Southeast Asia Archives • Cook the Beans

A vegan in Singapores

Being a vegan in Singapore is just pure heaven, you can find lots of great options anywhere.

In December 2016 Peta named Singapore the second most friendly vegan city in Asia, so that should mean something 😀

Singapore’s food combines Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western influences, Japanese and Thai, and is rich in vegetarian options. For me the best places were the hawker centres (food-courts), they are easy to find and have a bit of everything from fruit juices, smoothies made with local and exotic fruit, desserts, pure vegan meals and even raw vegan. You will be able to taste all cuisines, from 4$-12$ per meal. You can also look for Indian and vegetarian Chinese restaurants often serving up amazing vegan options.

Singapore

If you eat in a non-vegetarian restaurant be aware that dishes that appear vegetarian on the menu may contain oyster sauce, salted fish, etc. just check with the staff first.

Here are some places that I recommend for having great delicious and affordable food. Remember that healthy dishes that require a lot of efforts and innovation often come with large bills 🙂

hawker centres:

Circuit Road Food Centre has many vegetarian food stalls; here you can try the vegan versions of local dishes such as tahu goreng, satay, briyani rice, nasi lemak (coconut rice), hor fun, chicken rice, laksa, etc.
Fortune Centre at Bugis has many great vegan eateries and more options outside the centre.
Redhill Market and Food Centre – vegetarian cuisine is popular at this food centre, try the Bee Hoon with mock Char Siew from the Ru Yi Yuan Vegetarian Food.
Kim San Leng Food Centre
Bendemeer Market and Food Centre

(many veg food stalls tend to be closed on Monday)

restaurants / eateries:

Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant (Little India) has a very extensive menu (about 400 items of which three-quarters are listed as vegan) and you can sample Indian, Chinese, international and local dishes and desserts all under one roof.
Divine Realm Vegetarian Restaurant – Chinese vegetarian
Nature Vegetarian Delights – Chinese vegetarian restaurant
Xing Hua Vegetarian Restaurant. It’s a Chinese restaurant serving mainly mock-meats
Yi xin vegetarian – the best in china town
Zen Fut Sai Kai Vegetarian Restaurant
Genesis vegan Restaurant
Vegandeli SG
Green Leaf Cafe – Little India.
Veggie King International Buffet
Steamboat Restaurant for international, regional (Japanese, Korean, Thai) and local buffet dishes which include desserts.
Fill-a-Pita -Middle Eastern vegetarian food.
vegetarians from West-side: Hua Jin Vegetarian Family Restaurant and Tanaka Vegetarian Food
Japanese vegetarian food (a bit pricey) Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining and Herbivore
For vegan burgers you have: Vegan Burg and the nomVnom
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the Singapore Buddhist Lodge and the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery serve vegetarian food.

Tips: Keep an eye out for the Singapore Food Festival, held every year in July.

? Tips on how to travel in Singapore on a budget ?

Singapore on a Budget

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Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia, with a tropical climate, great food, busy vibe where its always something happening I stumble in many cultural activities like concerts, performances, multimedia and water projections, so try to be aware and look at all the billboards and posters that came across to you. As you know Singapore is not the cheapest place to visit when you have a tight budget, but it’s possible, and definitely worths a visit even if short.

I travel by bus from Malacca to Singapore (24RM), took 4hours to the border, then we left the bus twice to show our passports. If you do the same be prepared to run… because the second time you leave the bus, they will give you 20 minutes, so take all your belongings with you and if you lose the bus don’t worry you just need to wait an hour for the next one.

Once in Singapore it’s easy to travel around, they have a good and easy public transport system and almost everyone speaks English 🙂 when using the bus just make sure you have always the correct amount because they don’t give change.

Here is a list of my favorite places, that you should visit and tips to save money:

Places to explore:

Marina Bay – very cosmopolitan, great views, includes The Merlion Square
Botanic gardens – is a Unesco World Heritage Site, It’s more natural than Gardens by the Bay which seems to be more man-made (although very beautiful in its way) – free entry – they have frequent concerts from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra come early and bring a picnic.
Gardens by the Bay – this futuristic garden deserves a visit during the day-light and another visit during the night between 7.45pm and 8.45 pm, when the trees twinkle and glow with music – free entry
Marina Bay Sands – great views
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, great place near The Merlion Square. Has always lots going on (some are free). The shape on the outside was inspired on the famous durian fruit.
Baba House – (Peranakan home) located near Chinatown has a free hour-long tour but booking is required
Sri Mariamman Temple – oldest Hindu temple –free entry
Thian Hock Keng – Singapore’s oldest Chinese temple –free entry
Clark Quay – busy nightlife
Southern Ridges trail – great walking trails through 10km of forest and canopy walks.
China town
Little India
Arab district (great walk early morning before the crowds arrive) don’t miss the Haji Lane – it’s heaven for art and culture lovers.
Orchard Road

Museums:

Art Museum (free on Fridays after 6pm), incredible good
Peranakan Museum (1/2 price after 7pm – $5)
Asian Civilisation Museum (1/2 price after 7pm – $5)
National Museum ($10) – check the website for free guided tours – offered daily

If you have time:

Movie Mob – free outdoor movie with drive-in concept and picnic events. Happens around Singapore (check their page)
Haw Par Villa (founder of Tiger Balm) outdoor exhibitions of Chinese mythology and legends. – free entry
East Coast Park – 15km stretch of beach (can get busy during the weekend)

Accommodation: it will be your biggest expense in Singapore, so you must do your research with time and book before your arrival. Backpacking is by far the cheapest option you can get something for $20-30 p/night. If you want more privacy and be in contact with local people airbnb would be a good option.

Eating: hawker centers are by far the cheapest and best option you have to taste Singapore’s multi-cultural food. I have tried many different ones and they were all a complete delight for every foodie,a main can cost from $3-7. Remember that in Singapore you can drink tap water it is safe and clean.

I hope you don’t miss Singapore from your travel list.

? More about vegan food in Singapore ?

A Vegan in Sabah _ Kota Kinabalu

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Kota Kinabalu, was actually a very pleasant surprise, through my stay I easily found really great places to eat.

I just need to start to say that KK has countless markets, all selling fresh fruit, juices, coconut water and lots of other local vegan delicacies.

I had no trouble at eating at the street markets either, the food was okay, nothing too extraordinary but I appreciated that they could always veganaise something for me.

I’m going to start with my very favourite place of all, the Vege Garden.

The only reason I didn’t have all my meals there was just because I wasn’t always in the city and they are only open till 5pm.

This small eaterie located between an Orange Convenience store and a Tourism Operator, and it’s part of Wisma Sabah mall. the food is just amazing and it’s very affordable.

The owner is super friendly and is always happy to give you some advice about the food he has for the day, and if they have run out of food they will arrange something for you. I loved this place so much that I had all my breakfasts there, a few lunches and even a couple of meals as a snack 😀 😀

Borneo

The Liew Chai Vegetarian has really delicious options of mock meat, and its very affordable.

If you are not a mock meat fan they also have a good selection of vegetables and tofu.

This eatery is located in the middle of the food court on the lower ground floor of the Centrepoint Mall.

Beyond Veggie is located in the Suria Sabah Shopping Mall. Its a bit more sophisticated and modern and more expensive than the other ones a mention. Has a huge variety of dishes and desserts and the food is tasty.

Among all the food, the most surprising things we found on KK was the coconut jelly/pudding that is served in a coconut shell with the flesh of the coconut, I truly enjoyed it.

The green caviar (called also by Latok or sea grapes), that is a type of seaweed found in Sabah and Philippines. I found it at the Night market.

Interesting enough for the first time in my travellers life I just found many stalls selling fermented drinks and herbal teas with fungus.

Other dishes we had:

Click here if you want to know what to do and visit at Kota Kinabalu and here if you are planning to visit the islands.

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Cameron Highlands_ what to do & where to eat

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We got the bus from Ipoh to the cameron Highlands (18RM). It’s a beautiful journey but very hard for those who get sick easily, so get ready.

We decided to stay at Tanah Rata just because it has more affordable options of restaurants and hotels. Tanah Rata is no doubt the most convenient place but don’t expect a particularly charming place.

In town there are many shops/hotels offering tours, but we decided to go on our own. We looked at the different options like renting a bike or a scooter, but that turned out to be difficult. So we sticked with the last option available hitchhiking ?? and I’m so glad we did, the people we meet were so nice and gave us lots of great tips. Hitchhiking was perfectly safe.

During the time we spend there we visited the Boh and the Bonet tea plantation were we did some trekking. The surrounding landscape covered in tea is beautiful. You can visit both for free.

If you like to hike there are many great jungle treks with streams and waterfalls to be found. You can also hike to the Peak of Brinchang Mountain and explore Mossy Forest. The views are breathtaking.

EAT:

There are some options available however don’t expect any food heaven 🙂

At Tanah Rata there are plenty of indian restaurantes so banana leaf meals and dosas for all 😀 I specially recommend the Sri Brinchang and the restaurant Kumar both have some variety of vegan dishes and the food is quite tasty.

They also have a small evening market with a few local specialities, like the Apam Balik (pancakes with peanuts).

Nearby Brinchang we found a local not-for-profit vegan restaurant, and a great vegan buffet restaurant near the night market – Fu Guang Vegetarian.

The Night Market at Brinchang its good for cheap local food. They also have a weekend market selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

You can’t miss Cameron Highlands mostly if you like to hike, the other attractions probably don’t worth the time and money 🙂

A vegan in Melaka

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We attempted to go to the Night Market on Jonker Street but was choc-a-bloc with people, so we gave up on that, but not on the idea of finding a good market away from the heavy tourist wave. So we talked with a few locals and cycled to the suburbs to find a great market thrumming with locals and fresh vegan treats, and we also found a good small night market with the best popiahs in the world 🙂

Cambodia

Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the easiest places in South East Asia to find vegan and vegetarian food, and Melaka wasn’t an exception. You have great street food, eateries and restaurants, among the places I tried, I do recommend the Soon Wong Vegetarian Restaurant, the Mori Vegetarian Tea House, the indian restaurant Selvam Restrain, and the Veggie Planet

Once in Melaka if you want to try something different and delicious don’t miss:

Lei Cha, a traditional hakka rice dish,
Roti canai,
mock meat,
fresh spring rolls (popiahs),
Barley drink,
one of this great sweets, kuih, ondeh-ondeh, putu piring (steamed rice flour cake with gula melaka filling), Putu Bambu (rice flour and shredded coconut with a filling of gula melaka), Apam Balik (pancakes filled with sweetcorn and peanuts),

To come to the point, we did a lot of really good eating, which always makes us happy. Malaysia and Melaka is full of foodie surprises…

? More about Melaka here ?

a Vegan in Sarawak – island of Borneo

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Sarawak‘s food is just amazing, and the only problem you will have being a vegan is not to gain 10kg 🙂

Kuching

?Sin Wei Tong cafe – has a vegetarian stall, great food around 5RM per dish. some dishes have an egg but can request without.

?Shun son yen – vegetarian restaurant by the kilo, with delicious food and fresh juices I paid around 15RM for my meal. Make sure you go early to have all the options still available because the food goes quickly. You can try a bit of everything.

? water front – there are food stalls and restaurants that have great vegan options.

?Zhen Xiang Zhai, delicious food and a good place to try the Sarawak laksa, they close at 3pm. A meal with drinks will cost around 15RM you can choose from the buffet or order off their menu.

?open marker – a lovely local place to explore.

?Food fair, at the time you are visiting Kuching check if they have a food fair, they have all kinds of food, but be prepared for a crowded place.

Bau

?Bau food court– One of the food stalls serves exclusively great vegan food but other stalls still have a few options, have a look and ask around.

Other food in the region

? Seri Muka – Malaysian sweet with rice with pandas leaves

? Steamed Buns – easily find any food markets and street stalls. They have vegetarian fillings like – sweet been past, Kaya, Pandan or black sesame paste.