As you'd expect from a country where eating is the national pastime, Singapore is a wonderful place to eat, whether you're spending $5 or $500. We're blessed with some of the best high-end restaurants anywhere, and many of the world's greatest chefs have set up shop here. However, for my top 10 places I've chosen street-food or hawker stalls. Hawker food is a national treasure, but an endangered one, as the well-educated kids of the uncles and aunties who cook these dishes rarely wish to carry on the tradition - there's just so much hard work involved. The places I've picked are anything but posh but you'll often find chefs and food lovers like us at them seeking pleasure, inspiration and that oh-so addictive umami hit.
Lao Sim shredded chicken and fish dumpling noodles
If you want to soak up the authentic, vibrant atmosphere of a suburban Singaporean housing estate, Toa Payoh is your place. The dumplings (£4.50) are made of beaten white fish then stuffed with mince meat and fried dried sole. They are so much work that almost nobody makes them any more, which explains why people from Hong Kong trek out here to buy box loads of them to take home. I brought [Basque chef] Andoni Mugaritz here and he spent an entire afternoon learning how to make the fish dumplings: 'the perfect gluten-free ravioli,' he called them. * Blk 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh West Market and Food Centre #02-01 310127
Da Dong Prawn Noodles for prawn noodle soup
The prawn noodles that are promoted as Singaporean are mostly Hokkien-style (Chinese), which means fried. But I love them the other way - soup-style - served at Da Dong. It's to die for! They make their stock each day with prawn heads and shells, all the spare parts of the pig, plus Chinese herbs. At S$10 (around £5) a pop, this must be the most expensive prawn noodle hawker in Singapore - but it's worth every penny* 354 Joo Chiat Road
Sungei Road Laksa for spicy noodle soup
For me, this is the most perfect Singapore snack - spicy noodle soup with bean curd puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles, which comes from Peranakan cuisine, a combination of Chinese and Malay influences. Shop at the markets of Little India, then pause at Sungei Road Laksa stall. The portions are really small - maybe three or four mouthfuls for £3 - but every mouthful is an explosion of flavour. Coconut milk makes a dish lemak, or velvetty. Our Laksas are often very thick and lemak, but not here, which makes this version ever so refreshing.* 27 Jalan Berseh #01-100
Fu Ming Shu Shi for chai tow kueh
A Singapore hawker staple is carrot cake, which is neither carrot nor cake but a savoury daikon (white radish) omelette. This place mixes grated turnip with rice and tapioca flours, then steams it. The gnocchi-like dough is stir fried with scrambled eggs and lots of garlic. Their black version is then fried with caramelised sweetish thick soy, while the white is finished with a more savoury light soy sauce. I prefer white. This is a uniquely Singaporean dish. Being on the oily side, it makes a great after-party stomach-settling snack - our late-night kebab, if you like ... all for under £4.* RedHill Lane Food Centre #01-49
Xiu Ji for Ikan Bilis yong tau fu
Yong Tau Fu is a Hakka delicacy, similar to Japanese oden. It's a mixture of stuffed tofu, tau pok (dried tofu skin) and vegetables. The tofu stuffing is usually fish mousse or minced pork. Fish balls and fried fish cake also figure, as does a clear soybean broth and ikan bilis, which are small dried anchovies. The broth is served with yellow noodles and a great ginger dipping sauce (£4.50). The way this uncle uses ikan bilis makes his version super-umami!* 335 Smith Street #02-88 Chinatown Complex Market
Otowa Yakitori
Some people are surprised that we have such an old and thriving Japanese community in Singapore. Fifteen years ago chef Tetsuya (who has an exceptional restaurant in town called Waku Ghin) brought me here for some exceptional yakitori at Fujita-san's place, called Ahodori. It is long gone, but his disciple, Yoshino-san opened Otowa Yakitori down the road from Iggy's. This is a 10-seat hole-in-the-wall, without even a signboard, but is so clean I even eat chicken sashimi here (£17).* 150 Orchard Road #03-16 Orchard Plaza Singapore 238841
Heng Heng for bah kut teh
Bah kut teh is pork rib 'tea'. It's usually very peppery, but Heng Heng's is incredibly pure and delicate, and subtly flavoured with cinnamon (£3). This is the pinot noir of bah kut teh. There's always a very mixed crowd here, from Rolex-wielding moguls to ladies who lunch, plus local workers. The tea is served in a claypot; they also do a very good steamed fish.* 107 Owen Road Singapore 218914
Loo's for Hainanese curry rice
Two stalls next to each other, both with wonderful food, both serving lunch only, and both jam-packed. Best to get there at 11am before the crowd arrives. Loos offers all sorts of delights - curried octopus, braised pork, fried eggs and so much more (£3) - that they serve on rice with curry sauce and lor, which is a thick, sticky, sweet-ish soy gravy. This is hearty and flavourful food.* 71 Seng Poh Road Tiong Bahru #01-49
No Name for Chinese vegetarian bee hoon
The stall next to Loo's serves Chinese vegetarian food, which comprises vegetarian spring rolls, fried tofu skin, and mock meats made from gluten. And vegetables, of course (£3). It is not always the healthiest fare, but this unsigned stall serves exemplary vegetarian vermicelli (bee hoon) accompanied by sweet hot chilli sauce and pickled green chilli, giving it a tangy punch.* 71 Seng Poh Road Tiong Bahru #01-49
Chye Lye for curry fish head
After a visit to the zoo, or if you just love food, hit Chye Lye. The fish heads are always meaty and fresh (£6). They use red snapper, which I prefer to carp (which can taste muddy) and the meat always has bits of that lovely fishhead jelly texture ; it's almost like a mildly spicy bouillabaisse to me. The uncle makes his stock with lots of vegetables, tomato, onions and tamarind, so it's slightly sour and very umami. You can drink it by itself, it's so good. If that doesn't excite you, they also do a fantastic fried spring chicken with crispy skin flavoured with lime and belachan shrimp paste. Oh, and they fry eggs in boiling oil until they have dark frilly edges and melting yolks. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them!* 1 Jalan Legundi Singapore 759263
Interview by Kevin Gould
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Sign up for the daily email Ignatius Chan and his wife Janice Wong run Iggy's, Singapore's ground-breaking, multi-award winning restaurant. Iggy's Journeys, a travelogue celebrating their first 10 years will be published in early 2015
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