Singapore is a foodie paradise, offering everything from brand-name international chefs like Joël Robuchon and Wolfgang Puck to outstanding street food. But it’s also officially the world’s most expensive city. Here’s some ideas on what to eat in Singapore that shouldn’t break the bank.

1: Chicken Rice

Orderly Singapore has corralled the hawkers who used to patrol the streets with food carts into hawker courts, and eating in one is a Singapore must-do. Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, a short stroll from Chinatown, is home to Singapore food icon Tian-Tian Chicken Rice: try iconic Hainanese steamed chicken with fragrant rice (order “spare parts” for extra gravy), washed down with juice from a drinks stall. While you’re there, Shanghai Tim-Sum does an excellent hot and sour soup.

2: Chilli Crab

Chilli crab is a Singapore icon, and is milder and sweeter than versions you’ll find in neighbouring countries. Splurge on Palm Beach at One Fullerton for high-end versions with a view, or try Chinatown Seafood on the corner of Trengganu and Pagoda Street in Chinatown: the Tiger’s cheap and cold, while the chicken-rice is good too.

3: Kaya Toast

One of the most bewildering things about Singapore to outsiders is the prevalence of malls – and the sheer normality of eating in these temples to retail. What to eat in a Singapore mall? Pick a branch of the Toast Box chain for a Singapore classic, Kaya Toast: thick soft bread toasted and slathered in kaya, Singapore’s iconic coconut spread, and butter, and washed down with coffee or pulled tea.

4: Prata

Singapore’s culture combines Chinese, Indian and Malay elements, and Indian cuisine is one of the key things to eat in Singapore. Head to the cheap restaurants around Little India’s bargain Mustafa Centre for a breakfast of prata, the soft and flaky pancake-bread that’s Singapore’s answer to roti canai, dipped in curry. Or lunch on a mountain of rice and curry, vegetarian or otherwise, at the myriad cheap eateries on Dunlop Street.

5: Singapore Slings

The Singapore Sling is a Singapore icon, and the classic place to try them is the Long Bar at Raffles, where they were invented. Less touristy, better and cheaper are the imaginative variations served in Singapore’s myriad artisan cocktail bars: try the Singapura Sling at Bitters and Love on North Canal Road, or the spirituous take on the Sling at Nutmeg & Clove on Ann Siang Road. Note that pretty much every one of Singapore’s creative, world-class cocktail bars will offer their own take on the much-disputed recipe.

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Image: Mor Chilli Crab by Megawatts 86.