A Chocolate Guide to Singapore
and food...of course...
Hi from Singapore!
Singapore is both a city and a country, the smallest country in Southeast Asia. British merchants established a trading port there in 1819, and the British ruled it for 144 years. It is a clean and safe place, making it a wonderful city to explore on foot. One moment you’re walking past sleek modern skyscrapers, and the next you are surrounded by historic temples and bustling markets. And everywhere you go, there’s incredible food…and chocolate.
A few local phrases
“Die die must try” means you absolutely have to try this.
“Jia lat” means things are looking bad.
“Bo jio” means “why didn’t you invite me?”
“Alamak” is similar to saying “oh gosh!” when surprised or shocked.
Finally tasting Janice Wong’s Chocolates
There were two chocolates I really wanted to try in Singapore and both were from Janice Wong, a Singaporean chocolatier who is also now a bean to bar chocolate maker. She is known for her edible art installations, walls covered in colourful bonbons and chocolate pieces that you can literally pluck off and eat. These installations are very well known in Australia, so visiting her café to try her chocolates was high on my priority list. She has also started making her chocolate from beans either sourced internationally, or harvested from cocoa trees she has been planting around the city! We visited two locations
The Janice Wong Café at the top of the Supertree in Gardens by the Bay must be one of the most unique and stunning places in the world to enjoy a hot chocolate. A great place to linger, this plant covered tree is one of eleven supertrees that “live” in the middle of Gardens by the Bay. Some of these trees have photovoltaic cells on their canopies to harvest solar energy for lighting up the trees at night while other serve as air exhaust receptacles. At night they light up as part of must see sound and light show, which you can watch while sipping your hot chocolate. Click here for the full review.
2:am Dessert Bar in Holland Village serves a wide range of drinks and desserts, many featuring chocolate in some shape or form. The desserts are not only spectacular to look at, but delicious. My favourite was the Chocolate Praline Poprocks Cake with warm chocolate cake, vanilla bean icecream, hazelnut praline poprocks spread and popcorn powder. Click here for the full review.
The Land of Fossa
While the fossa is a wild, cat-like mammal native to Madagascar, its name has been adopted by one of my favourite bean-to-bar chocolate makers: Fossa Chocolates in Singapore. While their single-origin bars are excellent, they truly shine when it comes to creative flavour pairings, constantly combining unique ingredients with high-quality chocolate.
Their bars are available at locations throughout the city. We found ours at Little Farms, a specialty grocery store with several locations across Singapore.
We ended up buying around 20 different bars, each completely unique. Standouts included Hokkaido Pumpkin Pie, Hae Bee Hiam Shrimp Roll, Sake Kasu, Duck Shit Dancong, Umeshu, and Teh Tarik, alongside single-origin bars like Paquibato 73% Philippines and Ecuador’s Hacienda Limon 73%.
· Other bean-to-bar chocolate makers include Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie. Their Singapore Kaya Toast bar makes a great souvenir.
· We missed trying Lemanuel Chocolatier’s incredible local-flavour bonbons—chicken rice, chilli crab, zhichar cereal… paired with chocolate? Yes, please.
· Another brand, Awfully Chocolate, is well known for its decadent chocolate cakes.
What to Eat
· Start with breakfast. Kopi is coffee with condensed milk. Kopi C uses evaporated milk and sugar, while Kopi O is black coffee with sugar. Tea has a similar naming system. Pair your drink with toast and soft-boiled eggs for a traditional breakfast. Chinatown has great options, including Nanyang Old Coffee, The 1950s Coffee, and Tai Hwa Traditional Coffee.
· Try durian. Several stalls sell fresh durian. You won’t miss them. Just follow your nose.
· Plan a dinner at Maxwell Food Centre. It’s a great place to try classics like Hainanese chicken rice, Katong laksa, char kway teow, Hokkien mee, satay, and oyster omelette.
· Our favourite lunch stop: Song Fa Bak Kut Teh. Order the braised pork belly and pork rib soup, with sides of dough fritters and salted vegetables, you won’t regret it. Also try one of their teas, prepared tableside and beautifully presented.
· Dessert: Try chendol, a shaved ice dessert with coconut milk, palm sugar, and green jelly noodles, from Yat Ka Yan Dessert.
· Tea to take home: Stop by Pek Sin Choon.
A Few Travel Tips and Links
· Hotel rooms can be expensive, especially for families. We stayed at Claude Hotel, which was lovely and very central—highly recommended.
· Start in Chinatown, which is packed with things to see, do, and eat. Visit beautiful temples like the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple.
· Explore the street art, especially around Chinatown and Haji Lane.
· Visit Gardens by the Bay and allow plenty of time. There’s the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, and the famous Supertree sound and light show each evening.
· Walk along the Marina—especially in the evening when the city comes alive. Stop by the Red Dot Design Museum for a fascinating look at some of the world’s best-designed products.
· Walk everywhere. Every neighbourhood is worth wandering. The Visit Singapore website has lots of great walking routs to help you plan.
· Don’t miss the airport. The Jewel Changi Rain Vortex is a must-see. Arrive early so you can explore not only the vortex but also the massive shopping and dining complex around it—it’s a highlight for sure.
Anyone been to Singapore and have any favourite chocolate shops?
Happy travels!
Giselle
Chief Chocolate Sipper