Singapore by Way of Midtown

A guide to the city's brand-new hawker center.

- MAHIRA RIVERS

TRY Chicken Rice AT Hainan Jones

In the 1970s, a chef named Joon Toh Kiang helped put traditional chicken rice on the menu of Singapore's posh Mandarin Hotel, catapulting the humble poached-poultry preparation to international five-star fame. Now his son Raymond will run this stall, which is for the time being the only place in the U.S. to find the legendary Kiang-family recipe.

TRY Laksa AT Daisy's Dream

Peranakan, or Nyonya, cuisine is a fusion of Chinese and Malay food traditions with some influence from the Indian subcontinent. It's probably best known in New York thanks to longtime downtown restaurants like Nyonya and West New Malaysia and, more recently, Kopitiam in Chinatown. Inside Urban Hawker, Roy Tan whose mother, Daisy, opened her first stall in Singapore at the age of 60-will share the family's Nyonya recipes with a menu centering on famed dishes like chicken curry, Nyonya laksa (curried noodles), and nasi lemak (rice cooked with coconut milk and served with myriad side dishes).

TRY Nasi Biryani AT Mamak's Corner

This Indian Singaporean stall-run by Shukor Tahir and his business partner, Rajan Belaniwas conceived specifically for New York. The duo will cook up classic flaky roti prata (a late-night favorite) and richly spiced nasi biryani with lamb or chicken.

TRY Sambal Chili Crab AT Wok & Staple by Dragon Phoenix