Singapore remains one of the world’s most expensive cities. However, dining out can still be affordable at well-appointed food courts. These venues offer quality meals in comfortable, air-conditioned settings. The latest food courts have adopted fresh designs and house stalls selling quality food. Some even feature Michelin-recommended establishments. Hawkers’ Street Tang Plaza exemplifies this trend. Another is The Food Place by Food Republic. The recently revamped Raffles City food court has 20 curated stalls featuring Michelin-recommended outlets alongside popular local brands.
Food Court in Raffles City
Raffles City, which sits right above the busy City Hall MRT Interchange, has a new dining destination. The Food Place by Food Republic is on the third level of the popular mall. The redesigned food court is spacious and seats up to 600 diners.
It features 20 stalls in total. The new tenant list includes several brands. Many are known for their established presence or accolades. These options range from traditional local food to international favourites. They include Mon Kee Cafe and Kam’s Roast Express of Hong Kong and local names like Koo Kee Yong Tow Foo Mee and Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodles.
Kam’s Roast Express
Kam’s Roast Express brings Hong Kong’s one-Michelin-starred Kam’s Roast Goose to the food court. This quick-service concept offers Cantonese specialities at accessible prices.
The Raffles City food court outlet serves roast duck rice at S$8.90 and BBQ pork rice at the same price. Noodles are also available along with sides like goose live sausage and poached HK choy sum.
Go Teppan Go
Go Teppan Go offers teppanyaki sets featuring mains like Rendang Beef Tenderloin, Soy Butter Chicken Chop, and Sambal Kicap Chargrilled Squid. Their Big Value Sets start from $10.80.
Smash by Burgerlabo
Smash by Burgerlabo is the latest venture of Ken Loon, the founder of Burgerlabo and Naked Finn. The name of the stall is derived from the smash technique, which involves flattening ground beef onto hot griddles to create flavourful crusts through the Maillard reaction. The patties use grass-fed Aberdeen Angus neck cuts from Argentina, ground in-house without growth hormones. Each burger features melty American cheese on butter-toasted buns, deliberately flattened for crispy surfaces.
Single patty burgers cost S$9.80, while double versions are S$12.80. Sides like Salted Fries ($5.80), Truffle Fries ($6.80) and Truffle Cheese Fries ($7.80) are also available.
Penang Jiak
Penang Jiak offers a selection of authentic Penang street food, including Penang rojak, lor bak, prawn noodles and Hokkien mee.
Its menu say that the Char Kway Teow ($8.90) is a “Must Try”. So we did. It was tasty, with wok-hei and all.
Mon Kee Cafe
CNA Lifestyle says Mon Kee Cafe in Hong Kong is famous for elevated cha chaan teng classics like Japanese scrambled egg rice dishes and a quirky sandwich of corned beef with peanut butter, eggs and lettuce.
Mon Kee Cafe at Raffles City food court offers the signature silky scrambled egg rice, generously dressed in sweet soy sauce. Also available are macaroni in soup, bolo bun sandwiches and HK-style milk tea.
Spinach Chef
Spinach Chef specialises in spinach-based noodle and soup dishes. The menu features a variety of options. We sampled the Ban Mian at this stall. The dish was satisfying. The broth was flavourful and had a natural sweetness. The spinach was fresh and retained its crisp texture. The noodles were cooked just right.
Koo Kee Yong Tow Foo Mee
Koo Kee Yong Tow Foo Mee is a heritage brand which has retained the tradition of selling its signature Yong Tau Foo in a standard set of 5 pieces.
It has expanded its menu to include items like Laksa Yong Tow Foo, Hot Plate Spicy Mee Tai Mak, Thai Style Fried Bean Curd and specialty soups.
Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodles
Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodles is another local heritage brand. Established in 1968, its stall at Kim Keat Palm Food Centre has been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. This family-owned business prepares its fishballs fresh each day, using only yellowtail fish.
More Interesting Food Court Stalls
Ju Xing Fish operates as an express concept in The Food Place. The parent restaurant is Ju Xing Home in Hong Kong, which has been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for eight consecutive years. The stall’s signature dish is sauerkraut fish.
There are also Kinzo Japanese Cuisine for Japanese dishes and Hankang Pocha Express for Korean food.
Padang Padang offers Indonesian cuisine.
There are several stalls offering Chinese dishes including King Grouper Fish Soup, Herbal Soup, Shanhai Gold Heritage Duck and Piao Xiang Mala.
Western food stalls at The Food Place includes PepperGrill and Wikedo Western.
Fitra Chicken Rice offers one of Singapore favourite dishes. At Toast Junction, local kopi and toast are available. The drinks stall also has a range of interesting desserts and local snacks.
The Food Place by Food Republic @ Raffles City
#03-15/16/17, Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179103
Opening Hours: 10 am to 10 pm
(opening hours for individual stalls may vary)
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog