Lau Pa Sat
I’m sure most of you know where Lau Pa Sat is. But if I ask you where Telok Ayer Market is, you won’t know where that is. Well, Telok Ayer Market is Lau Pa Sat, the latter being the colloquially referred by locals and tourists alike.
Lau Pa Sat is a marriage between two Hokkien words: “Lau” means old. “Pa Sat” means market. The place has historical roots, being a National Monument, most of which you can read at Wikipedia. It’s quite a large food center. The place is flocked with so many stalls, most of which are selling the same dishes.
Singaporeans love to eat. If there’s such a thing as national hobby, then eating is their national hobby. They eat in the morning, before lunch, lunch, after lunch, snacks, dinner then some midnight snack to cap the day. But who couldn’t blame them? They have so many delicious delicacies that are unique? Chef Bobby Chinn once had a cooking session along Lau Pa Sat where he cooked some Ba Kut Teh, which is pork ribs soup with lots of healthy spices.
Lau Pa Sat Festival Market
The place is such a welcoming scene for most tourists, a quaint looking facade in a vicinity where most corporate buildings are including Google’s Southeast Asia headquarters. It’s probably the best place to hang out at night after work, in my opinion, rather than heading to Clarke Quay, because the place pretty much has most of Singapore’s dishes that it is well known for.
Before you panic while you’re in Lau Pa Sat, just focus on the following dishes that you shouldn’t miss while you’re in Lau Pa Sat.
Chili Pepper Crabs
Don’t worry if you’re about to get messy, because they’ll serve a basin with water where you can wash your hands. Crabs are just extremely spicy! The garlic is almost intoxicating.
Satay
I love these little sticks that you can dip into a sweet spicy peanut sauce. They’re one of my favorite dishes in Lau Pa Sat.
Stingray
Yes, they’re the flying fish you took a picture of at Sentosa. Don’t fret, they actually taste pretty good, with a little sweetness on the side. They’re a bit stringy on texture. I was a little afraid tasting it, but afterwards I liked it. I even used the peanut sauce from Satay to douse it with.
Cereal Prawns
They’re a great alternative to tempura! These are crunchy breaded prawns that are too good to pass.
Singaporean Laksa
And finally, the Singaporean Laksa. Would you believe that I got this for only SGD 1? And it’s the best Laksa I’ve ever had.
I highly recommend you guys to eat at Lau Pa Sat at night and on the streets, where people from different countries would eat, because it’s such an incredible experience. Don’t forget to flush down all what you’ve eaten with a Milo Dinosaur. It’s such a feast.
Stay Connected with Lau Pa Sat
Location: 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore
Lau Pa Sat Rating:
[usrlist “Taste and Originality: 4” “Customer Experience: 3” “Value for Money: 4” “Brick and Mortar: 2.5”]
Check out the rest of Candid Cuisine’s Singapore Series:
Singapore Airlines Inflight Economy Cuisine
Food Republic Suntec City
Lau Pa Sat
Marche Restaurants
Crystal Jade Steamboat and Xiao Long Bao Buffet, Holland Village
Din Tai Fung
Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh
Ippudo Ramen
P.S. Cafe
Dragon Tree Katong Laksa
Jamie’s Italian
Hashida Sushi