'Singapore doesn't have to be expensive': Tourist uncovers cheap eats in Little India and Kallang

Many tourists are under the impression that Singapore is a pricey travel destination that'll hurt their wallets. 

But Chris, a British traveller, begs to differ. 

He said that he has visited Singapore numerous times and doesn't just hang around the usual tourist hotspots like Marina Bay Sands and Orchard Road — instead, he goes where the locals frequent. 

In a YouTube video uploaded on Feb 21, Chris insisted that whoever said Singapore is expensive is "lying to you". 

"Singapore doesn't have to be expensive!" he assured. 

To prove his point, he showed his viewers some of the affordable eats he discovered during a recent trip. 

$3 carrot cake and beer 

The first destination was Old Airport Road Hawker Centre. 

After walking around, he found a stall selling a plate of carrot cake for just $3. 

The carrot cake in Singapore is quite different from what Chris is used to and he asked the hawker if the entire dish was made of carrots. 

He was also surprised to see what the actual dish looked like. 

"In my country, carrots are orange," said Chris when he saw that carrot cake in Singapore is white. 

When Chris finally tried the dish, he realised it was not what he thought it was. 

"It doesn't taste like carrot to me. It has the texture of fat, but it kind of melts in your mouth," he remarked. "So, I'm pretty sure it's not carrots." 

While confused by the dish, he enjoyed it tremendously.

"It's cooked perfectly," he praised. 

Later that night, Chris met up with a friend at a bar to for some drinks and food. 

The bar was having a promotion where a pint of beer would be priced according to the time you ordered it. 

For instance, the drink would cost $3 when it was 3pm. 

And while Chris doesn't consume alcohol often, he found the promotion enticing and remarked how had one too many pints. 

Trying Indian and Chinese food 

The next day, Chris met another friend, Gareth, to explore several other food spots in Singapore. 

First up on the list was Tekka Centre in Little India. 

The men were spoilt for choice but eventually settled on nasi biryani. 

Chris got a plate of chicken biryani and a side of mutton keema for $10.50 while Gareth got a plate of mutton biryani for $7. 

Upon trying the biryani rice, Chris noted that the rice was on the plainer side, probably so that it doesn't overwhelm the flavours of the curries. 

He was also very critical about the lamb keema as it is a dish he often cooks at home.

While Chris enjoyed the food, he felt that he could make better lamb keema than the stall. 

"Not the best, but good," he remarked.

Their next food destination was a Sichuan restaurant in Chinatown, where they ordered several dishes like skewers, mantou, and fried dumplings. All in all, it cost $45 for two pax. 

The men were pretty impressed by the skewers. 

"It's actually good because lamb is very fatty isn't it? But the skewer actually has meat and not just fat," Chris pointed out. 

Gareth also said for the price point, the food quality was good. 

"The standard is not too bad here, I've been to some other places and you get some real straggly-looking skewers," he said, adding that the food here was "reasonably priced". 

Then, the pair headed to Maxwell Food Centre to find a stall called Mr Appam, which was recommended to Chris by the friend who had those $3 beers with him. 

Unfortunately, that was closed, so he and Gareth went to look for other options. 

They ended up in another Chinese restaurant where they shared a plate of Sichuan chicken for $15. 

'Price of food is very reasonable'

In the comments, locals welcomed Chris to Singapore. 

One netizen praised him for "visiting the off-beaten paths" and pointed out that Singapore is not that expensive, save for lodging. 

In response to the comment, Chris agreed and said that compared to London, "it's very affordable". 

"Plenty of activities you can do for free and unless you're going to high end restaurants, the price of food is very reasonable also," he said. 

Chris also mentioned that compared to other countries in Southeast Asia, Singapore does seem more expensive. 

However, in comparison, none of them have the "same level of infrastructure" as we do. 

Other netizens also explained to Chris that carrot cake is actually made of radish. 

This confirmed Chris' suspicions. He also had guessed that the root vegetable had been mixed with rice flour. 

ALSO READ: Tourist in Singapore amazed by meals under US$5 in 'world's most expensive city'

melissateo@asiaone.com