An Amateur Critic’s Guide To Eating Your Way Through Singapore Airport

As one of the four Singapore Airlines and Junkee Storytellers, Ally Portlock travelled to Shanghai to bring home the most interesting story she could find.

During her transit through Singapore, Ally explored the award-winning Changi Airport.

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I’m quite an intrepid foodie. I have eaten adventurous meats like reindeer (at Christmas, no less), I enjoyed a worm taco in Mexico, and I always order the non-western meal on flights (a sure sign of my worldliness?). So when I heard that the food scene in Singapore was pretty good, I was excited to tuck in.

My mission was clear: I had three hours between flights and $40SGD in vouchers, courtesy of Singapore Airlines. I dutifully exercised restraint during the latter meal on my flight, keeping my stomach empty and ready for a Matt Preston-style chow down, complete with cravat. I was ready to take on as much food as I could.

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Entrée: Kaya Toast, from Kafee And Toast

First stop: Kaffee and Toast for some traditional Kaya toast. This was listed as a must-try by Changi Airport, and the exceptionally friendly server commended my order choice, so I knew I was onto a winner.

Kaya toast is described as containing egg, sugar and coconut milk on toast. At first glance, it looks a lot like toast.

On first mouthful, it tastes a lot like sugar. Opening up the sandwich there were huge squares of butter – which were delicious when combined with some warmth from the toast and a fair amount of sugar. For SGD$3.80 including a bottle of water, Kaya toast is a steal if you want something warm and sweet and a sugar high while you tear around the airport for a few hours.

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Main Course: Various, from Singapore Food Street

Next up, I hit the Food Street, which is like a typical Singaporean food market, minus the hawkers, stray animals and open night sky. Actually, it’s more like a food court, but set up in a cool way that allows you to meander through and sample a few dishes.

I ordered a fried carrot cake (white) because I had absolutely no idea what it was and I’m just super audacious like that. The dish that emerged was like an omelette with some sort of white vegetable (potato?) inside.

The only trace of carrot I could discern was the bright orange plate on which it was served. But that didn’t matter; it was salty, hot, eggy and delicious.

I restrained myself from eating it all to leave room for my next dish.

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Digestif: Beer, from Tiger Signature Bar

In any decision of dessert or nightcap, I usually favour the latter. I’m not a sweet tooth and I’d rather consume my calories as a liquid, so the Tiger Signature Bar was an obvious final stopover.

With giant screens all around and comfy chairs to settle into, it would be an easy spot to wile away a few hours during your Singapore stopover. The brew did not disappoint. It never does.

For a hard earned thirst… There’s Tiger. #TheStorytellers

A photo posted by allyportlock (@allyportlock) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:59am PDT

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The Critic’s Opinion

It’s great to see an airport taking its food scene to the next level. Come to Changi for the stopover, stay for the food — but don’t miss your flight after spending too much time at the bar.

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To read about what she found in Shanghai, click here.