Updated ,first published
Singaporean-Malay$$
This venue is included in Good Food’s 100 Essential Restaurants list.
This cult favourite is always pumping, whether it’s lunchtime in the highgloss dining room or outside on a Saturday night, after braving a queue 20-deep. It’s a loud, tightly packed, high-turnover dining experience but remarkably calm waitstaff maintain an air of practised grace, even as the dishes come thick and fast.
Hainanese chicken rice lands within minutes, the delicately poached breast served slightly below room temperature, as Singaporean style demands. Laksa Singapura follows, featuring a thick coconut-based broth rich with shrimp paste and brimming with sweet prawns and chicken, and a half-Hokkien, halfrice noodle option for those who can’t decide between the two.
Roti canai is a standout – hot, pliable, lightly charred, with an aromatic curry sauce – though a watery bean sprout and cucumber tahu goreng is one to skip. Temasek is fast, efficient and fit for purpose, yes, but it’s also always memorable – one more reason it’s stood the test of time.
Good to know: There are no online reservations, so book by phone or email.
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
Last visited: September 2026
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