Years ago, I went backpacking in Malaysia as a reasonably slim high school graduate, and returned as a distinctly chubby university first-year. Not because I lived on cheap white bread and packaged snacks while travelling. No, simply because the food in Malaysia was so good, I couldn’t seem to stop myself over-eating. At every single meal.

So when we recently found out we were moving to Singapore, I couldn’t wait to get to here and start eating. Singapore is right by Malaysia, so the food was sure to be pretty similar. In particular, I wanted to lay my hands on the first stall selling nasi lemak, my favourite breakfast from my time in Malaysia: rich coconut rice topped with all sorts of goodies like little dried anchovies, a spicy chilli paste, hardboiled egg, cucumber and more, served in a banana leaf parcel.

Well, it turns out the food may be similar, but there seems to be even more variety on this little island. The locals are fiercely proud of their food culture. So far, every conversation I’ve had with a Singaporean very quickly turns to food, and which of the local specialties I’ve tried and enjoyed. Luckily, I’ve got lots to say on that topic; so much so, in fact, that one month later I haven’t even managed to eat nasi lemak yet, with all the other delicious and unfamiliar foods around to try out!

There are stalls making fresh juice on almost every corner. My favourite combination so far is dragon fruit, soursop and Thai guava ¬– a tart, refreshing juice for this muggy climate.

At hawker centres – like food courts surrounded by stalls selling a variety of food – lor mee is a local favourite: thick noodles served in a dark, rich, soy-laced broth, with hardboiled egg, those little dried fish, bits of pork and prawn, and all sorts of other goodies.

Another popular option is dinner at the buffet-like stalls selling a wide variety of vegetable, pork, fish, seafood and chicken dishes. You choose two or three dishes, and they are served with your choice of rice or noodles and a bowl of broth.

Then there is one of Singapore’s most famous dishes that we ate in Geylang one night (reportedly the red light district). Bak kut teh is an aromatic, herbal broth in which pork ribs are simmered for hours until the meat slips off the bone. As accompaniments we had a portion of deep-fried bread cubes, tender-stem broccoli in oyster sauce, and sesame oil. The soup is intensely aromatic and has an almost addictive quality, but the broccoli and its sauce is what really steals the show for me. I’m almost, but not quite, ashamed to admit that I ate up all the sauce with a spoon and only just restrained myself from licking the platter.

Steamboat dinners are a popular weekend event in Singapore. The concept is similar to a fondue, with a pot of bubbling broth placed over a flame in the centre of a table, sometimes surrounded by a small grill ring. Diners choose as much food as they like from an endless buffet of raw foods: thinly sliced beef, pork dumplings, chicken satay, salmon chunks, whole little fish, scallops, clams, mussels, crab legs, prawns, leafy greens, sweet corn, and more. Then you cook the food yourself, either in the broth or on the grill, and season the cooked food from a condiment bar offering soy sauce, many varieties of chilli sauce, garlic and thick black vinegar. And it’s all washed down with plenty of Tiger beer, of course.

Little India predictably offers delicious Indian treats in a buzzing, vibrant neighbourhood. Our favourite so far is murtabak: a rich, pastry-like flat bread filled with sardines, chicken, lamb or, interestingly, deer (that’s what it said on the menu!), folded and cut into squares and served with a thick curry gravy for dipping.

For dessert, I haven’t been able to look past one of the best discoveries of my life so far: Chewy Juniors. Like big choux puffs, but chewier, they are filled with either plain or chocolate custard cream, with an eye-popping variety of topping combinations including caramel, dark chocolate ganache and hazelnuts; sweet cream cheese and berry preserves; dark chocolate, almond slices and white chocolate drizzle; and many more.

Occasionally I manage to take a break from Chewy Juniors for frozen yoghurt from one of the many outlets, with the green tea flavour topped with mochi winning so far.

These are just some of my highlights one month in, and I haven’t even tried the famous Singaporean chilli crab, or my beloved nasi lemak yet. Soon! But first, we’re off to try some Katong laksa tonight: a rich, spicy coconut broth noodle dish topped with a variety of goodies. (Do you sense a theme?)

I can’t wait.

By Emma-Kate Coultas

Photographs: gurms, awhiffoflemongrass, Loozrboy, avlxyz and LWY.