Restaurants
Singapore and its islands

Housed in a beautifully restored national monument, Lau Pa Sat is a historic hawker destination in Singapore's CBD. Open 24/7, it offers a wide variety of local favourites. In the evening, the adjacent Satay Street comes alive with freshly grilled satay under the stars.

A row of open-air stalls on the waterfront facing Marina Bay Sands, opened in 2005 by the Makansutra food guide. The stalls are chosen from the hawkers it recommends.

Peppery pork-rib broth, refilled at the table, made by the same family since a first pushcart in 1969. The New Bridge Road outlet holds a Bib Gourmand.

Opened in 1919 on Killiney Road, this coffee shop is recognised by the Singapore Book of Records as the oldest on the island. Kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and kopi with condensed milk.

The world's first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, on the COMO Dempsey estate. Chef Malcolm Lee reinvents buah keluak and nyonya curries, à la carte or on the "ah-ma-kase" menu.

In the former City Hall, now the National Gallery, cook Violet Oon serves Peranakan classics, from ayam buah keluak to kueh pie tee, in a colonial setting. Other outlets at Dempsey and ION Orchard.

A family-run Malay nasi padang canteen: choose rendang, sambal goreng or chilli fish at the counter, served over rice. Bib Gourmand.

A South Indian vegetarian institution founded in 1947 on Serangoon Road: thalis served on banana leaves, crispy dosas and sweets from the shop next door.

The restaurant that has made chilli crab famous since 1987, with a terrace on the Singapore River. Other outlets at Dempsey Hill, Jewel Changi and Resorts World Sentosa.

Opened in 1982, the restaurant claims to have invented black pepper crab. Try it at Dempsey, at Robertson Quay or facing the sea at East Coast Park.

A microbrewery perched on the 33rd floor of a Marina Bay tower: beers brewed on site in copper tanks and a terrace facing Marina Bay Sands.