When one wants to know about Singapore food, one can easily look at the foods found in Malaysia, since both countries have the same major ethnic groups, even though the percentage compositions are different. Further, many people in both countries have relatives and friends living in the other country. As an illustration, Malaysia is well-known for its Penang hawker foods, Nonya cuisines, Ipoh kway teow (rice noodle), satays, laksa, durians, etc. All of these are commonly found in Singapore, even though some hotels sometimes would hold Penang or Ipoh food fairs with chefs brought in from the north to serve the real thing. One can refer to the food section in the Malaysia site for more information.
Something which deserves special mention concerns Cantonese, Shanghaiese and certain northern and western Chinese food. Singaporeans have long been admirers of Hong Kong style of cooking. Many restaurants and food stalls display prominently the fact that they serve real Hong Kong dim sum, or have Hong Kong chefs, and they do. For one thing, some restaurants hire Hong Kong chefs at great expense to entertain their customers, and some food stalls which sell roast duck and other meat have their owners / chefs trained in Hong Kong. Some restaurants are branches of well-known restaurants in Hong Kong. Therefore, the standard of Cantonese cuisines in Singpapore now is probably as good as many restaurants in Hong Kong. In fact, one well-known Cantonese restaurant chain started by a Singaporean has established branches in Hong Kong which are widely patronised!
For cuisines from other parts of China, such as Shanghaiese and other Chinese food, one can find many outlets which are operated by chefs and their families who have moved from China to Singapore. For example, there are several very good quality Shanghaiese restaurants in the Tanjong Pagar Road area in the city serving things such as "lai-meen" (pulled noodles), fried spring onion pancakes, dumplings and traditional style baked cakes with meat stuffings. Some also serve lamb stew and other dishes from north western China. All these have added extra colour and tastes to the culinary scene in Singapore
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