Malaysian Food Street @ Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

It's not all that surprising to find that many Singaporean dishes are very similar to those in Malaysian cuisine, since the two nations are geographically, historically and culturally close to each other. Malaysia spreads out a wider distance than Singapore, hence the food is therefore more diverse, with regional variations found in different states and cities. Of course, there have been contentions over whether certain dishes came from Singapore or from Malaysia, but many Singaporeans acknowledge that much good street food lies across the causeway that cannot be found in their city. They would drive for many hours or hop on a plane to satisfy their hawker cravings - that was until a year ago, when the Resorts World Sentosa opened the Malaysian Food Street which made many Malaysian hawker favourites accessible to Singaporeans. The food court was packed to the brim when we visited on a weekday for lunch, and there was a long queue to get into the place. A good variety of Malaysian hawker food from across different states can be found inside the Malaysian Food Street, whether it be KL Hokkien Mee, Penang Char Kuey Teow or Malacca Chicken Rice Ball that you feel like eating. The interior was designed to look like the streets of old town Malaysia, and I must say it was rather nicely done.

Facades of old shophouses and replicas of 1950s-style coffeeshop furniture and street fixtures, which would have been visible if it wasn't so crowded:

It took us ages to find a table, and in the end we had to do what everyone else did: scope out for tables whose diners look like they were almost done, then stand next to it to grab it the moment they stand up and leave. It may seem like a rude thing to do by western standards, but I see it all the time in Asian countries (except Japan, of course). My younger sister and I left the boys to guard our table and things, while we went to have a look at all the different stalls, queue up and buy the food. It was hardly conducive for a relaxing meal - not to mention that other people started standing by our table when we'd barely sat down to eat - but the food was enjoyable. The 4-year-old boy had never eaten worse before, as it was extremely difficult to make allergy requests in this environment. We gave him some of our food which we thought were safe for him to eat, but it didn't agree with him very well and ended up making quite a bit of mess. The cleaners were quite diligent - they saw what was happening and were on the ready to clean up anything (fortunately for them, we were well-prepared with sick bags, tissues and wet wipes). In the end, our boy just ate a couple of nut-free granola bars for lunch with some chocolate milk that I'd brought along in his snack box. I felt bad that our kid had to once again miss out due to his food allergies. We ate more food than what is shown below, but due to the frenzy of going back and forth between the table and the vendors, I didn't get to snap at least one dish, the Nasi Lemak (coconut rice) which came with delicious fried chicken pieces and the usual crispy ikan bilis (anchovies), sambal belacan, peanuts and boiled egg.

Penang Lim Brothers' Char Kuey Teow - juicy prawns and lap cheong (chinese sausage) with a decent dose of charry wok hei flavour. Be prepared to queue at this popular stall:

Mixed Satay Sticks from the Straits of Satay stall. The chicken, pork and beef were nicely grilled on skewers, and they were quite delicious with a fruity and tangy peanut sauce. This is another popular stall with a queue to order and a 20-minute wait for the satay sticks to be ready:

KL Wonton Mee, with an extra order of wonton dumplings. My sis said that she'd waited so long in the queue that she decided to order an extra serving of dumplings to make it worth her wait:

When my sister finally came back to the table to enjoy her lunch, I was already done eating (the char kuey teow and nasi lemak didn't take quite as long as the dishes she'd ordered). Everyone was pretty keen for some sweets, so I traipsed over to the Desserts stall and joined yet another queue. I ordered four items, including orange juice (not pictured) which was juiced in situ and it tasted delicious and wholesome complete with pulp and all the goodness of three or four oranges I saw the guy load in the juicing machine.

Sweet Potato and Sago Soup, specially ordered for my sister's boyfriend who is on a paleo diet due to his IBS issues. He really enjoyed it:

Delicious Cendol, an ice-based dessert made with coconut milk, green pandan jelly, and gula melaka (palm sugar):

Ice Kacang - shaved ice with red beans, attap chee (palm seed), sweet corn, and jelly, drizzled with just the right amount of condensed milk, red syrup and gula melaka syrup. I liked this one more than the last one we had in the dessert's homeland:

Malaysian Food Street is worth a visit if you're in Resorts World Sentosa, and you have a craving for Malaysian street food. The food is good, hence it is a popular dining option for many visitors to Sentosa. Avoid going on a weekend or holiday, and bring your patience along.

Malaysian Food Street
The Bull Ring (near Universal Studios)
Resorts World Sentosa
8 Sentosa Gateway
Sentosa Island
Singapore 098269
Tel. +65 6577 8888