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Whether you think breakfast is the important meal of the day (or not), it is certainly my favorite. I’d just as soon have breakfast for dinner, or craft an elaborate weekend brunch that is my only meal before dinner rolls around. When I travel, eating breakfast like the locals is one of the ways I immerse myself in the culture of a place.

In general Singaporeans tend to stick to savory breakfasts like other nearby Asian countries, and you’ll see people slurping noodle soups (like pho in Vietnam), eating congee (in the Chinese style), or picking up rice dumplings steamed in banana leaves (like Thailand), and everything in between. But there is only one “Singaporean” breakfast that I came across – basically a delicious variation on the all-familiar eggs, toast, and coffee. Thanks to a bit of jet lag I wasn’t hungry my first few mornings, but once my appetite arrived, I could not get enough of Singaporean breakfast and only hope I’ll be able to somewhat replicate this at home someday.

Here are the essentials you need to know:

1. Coffee (or Tea), aka Kopi (or Teh)

Singaporean coffee lacks the bitterness you may be accustomed to. Why, you ask? Because the beans are roasted in butter! And what was hugely surprising for me is that the brewing method is the same as one I just discovered this past summer for the first time, the Costa Rican chorreador. It’s basically a sock-shaped bit of cloth suspended from a metal ring that can rest on a pitcher. The grounds are placed inside, and then boiling water is poured over top for brewing. The result is a robust coffee flavor that is strong in small doses – in fact, some of the breakfast spots only serve one size of coffee.

As with anywhere, there is also a lot of coffee customization that you can get with each cup. Not only hot vs. iced, but the traditional method for serving, if you ask for just “kopi” you’ll get coffee with condensed milk, as you would in Vietnam. The main other options are “kopi-C” with Carnation milk or “kopi-O,” black coffee. For any of the above you can add the word kosong to the end of your order to request no sugar. For more of the nuances of ordering coffee in Singapore, check out this Serious Eats post.

With coffee this good, I didn’t have tea out once. Although it is definitely available if that is your preferred breakfast beverage, and can be ordered in the same variations you would do for coffee.

2. Kaya toast

I probably don’t need to explain what toast is, but kaya is such an excellent accompaniment. A coconut-based spread, it is typically served on toast with a pat of butter, giving some flavor and sweetness without being overwhelming. Kaya is made with coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and flavored with pandan, a local plant used as an aromatic in many types of Asian cooking. Of course, the flavor is all in the balance of ingredients and texture.

My favorite kaya, hands-down, was the fresh version served at Killiney Kopitiam. If you’re looking to take a jar of kaya home from here, purchase it at the end of your visit as their kaya has no preservatives and will expire within 3-4 weeks. (And if you’re going to Australia after like me, since it contains eggs you probably can’t even bring it with you, sorry.)

3. Soft-boiled eggs There’s actually no need to specify the cook on the eggs that come with a Singaporean breakfast, as they only come one way. Most places I went gave you the eggs still in the shell, and it was up to you to crack them into the bowl. Others gave you a bowl that already had the two “half-boiled” eggs nestled inside.

TIP! I didn’t always do the best job of cracking my eggs and sometimes broke a yolk. The way I saw locals doing it seemed to work well: cracking the wide middle of the egg against the table and cracking it into the bowl (the way you would if the egg was still raw). The typical condiments to make the eggs extra-savory to contrast with the sweet kaya toast (and possibly sweet coffee as well) were ground pepper to sprinkle on top & soy sauce to pour into the bowl. Locals tended to slurp the eggs out of the bowl, while I preferred to break the yolks and enjoy it one small spoonful at a time or with the toast dipped inside.

Where to Find Singaporean Breakfast I sampled Singaporean breakfast at what are probably the top 3 local chains. You’ll be able to find one of these nearby wherever you stay in Singapore:

Killiney Kopitiam Kopitiam means coffee house, and while the coffee was delicious here, I was blown away by the kaya toast at their original location on Killiney Road. And if you’re looking for one last breakfast, there is a Killiney branch in the upstairs 24-hour food court at the airport, although there’s usually a bit of a wait as they still grill the toast fresh for each customer.

Toast Box I waited in line with a lot of young professionals, as it seemed relatively easy to order takeaway breakfast. The one I visited was so busy I even had one of those light-up buzzers to alert me when my toast was ready.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast This was the one spot where my eggs were already in a bowl when they were served, so the least assembly was required. Plus, it was a bit cheaper than Toast Box and included quite a large portion of toast.

What breakfast have you enjoyed so much that you then tried to replicate it at home? Singaporean breakfast will definitely be my next experiment!

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