Changi Airport is not only visited by international tourists and Singaporean travellers, but also frequented by students for its spacious and quiet areas. Known as the best airport in the world, dining here can get pretty expensive, too. So if you’re looking for quick and affordable bites away from the tourist crowd, we have just the place for you. Foodies’ Clan is the newly revamped staff canteen at Changi Airport Terminal 2, located above carpark 2A! We went down to check out this hidden food court so you don’t have to; here are the 10 best food places at Changi Airport T2 staff canteen.
Foodies’ Clan is extremely spacious, boasting a bright and modern look. Aside from regular eating tables, there is a seating area that resembles a lounge, and a row of long tables at the back of the food court.
The newly renovated food court gets rather crowded during the lunch hours of 12pm to 1pm, but most seats were empty outside of those times. Many diners were, as expected, staff of Changi Airport, and there were no tourists in sight. Don’t worry, the food court is open to the public, though staff members enjoy discounted prices!
There are almost 20 stalls to choose from, including a cafe and even a draft beer bar. There is a mix of international food and Singaporean favourites, so you can be sure to find a good variety of dishes here. We asked a few staff members for their top picks, so here’s what we tried over at the Changi Airport Terminal 2 Staff Canteen.
Teik Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice consistently draws long queues for the quintessential Singaporean dish: Steamed Chicken Rice ($5.50). If you prefer roasted chicken, they offer it at the same price as the steamed version, and you can get your rice as a set meal as well, which features other extras such as braised egg and wonton soup.
For such an affordable price, our plate of steamed chicken rice was loaded with sizeable, juicy chicken pieces that were rather tender and flavourful. The rice was fragrant and went very well with the accompanying chilli sauce.
Stall number: 15
Teik Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice is not a halal-certified eatery.
Fans of spicy smashed chicken can stop by Smashed, offering fried Indonesian delights such as Ayam Penyet ($7.90), Ayam Bakar ($8.90), Ikan Penyet ($8.90), and Beef Bakso Bee Hoon ($6.90). You can choose different accompanying chilli sauces of varying spice levels, ranging from the mild Signature Kicap Manis to the super-spicy Sambal Penyet.
Our Ayam Penyet came with a crispy and well-fried chicken thigh that sported a good amount of meat. We had the Sambal Bakso, which was tangy and had a good kick of spiciness as well. The fried tofu on the side was pleasantly soft, too.
Stall number: 14
Smashed is a halal-certified eatery.
Halal western stall El Carbon promises no-frills grilled meats, fried foods, and affordable pizzas. Mains come with one side, a corn cob, and house salad, and include their Signature Char-Grilled Chicken Chop ($8.90) and Grilled Fish with Black Pepper Sauce ($8.30), among others. They have a range of pizzas perfect for sharing, such as the classic Margherita ($10.90) and the Korean Chicken ($15.90).
We really enjoyed the Fish N’ Chips ($8.30), which had a fresh and tender fish fillet encased in a super crispy breaded exterior. The accompanying garlic aioli was a great dip for both the fish and the onion rings.
Stall number: 13
El Carbon is a halal-certified eatery.
A staple of every Singaporean food court, Changi Nasi Padang serves up Malay mixed rice dishes, as well as a hearty plate of Nasi Lemak ($5.30). They also have noodle dishes such as Mee Siam ($5) and Mee Rebus ($4.90), and have Mee Goreng and Nasi Goreng ($5 each) available after 2pm.
The nasi lemak here is rather standard, with a runny fried egg atop fragrant coconut rice, and a crispy fried chicken wing. The sambal hit just the right amount of spice for me—a strong kick without being too overpowering.
Stall number: MR4
Changi Nasi Padang is a muslim-owned eatery.
Piccolo Coffee is a quaint cafe stand right at the very end of the food court, where you can get freshly brewed coffee perfect for a caffeine fix without breaking the bank. Their popular Piccolo Latte is priced at $4.50, and you can get popular iced drinks as well, such as the Iced Cafe Latte ($5.30), Iced Black ($1.80), Iced Chocolate ($5.70), and Iced Matcha Latte ($5.70).
We tried the Tiramisu Latte ($5.50) and Hazelnut Latte ($5.50), both of which had bold, bitter coffee notes balanced with a sweet, syrupy finish. They were refreshing and on par with what you’d find at most cafes, and made a solid choice, especially when they cost much less than what other airport cafes charge.
Stall number: 12
Piccolo Coffee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Changi Airport T2 Famous Fried Fish Soup Ban Mian has a wide variety of noodle dishes, such as the popular Fried Fish Soup ($6.50) and Sliced Fish Soup ($6.50). Aside from fish soup, they also have Ban Mian ($6.50), Fish Porridge ($6.80), and even a Fish Steamboat ($9).
The fish soup here is light and milky, and the fried fish slices have a strong flavour while being soft and fresh on the inside. This made for a hearty bowl on a rainy day. Don’t forget to add the chilli slices for an extra kick!
Stall number: MR2
Changi Airport T2 Famous Fried Fish Soup Ban Mian is not a halal-certified eatery.
Dharsha Indian Food also draws a long queue during peak hours, serving up popular Indian dishes such as Dum Chicken Briyani ($7.50), Mutton Murtabak ($8), and various Prata (from $1.50). You can also get various curries such as Butter Chicken Masala ($7.50), which are best paired with Naan that starts from $2.50 each.
Their Dum Chicken Briyani portion was huge, with large chicken chunks, spicy curry, and a crispy papadom atop. The briyani flavours were rich and aromatic, and the chicken pieces were rather tender, making for a very enjoyable and filling meal.
Stall number: MR5
Dharsha Indian Food is a halal-certified eatery.
There wasn’t a visible queue at the Japanese Korean Cuisine stall, but it is clearly popular due to the number of orders being collected via buzzer. You can find, well, Japanese and Korean dishes here, ranging from bento sets such as the Chicken Katsu + BBQ Chicken/Pork/Beef Set ($7.50) to Korean grilled meats such as the Hotplate BBQ Spicy Pork Set ($7) and the impressive Hotplate BBQ Saba Fish Set ($7).
We noticed many people ordering the hotplate saba, which came with a whole saba fish that looked extremely tantalising. However, we went for the humble Salmon Oyako Don ($6.50) that came with a surprisingly tender grilled salmon fillet atop the sweet-savoury scrambled egg. It was a quintessentially food court-style Japanese dish that felt homely and satisfying.
Stall number: 18
Japanese Korean Cuisine is not a halal-certified eatery.
Hokkien mee is a very common find in food courts and hawker centres in Singapore, and you can get some at Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle. A plate of Hokkien Mee will set you back $5.20, and you can find other wok-fried dishes such as Fried Kway Teow ($5.50), Black/White Carrot Cake ($4.50), and Seafood Fried Rice ($7).
For its price, the Hokkien Mee was quite huge, and came with three moderately sized prawns. The noodles were quite moist, and the pork lard added a very nice smoky tinge to the flavours.
Stall number: 7
Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle is not a halal-certified eatery.
You can find scissors-cut curry rice here at Man Tang Curry Rice, with dishes such as Braised Pork Belly and Pork Cutlet Curry Rice ($8), Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice ($7), and Curry Veg Rice ($5). They also have curry noodles and herbal soups, such as the Watercress Pork Ribs Soup ($5.50) and the Old Cucumber Pork Ribs Soup ($5.50).
Our plate of Pork Cutlet Curry Rice ($7) was messily plated, which added to its charm. It comes with pork cutlet slices, fried egg, and vegetables, all drenched in a sweet-spicy curry. Sambal is also served on the side for those who wish to turn up the heat.
Stall number: 5
Man Tang Curry Rice is not a halal-certified eatery.
Eating at Foodies’ Clan in Changi Airport T2 is a great travel hack for both the budget-savvy traveller and Changi Airport haunter. You can definitely find some cheap and good food here at the Terminal 2 staff food court!
To access the Changi Airport T2 staff canteen, make your way to carpark 2A, and either take the stairs or the direct cargo lift to level 3M. It is a five-minute walk from Changi Airport MRT Station.
If you’re looking to splurge instead, check out our Jewel Changi food guide. You can also find Swensen’s Unlimited at Terminal 2, where you can enjoy their buffet for $35++.
Address: Level 3M, Carpark 2A, 5 T2 Departure Drive, Changi Airport Terminal 2, Singapore Changi Airport
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7am to 6:30pm, Sat-Sun 7am to 5:30pm.
Website
Photos taken by Jordan Ong.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.