10 Locally-Inspired Food Creations You Mustn’t Miss!

Editor’s Note: All content and information in this article are accurate as of published time.

Were you impressed by McDonald’s Har Cheong Gai Chicken Burger or their version of the Nasi Lemak burger? Perhaps, like us, you might prefer good old Nasi Lemak instead 😉

Apart from McDonald’s jumping on the bandwagon of locally inspired food in the past years, there are actually a whole list of homegrown restaurants, cafes and brands who have had their own spin on and came up with really popular versions! So here’s a list of 10 interesting dishes, desserts and even drinks that are inspired by our favourite local food! You’ll be happy to know too that they are local businesses so there’s never a better time to #supportlocal! 🇸🇬

Love everything local? Also read: 10 Brands We Bet You Didn’t Know Are Local!

1. Har Cheong Gai Burger  |  GRUB

Credit: Grub

GRUB is as 100% Singaporean as one can get. Their signature burger buns are customised and freshly baked by a local bakery, local brewers are featured in their craft beer list and local flavours are infused creatively throughout their menu. When you just can’t decide between good ol’ local food and Western cuisine, GRUB is one fantastic option to get the best of both worlds. GRUB’s Signature Har Cheong Gai Burger is marinated in-house and cooked to the perfect golden brown. Try it along with Salted Egg Chicken Wings and Chilli Crab Pasta! Servings are generous and this is sure to be one satisfying meal. 

Other interesting dishes worth a try at GRUB are the Mala Xiang Guo Burger, Mentaiko Pork Katsu Burger, Grilled Satay Burger and Mentaiko Fries.

Joining the Basque Burnt Cheesecake trend, Grub also have their very own GRUB Kaya Burnt Cheesecake that has been recently featured on The Straits Times! 

🍽️ Make a reservation for dine-in at GRUB here.
🥡 Delivery available. Order here.

Address: 510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 (Bishan Park 1), Singapore (569983)

2. Hae Bee Hiam Aglio Olio  |  The Assembly Ground

The Assembly Ground’s menu features Singaporean-inspired food creations that are sure to tantalise your tastebuds. A casual dining cafe with affordable prices, this place makes for a perfect chill out spot with their featured coffee blends from Common Man Coffee Roasters and Nylon Coffee Roasters. The Hae Bee Hiam Aglio Olio comes with sea tiger prawns, squid and clams cooked with linguine and mouthwatering Hae Bee Hiam.

For the adventurous, you’ll like the Laksa Pizza and Spicy Pomodoro Crab Pasta!

🍽️ Make a reservation for dine-in at Assembly Ground here.

Address:

• The Cathay (Dhoby Ghaut): 2 Handy Rd, #01-21, Singapore 229233
• Cineleisure (Somerset): 8 Grange Road, #01-01, Singapore 239695

3. Chilli Crab Pasta  |  Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar

Located in the Tanglin Post Office Building, Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar surprises us with locally inspired dishes such as Chilli Crab Pasta that’s filled with large chunks of fresh crab meat sautéed in the restaurant’s delicious homemade tangy chilli crab sauce and Dry Laksa Pasta that comes with spaghetti, fish cake and fresh juicy prawns tossed with a rich, creamy laksa sauce.

🍽️ Make a reservation for dine-in at Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar here.
🥡 Delivery available. Order here.

Address: 56 Tanglin Road, #01-03, Tanglin Post Office, Singapore (247964) 

4. Satay Burger  |  The Quarters

Filled with various locally-inspired items on the thoughtfully curated menu at The Quarters, like the Wagyu Beef Buah Keluak Pasta that is prepared in delicious Buah Keluak cream sauce, Satay Burger with chunks of tasty pork between rice patties and a tantalising satay sauce. There’s so many interesting dishes to try here.

The Wonderffle got us curious. Soft, fluffy waffles with a scoop of lemongrass and pandan ice-cream, then drizzled with gula melaka! this perfect combination is the perfect round up to a wonderful meal at The Quarters. If you enjoy Buah Keluak, don’t miss the Bibik’s Brownie – a delicious rich brownie topped with Buah Keluak ice-cream!

🍽️ Get a 20% off S$10 voucher for dine-in at The Quarters here.
🥡 Delivery available. Order here (Best to order a day before)

Address: 16 Enggor Street, #01-09, Icon Village, Singapore (079717)

5. Steak & ‘Chinchalok’  |  Redpan

There’s no way we could leave Redpan out of this! Even their name pays tribute to Singaporean flavours! Besides being iconically Singaporean, the ‘red’ in their name also represents passion. Nearly everything on the Redpan menu is locally-inspired! Our pick is the Steak & ‘Chinchalok’ , tuck into a lovely charred Sirloin Steak, chunky smashed potatoes and an unique chinchalok salsa. Other interesting dishes include Bak Chor Foie Gras Pasta which pairs minced pork stew with seared pork belly and topped with a rich piece of foie gras.

Round up your evening with a sweet ending – take your pick from a Durian Baked Alaska, Gula Melaka Ice-cream Burger or a Banana Donuts ‘Milo Dinosaur’!

🍽️ Make a reservation for dine-in at Redpan here.
🥡 Delivery available. Order here. 

Address: #02-03/04 Marina Square 6 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039594  

6. Sea Salt Gula Melaka Ice-Cream  |  Sunday Folks

If you love ice-cream, homegrown ice-cream shop Creamier Handcrafted Ice-Cream will be no stranger to you. The same people behind the success of Creamier also bring us Sunday Folks, where amazing freshly churned artisan ice-cream awaits in charming Chip Bee Gardens. Sunday Folks’ signature Sea Salt Gula Melaka Ice-Cream that’s lovingly made with pure palm sugar and hand-harvested sea salt, this flavor truly hits the perfect savoury-sweet spot! Pair it with some chewy handcrafted sweet gula melaka mochi for a wonderful treat.

This year’s National Day Special features Kaya Toast Ice-cream, complete with coconut flakes and buttered toast, topped with a swirl of coffee-caramel sauce just like how you would have kaya roti with kopi!

Craving for some Gula Melaka goodness from the comfort of home instead? Check out Sunday Folks’ ice-cream pints that are available from their online store! Not your regular ice-cream pint, Sunday Folks’ version comes in layers with gems of handmade goodies tucked between freshly-churned ice-cream. The Sea Salt Gula Melaka pint – that’s inspired by The Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City and named Yellow Brick Road – is a must-try! Filled with a blend of bananas, pecans, dates and gula melaka mochi along with Sunday Folks’ amazing sea salt gula melaka ice-cream, it definitely makes for a special treat.

🍽️ Make a reservation for dine-in at Sunday Folks here.
🥡 Delivery available. Order here (Free islandwide delivery for orders $65 and above).

Address: 44 Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens #01-52, Singapore 278116

7. Ondeh Ondeh Cake  |  Olsen Bakehouse

Sometimes, you REALLY want that second slice of cake. Sadly, our expanding waistlines don’t allow for that to happen too often. Not unless the cake is from Olsen Bakehouse (formerly known as In the Brick Yard), that is. Olsen Bakehouse is a Singaporean start-up that prides itself on being light-handed with the sugar and using natural food colouring in their bakes. For bakes made with love along with inspirations from local flavours, their super fluffy cakes are sure to hit the spot. Recommended cakes include the light and yummy Ondeh Ondeh, Orh Nee, Pulut Hitam and the crowd favourite Kopi Kaya Peanut Butter – all siew dai!

Sliced cakes – aptly named #CakesForCheer – are available from 9am everyday at their webstore here. Fastest Fingers first! You’ll get to select the delivery date – up to a week in advance, subject to availability. Whole cakes are also available for order.

🥡 Delivery and Store Pick-up Options available. Order here.

Address: 462A Crawford Lane, #01-73, Singapore 191462

8. Milo Kosong Gao Cruffin  |  Keong Saik Bakery

Keong Saik Bakery is a charming bakery set up by two friends. They serve a range of bread, pastries and cakes that fuse contemporary and traditional flavours that most of us are familiar with. Their signature pastry is the Sor Hei (S$3.20), which features a black and white Danish Pastry which has oozy chocolate chips embedded within its layers.

We hear that cruffins (a muffin+croissant) are a big hit from Keong Saik Bakery! It comes in flavors like Milo Kosong Gao, Coconut and even limited edition flavors like brown sugar and Matcha Burnt Cheese.

If you love rich delicious cheesecakes then one item not to be missed is definitely Keong Saik Bakery’s pandan burnt cheesecake. We hear that there are also limited edition flavors available for the burnt cheesecakes such as durian and kaya, so be sure to check it out when you are at the store!

Promotion: Enjoy 15% off – Get S$10 cash voucher for S$8.50 (for in-store orders) | via KLOOK

• Applicable for use on all items in-store
• Please present your voucher on the Klook App upon ordering

🍽️ Buy S$10 cash voucher for S$8.50 for use at Sinpopo here.
🥡 Delivery and Store Pick-up Options available. Order here.

Address: 41 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089146

9. Gula Melaka Cake  |  Sinpopo

Credit: Sinpopo

Gula Melaka (palm sugar in English) originates from the state of Malacca in Malaysia. Sinpopo prides itself on being an ‘ode to Katong and its heritage’. Sinpopo aims to preserve traditional flavours and make it more accessible to even the younger generation of Singaporeans. Well, I say that they’re doing an amazing job. Their best seller is the Gula Melaka Cake, a rich tasting cake with a robust flavour that does not overwhelm the senses. If you’re looking for something lighter on the palate, try this year’s National Day Special: The Pandan Kaya Cake, that looks just as beautiful just as it is delicious, with handmade luscious pandan kaya over blue pea flower-tinged rice cake and layered with fresh coconut cream. If you are placing an order on Sinpopo’s online store, don’t forget to check out a bottle of Curry Leaf with Salted Egg Yolk Cookies!

Some dine-in specials that you mustn’t miss are Sinpopo’s Nasi Lemak (for 2) that features their signature Har Jeong Kai Wings, luncheon meat crisps, Rojak Slaw and more; Muah Chee Salad and Crab Wantons. 

🍽️ Make a reservation for dine-in at Sinpopo here.
🥡 Sliced cakes are available for dine-in. Whole cakes and cookies are available for order here.

Address: 458 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427671

10. Pandan Chiffon Tea  |  ETTE TEA

Even if you’re a tea aficionado, I bet you’ve never heard of Pandan Chiffon Tea, let alone Nasi Lemak tea! ETTE TEA is a contemporary homegrown tea store located in the heart of Chinatown, Singapore. Started up by passionate tea maker Victor Koh, ETTE TEA aims to combine traditional tea making with modern flavours. They certainly have an extensive range of tea blends! Their Local Flavours collection includes blends like Mango Sticky Rice Tea, Nasi Lemak, Ice Kachang, Orh Nee and even Chicken Rice Tea! How about some Bak Kwa, minus the calories? There’s even Bak Kwa tea here at ETTE TEA! If you’re not feeling too adventurous, stick to the classic tried and tested Green/Black/Oolong Tea blends which are also available.

🥡 Order yourself some Ice Kachang tea and more here.

Address: 333 Kreta Ayer Road #03-25, Singapore 080333

11. “Kaya, I Beg Your Pandan?” Cocktail  |  GudSht

NOTE: The legal drinking age in Singapore is 18 years old. Please proceed only if you are 18 and above. 

Inspired by Singaporeans’ favourite breakfast, Kaya Toast, here we have “Kaya, I Beg Your Pandan“, a locally inspired cocktail with Bacardi Carta Blanca, Local Kaya, Fresh Milk & Oats Infusion, Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur . Concocted by local bartenders behind Elite Bar Solutions, these bottled GudSht cocktails are lighthearted and whimsical enough to bring about some sunshine to the otherwise weary work-from-home days. Sit back and unwind with (only if you are above 18!) with Cheng Tng Gao – who knew that freshly prepared cheng tng would go so well with Courvoisier Cognac? – or their limited National Day Special, Salty Egg-ceptional that has a distinct balance of salted duck eggs and cinnamon with Bacardi Carta Negra.

Promotion: Free shipping on orders above S$100

• Limited time only
• NOTE: For 18 years and above only

🥡 Order here.

*Prices stated are as of published time and are subject to changes from the restaurants. 

Love these yummy local creations that we’ve handpicked for you? Whether you’re a buffet-lover or prefer 1-for-1s that are not hotel buffets? Check them out here!