hainanese chicken riceshow off a mix of multicultural flavors and are claimed to be distinctly Singaporean.

The gritty Geylang district lacks the gleaming skyscrapers or meticulously manicured streets that characterize much of Singapore; it is where the pastimes of sex and food coexist. The road’s even-numbered side streets have legal brothels regulated by the government, while families and tourists meander just steps away along the main road to dine on durian, dim sum, kaya toast and painfully sweet coffee, or satay ordered by the dozen.

The food here includes Chinese, Indonesian or Peranakan flavors, which are representative of the immigrant communities clustered in Geylang Kai Yinzhoua 32-year-old resident of Geylang who gives tours of the neighborhood.

“We’ve drawn from all different parts of the world because we have the diversity of people who are here,” Mr. Cai said of the origins of the local cuisine.

Taste for yourself the plethora of flavors on a 2.5 km stretch of Geylang Road, on a food and walking tour of some of the most appetizing establishments. You want to start in the early evening, when most of the stalls in hawker centers are still busy. Then see where your whims and appetite take you. Your journey can take up to six hours, as skewers and candies and everything in between will be equally enticing. Expect only a nominal impact on your wallet (although crab dishes of your choice cost a little more) and be sure to bring Singapore dollars. Finally, as in any big city, keep your wits about you and go with one or three companions if possible.

Take the metro to the Paya Lebar stop, which will drop you off at the Playa Lebar area or PLQ mall, a sprawling complex with a busy food court on the top floor. To the east of the mall is technically Geylang Serai, an enclave named after the lemongrass (serai) once grown in the area.

Walk to Geylang Serai Market and Food Center wherever you want fried ricea rice dish from Indonesia served with various side dishes of vegetables and proteins, said KF Zietoha Singaporean food journalist, entrepreneur and champion of local hawker food. Beef rendangor braised meat cooked in coconut milk and aromatics, is another Indonesian highlight here, Mr. Seetoh said.

Then, for something sweet, cross the street to Haig Road Market for putu piring, which are steamed rice cakes studded with gula melaka, or palm sugar, and generous flakes of grated coconut. Bee Haig Road Putu Piringthe recipe has been refined for over three decades, with rice cakes twisted out of conical shapes and stacked four into a serving, each layer separated by a bundle of fragrant pandan.

Walk west for durians and crabs

Stroll west of the mall to the establishments that stay open for dinner or supper, Singapore’s fourth and most nightly meal of the day, the one that usually precludes a late night. Along the way, check out the narrow’s ornate second floor retail premiseswith colorful shuttered windows and borders of decorative tiles.

After about 10 minutes you will come across the open air stall, Durian 36, which sells a wide selection of the infamous tainted fruit. Prices vary based on taste and quality and you’ll soon find that all Singaporeans seem to have an opinion on which durian – described by aficionados to taste custard and caramel – reigns supreme. Although this store is open 24 hours a day, durian availability depends on the season, usually from June to September. You can also book one in advance by messaging the company via WhatsApp. If they sell out, try another tropical fruit like a custard apple.

Then go to JB Ah Meng a few blocks away, for crab cooked with ginger, spring onion, an astounding amount of white pepper and topped with heaps of coriander. The crab meat is succulent and succulent and the sauce is very flavorful. The soundtrack here is of a constant din of large diner conversations and the sound of crab legs crunching. (Plastic gloves are available upon request.)

Another popular dish is the fried bee hoon, a crispy pancake of rice vermicelli noodles cooked in a soy sauce with dried shrimps and squid.

Still hungry? Stroll on for skewers

Just a few minutes away, on Lorong 27A (lorong is the local word for alley or side street), is Kwong Satay, a no-frills stall in a compact open-air food court with eight other vendors. Piping hot and juicy skewers – chicken, pork belly, mutton and pork – are sold in quantities of five, with a minimum order of 10 skewers. They are accompanied by slices of red onion, raw cucumber and a peanut and lemongrass dipping sauce that can be topped with pineapple puree, an off-menu add-on.

There’s also a trendy place for Japanese yakitori two lorongs away with ceiling fans, a welcome respite from Singapore’s stifling heat and humidity. Bee the Spiesbar, the crowd leans younger and food requests are made through tablets. You can order anything from sweet corn to smelt on a stick. There is a wide selection of beers and spirits.

Across the street it would be impossible to miss No Seafood Sign, a misnomer for a restaurant with neon signs screaming the name. Nearly every inch of the indoor and outdoor surfaces is draped with festive string lights, and the restaurant contains a small museum dedicated to its history. Founded about three decades ago, the company has expanded to multiple locations in Singapore. Its popularity was based on its white pepper crab dish, but on a recent night most diners ate chili crab, a dish of mud crabs smothered in a sweet and spicy chili and tomato sauce, laced with beaten egg.

Walk west where you’ll find the last few lorongs are slightly narrower, but some of Geylang’s most desirable eateries are concentrated here. Among those packed with young revelers late on a recent Friday night were at least three frog porridge spots, including Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge.

Dim sum for your last meal

Further on, at the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, is the final destination of this food and walking tour, Mongkok Dim Sum.

Open 24 hours a day, this restaurant has a menu of dozens of reliably tasty items ranging from sweet to savory that cost just a few dollars each. There are steamed buns filled with spicy chilli crab, crispy chicken wings with shrimp paste and fluffy custard buns, all of which you can wash down with ice-cold sugar cane juice. Place an order by writing numbered dishes on a paper checklist and expect them to come out fast and hot. The quality of the food and the speed of the service at Mongkok Dim Sum make it an ideal place to observe dinner, because no matter how full you are, there is always room for an extra meal in Singapore.

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