Housed within a historic building in the centre of Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD), Lau Pa Sat stands as an iconic landmark where local cuisine and hawker culture thrive, making it a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.
Infamous for housing a slew of stalls that charge exorbitant prices for their food—especially seafood—many have dubbed this octagon-shaped food centre as a tourist trap. Granted that while some of the assumptions are true, there are still stalls there that are worth visiting.
Home to some of the best Indonesian meat skewers (commonly referred to as satay) in Singapore, here are two stalls among the sea of satay vendors lining Boon Tat Street that we highly recommend.
Lau Pa Sat’s Iconic Satay Street
Located right outside the food centre is a closed-off road where you’ll find a seemingly never-ending line of satay stands and plenty of tables and chairs. You won’t miss it, just follow the shroud of smoke, if not, the aroma of smoke and barbecued meat that will eventually lead you to its source.
If it’s your first time, you may be intimidated by the pushy aunties and uncles that will literally shove menus in your face, but just be calm and take your time to look around. Among the many satay vendors there, the ones most popular are Satay Stalls 7 & 8.
What to order from Lau Pa Sat Satay Stalls 7 & 8
As far as ordering satay goes, one can never go wrong with having a few of each. That said, we spared no hesitation and got ourselves a trio of meats—Chicken (S$0.70), Beef (S$0.70) and Mutton (S$0.70).
Cooked over roaring hot coals, each meat skewer had a robust, smoky aroma to it along with a beautifully charred outer crust. The chicken satay was tender and succulent, pulling away from the stick with ease.
Comparing the three different types of meat, our favourite satay from Lau Pa Sat Satay Stalls 7 & 8 would have to be the mutton, partially because of its subtle gaminess. The meat was tender and the flavour of the marinade seemed to complement it best.
For many who adore satay, they’ll agree that the satay is only as good as the dip that is served along with it. Fortunately, theirs was very well done. Just the perfect consistency, the sauce was thick, chunky and fragrant, allowing it to latch on to the meat easily.
It boasted an earthy, nutty aroma and was deliciously sweet with a mild spicy kick. Unlike many places, it does not come with a layer of oil floating on the surface which is another awesome thing to note.
A Ketupat (S$1) is probably not a bad idea to have added on serving as a palate cleanser and providing additional bulk to the meal. These dense squares of compressed rice cakes taste excellent when dunked into the spicy peanut sauce.
Disclaimer: Uncover Asia made an anonymous visit and paid for their own meal.
Address: Stall 7 & 8, 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
Opening Hours: 7PM – 1AM (Mon to Fri); 6PM – 1.30AM (Sat to Sun)
Nearest MRT Station: Raffles Place
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