Aside from chicken rice, the chilli crab is the most iconic Singaporean dish. Tourists visiting our little island are almost obliged to try it—unless, of course, they have a shellfish allergy. And when they do that, they’re usually trying it at JUMBO Seafood, whose version of chilli crab reached a level of stardom that led to six outlets in Singapore, seven in China, three in Vietnam and more. On size and reputation alone, one could argue that JUMBO offers our most famous chilli crab.

If you’re looking for more underrated Korean cuisine in Singapore, check out Um Yong Baek on the Telok Ayer stretch. While most mainstream hits such as bibimbap, kimchi pancake, and jjajangmyeon are readily available at the turn of any corner—be it at a random food court or a Korean BBQ joint in the hip Tanjong Pagar locale, Um Yong Baek offers something more niche: Korean pork and soup rice. It’s not just famous among Koreans living in Singapore, but the brand has also been featured in multiple publications and TV shows in Korea. Read on for our review!

With Tonshou making waves in Singapore since arriving here in 2024, we tried out local brand Katsuya to see if they can match up to them. The Tanjong Katong restaurant is a lesser-known spot compared to Singapore’s more commercialised brands, but one that has quietly earned a reputation over its 15 years of operations.

Since it opened in 2024, Mensho Tokyo at Raffles City has become one of the more popular places in Singapore to enjoy toripaitan, the creamy chicken broth ramen that’s often compared to its tonkotsu counterpart.

Mensho Tokyo is a ramen brand founded by chef Tomoharu Shono, with 18 outlets currently operating worldwide. Its San Francisco outlet was featured in the Michelin Guide, and it has earned awards such as Tokyo Ramen Of The Year and Ramen Walker Grand Prix. We can’t comment on that outlet, but we will say that the Singapore one is excellent.

We’re no strangers to the various delicious tonkatsu renditions around Singapore, but it’s only at Gyusei Gyukatsu Wagyu Steakhouse, a new restaurant on North Bridge Road, where you’ll find the nation’s first halal-certified A5 Wagyu gyukatsu!

Halal versions of katsu are rare, and finding a spot serving halal A5 Wagyu gyukatsu alongside XL oysters imported from Japan is even rarer.

Shrimp Prawn Seafood has a pretty incredible story. Its owner, Alvin Tai, was previously an interior decorator with a passion for cooking. But unlike most hobbyist chefs, he was so devoted to his craft that he made 13 trips to Bangkok with one goal in mind: to master the classic Thai dish goong ob woonsen, also known as shrimp glass noodles.

The restaurant not only has a cosy ambience befitting of the nightlife area, they also has an alfresco area along the Singapore River.

If you Google “best Indonesian restaurant in Singapore”, you’ll find that IndoChili features in most listicles dedicated to this topic, including our own. This fact can be attributed to its authentic and affordable Indonesian fare, which has earned it several awards and a 4.6-star Google Reviews score.

When we visited IndoChili in 2024, we were thoroughly impressed by its authentic Indonesian fare and reasonable prices—for a restaurant, at least. But does it still measure up to our first visit?

Picanhas' is a Muslim-owned restaurant in Chinatown serving affordable steaks and beef bowls, along with refreshing mocktails.

The restaurant offers sub-$40 steaks and has a stellar 4.8-star Google rating at the point of writing. We had one question: Does the price come at the cost of quality?

When you think of Korean food, duck isn’t the first protein you’d associate with the cuisine. SODENG Korean Restaurant in Telok Ayer claims to be the first and possibly only K-BBQ restaurant in Singapore to serve it, cooked at the table on a sodaeng (소댕), or the pot lid of an ancient Korean cooking vessel called the gamasot (가마솥). But as you will see in this review, SODENG offers far more than just duck.

Italian restaurants are aplenty in Singapore, but few possess the widespread popularity and acclaim that iO Italian Osteria has. Opened in 2014, the HillV2 restaurant currently boasts a 4.6-star rating with over 5k reviews on Google Maps, a testament to its high reception. Its prices are also on the more affordable end for Italian cuisine—a main dish here hovers around the $20++ range.