Maxwell Food Centre

"Located within walking distance from each other in the nexus of Singapore’s Central Business District are two bona fide hawker hotspots: Maxwell Food Centre. It’s no wonder that you often have to jostle with bustling crowds of office workers from the nearby skyscrapers and tourists alike just to get a seat." - The MICHELIN Guide

"Popular place with the house dish from Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and other notable vendors like Old Nyonya." - Dan Q. Dao

"It was dinner time in Singapore. Across the Formica table at Maxwell Food Centre I watched my father wrestle a laksa-slicked noodle around his chopsticks. He struggled. The tremors in his hands had gotten worse since the last time I saw him almost a year before. I discreetly slid him a fork and pretended I didn't notice the DayGlo-orange splatters on his shirt. It wasn’t long before beads of sweat collected on his brows—it was way too spicy."

"Hawker centers in Singapore are like people across the city complaining about the heat: they’re everywhere. These large, food court-style markets are made up of stalls that specialize in one or two items each. When you find yourself in Chinatown - which you will, to roam around various religious centers and historical landmarks - you can’t miss stopping at one of our favorites, Maxwell Food Center. Toss a pack of tissues on an empty table (the local way of saying, “This seat is taken”), look for the longest lines, and follow the crowd. At Maxwell, those lines are for the chicken rice, the oyster cakes at Maxwell Fuzhou, and assorted roast meat noodles at Fu Shun Jin Ji - where the hawker basically has a doctorate in pork. People swear by the chicken rice from the Tian Tian stall, but sneak over to Ah Tai Chicken Rice instead - it’s the hawker equivalent of the quiet kid at the back of the class who gets straight A’s." - Anthony Eu

"With over 100 stalls, deciding what to eat can be overwhelming. The most popular stalls here are Tian Tian Chicken Rice and its rival Ah Tai, as well as the fry-it-yourself Hum Jin Pang, which serves plain or red bean-filled dough fritters. Join the queue for Zhen Zhen Fish Porridge or pick from a host of flavorful curries to eat with steamed white rice at Zhong Guo Jie Hainanese Curry Rice." - Annette Tan