With endless choice of cheap, good and fresh ready-made food, you probably wouldn't think about self catering in Singapore, unless you are actually residing there. Perhaps you would just pop into the supermarket to buy some local fruits.
Nevertheless, some of you might be interested in what is available in local supermarkets, so we am pointing out a few of our favourite supermarket buys in Singapore.
Supermarkets
Cold Storage and NTUC Fair Price supermarkets are scattered all over Singapore. They offer wide selection of food, including fresh fruits, mineral water, muesli and good yoghurt (try the SKI brand from Australia, it's delicious!). Pasteurised mango or guava juice (Peel fresh line by Marigold) are very concentrated and very good as well..
7-11
7-11 is a 24hrs mini market chain with outlets all around the island. If you get hungry in the middle of the night, just walk down the street and you will find one in no time. 7-11 is also very convenient for quenching your thirst with refreshing ice lemon tea. You choose the cup size and fill it up with ice and tea yourself, using their vending machine. 0.5l of ice lemon tea or other drinks available from the vending machine cost less than SGD 2. Another item worth trying is Nissin instant noodles, seafood curry flavour. Not very healthy of course, but yummy!
Instead of drinking plain mineral water all the time, you should also try delicious Asian drinks for a change. Yeo's canned soya bean milk, chrysanthemum tea, lychee juice or Seasons barley drink or water chestnut and lotus root are all worth a try. They are available at most grocery shops and supermarkets.
Those who miss western potato chips should definitely try Doritos by Frito Lay: Nachos Cheese Tortilla (corn) chips. It comes in a 180g package and is very nice to eat with Hot Salsa (choose the HOT flavour) chunky dip from Master Foods.
Edible souvenirs
Too many kinds of food, too small stomach, too little time? Or you simply can't get enough of Asian food?
Visit some Singaporean supermarkets and you will find out that many of the delicacies are conveniently packed so you can bring them home very easily.
Packed local food such as Kaya (Local Singaporean and Malaysian jam made of coconut milk, sugar, eggs and pandan (a type of aromatic screwpine) leaves juice, which makes kaya green colour. Some producers use artificial green colouring, which results in a different shade of green and the lack of nice pandan aroma.), local sweets (ground peanut cookies, Pong Pia, Bei The Soh by Glory brand), various kinds of curry pastes (Asian Gourmet and Brahim's brands are safe bets), snacks such as prawn rolls or even Asian flavoured potato chips (Salsa potato chips from Jack & Jill) are great for a souvenir. They are delicious, easy to bring home and won't burn a hole in your pocket.