It is a common belief in Singapore that if there’s no queue, the food or drink must not be good. How true is that?
Sometimes, I think queuing is part of the process that makes the food even more enjoyable – it teases you long enough to make you want it so badly.
I am not a fan of queuing – I believe there are alternatives. Take Coca-Cola® for instance, you can always be assured of its great taste and quality regardless where you buy it from, whether there is a long queue or not.
What about food? Let’s find out what’s good even without a queue!
1.
Polar Curry Puff
The Straits Times recently ranked them as the top curry puff in Singapore in a “Curry Puff Showdown”. There was a unanimous chorus of approval from the judges praising the filling as well as the baked pastry.
Polar Puffs & Cakes have 21 outlets island wide. To enjoy the best curry puff in Singapore, you definitely do not need to wait in long queues!
Find out more: http://polarpuffs-cakes.com
2.
Jack’s Place
Jack’s Place is one of the oldest steak specialty restaurant chain in Singapore. It all started when Mr. Say Lip Hai arrived in Singapore from Hainan island and started as a cookboy with the British troops in Sembawang learning how to prepare the perfect roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
Mr. Say Lip Hai’s break came in 1968 when a British housewife tasted the steak prepared by him and suggested that he start a catering business in her husband’s pub in Killiney Road. Her husband’s name was Jack Hunt. Mr. Say agreed with the condition that he take over the whole kitchen operation leading to the birth of the famous Jack’s Place Steak House. Jack Hunt sold the business to Mr. Say in 1974 and relocated back to England.
Today, the company is led by a management team comprising of 2nd and 3rd generation family members as well as professional managers.
Jack’s Place has 17 restaurants island wide and remains one of my favourite place for a perfectly cooked steak to this day.
Find out more: http://jacksplace.com.sg
If you would like to try Burmese cuisine, Inle Myanmar Restaurant – located in Peninsula Plaza, is a good place to start. The dishes have been adjusted to suit Singaporean palates better and are less heavy on the spices.
Burmese food is still something relatively unexplored for Singaporeans, hence there is no long queue at Inle even though they enjoy relatively good business.
Find out more: http://www.inlemyanmar.com.sg
4.
Kabayan Filipino Fast Food Restaurant
From Peninsula Plaza where the Burmese diaspora in Singapore congregates, we move to Lucky Plaza where the Filipino diaspora congregates.
Kabayan is a restaurant which allows you to order mixed dishes with rice, much like the chap chye peng stalls in hawker centres. Here, you can enjoy some authentic Filipino cuisines.
Find out more: http://www.kabayansg.com
5.
Na Na Original Thai Food
We move on next to Thai food and where else better to enjoy the best Thai food but at Golden Mile Complex, Singapore’s Little Thailand.
Na Na Original Thai Food has the “original” in their name because they spawned copycats like a similarly named one in Far East Plaza.
Go for the original!
Find out more: Alvinology’s review
6.
Loving Hut
If you are looking for something healthy, Loving Hut serves some pretty awesome vegan dishes and beverages.
My only complain is that it is related to a international cult group and you will see propaganda videos and publicity material all over the restaurant.
Maybe the latter is the reason why there is not much of a queue.
Find out more: http://www.lovinghut.com.sg
7.
Thunder Tea Rice 客家擂茶
There are a few hawker stalls in Singapore selling this.
The word ‘Lei’ means ‘Grind’ in Chinese but some define it as ‘thunder’. The latter definition was partly because of the thunder-like pounding sound during the grinding process of the ingredients. ‘Cha’ means tea. ‘Lei Cha’ is a popular Hakka dish made of tea leaves, herbs, sesame and nuts.
The dish is an acquired taste and it took me a few tries to grow really fond of it. It is high in fibre and rich in nutrients, making it a very healthy food choice.
The soup is green in colour though and there are lots of veggies in the dish. It’s probably why there is no snaking queues as Singaporeans are generally not big fan of greens.
Find out more: http://www.thundertearice.com.sg
8.
Bengawan Solo Kueh Lapis
Founded in 1979 by an Indonesian, Bengawan Solo serves some awesome traditional Southeast Asian cakes and pastries. Their Kueh Lapis are well-loved. Bengawan Solo has over 40 outlets in Singapore. Business is brisk, but there are seldom queues as there are more than enough stores all around the island.
Find out more: http://www.bengawansolo.com.sg
9.
AmaSoy
AmaSoy’s Soft Serve is made with premium Japanese matcha powder imported from Kyoto Japan. One of the co-founder is famous food blogger, Daniel Ang from Daniel Food Diary.
Instead of queuing for Llao Llao yogurt, why not try their soft serve?
Find out more: http://ministryoffood.com.sg/submenu/AMASOY.html
10.
A can of Coca-Cola
You can find this about anywhere! As mentioned earlier in the post, quality is assured and you can be guaranteed of the same refreshing feeling, regardless if you have to queue for it or not.
Find out more:
This article is brought to you in partnership with Coca-Cola.
