When pop star Dua Lipa was in town in early November to kick off her Radical Optimism world tour at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, she was spotted visiting some of the hottest food joints in the city.
In her latest email newsletter sent out on Dec 12, which is also available on her lifestyle website service95.com, Lipa – who wrapped the Asian leg of her tour in Seoul on Dec 4 and 5 – shared her top eats in Singapore and raved about the flavours she is “still dreaming about”.
Top of her list is the famed Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown, home to beloved hawker dishes such as chicken rice.
The 29-year-old English-Albanian singer, who did not name specific stalls, said of the food she sampled there: “Simple, delicious and served with love.”
In a Nov 6 Instagram post, Lipa and her friends could be seen enjoying Maxwell Food Centre offerings such as chicken rice, nasi lemak, Nonya kueh and tau huay from Lao Ban Soya Beancurd.
In her newsletter, she also recommended establishments serving local food like 328 Katong Laksa in East Coast Road. She called laksa one of Singapore’s iconic dishes and said it is “a spicy, soul-warming bowl you won’t forget”.
Zi char restaurant New Ubin Seafood, which serves chilli crab, cereal prawn and fish head curry, also got a shout-out from the star.
She wrote: “I’m still thinking about the fresh seafood at (New) Ubin, but if seafood is not your thing, don’t worry, there’s something on the menu for everyone. I’ll be amazed if there isn’t.”
Both 328 Katong Laksa and New Ubin Seafood also appeared in Instagram Stories and posts Lipa made around the time of her Singapore visit.
She also ventured into the international cuisine available here.
She praised Firangi Superstar, an Indian restaurant in Craig Road, which she called a “must-visit” for its “modern twist on traditional Indian flavours”.
She also loved Nixta, a grill and bar serving Mexican food in Amoy Street. She said: “(Nixta was) a huge highlight, bringing Mexico to the heart of Singapore. Think smoky mezcal cocktails and mouth-watering tacos.”
Lipa played two concerts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Nov 5 and 6. It marked the beginning of her Radical Optimism world tour, which is slated to end in October 2025.
She is on a break now after finishing the Asian leg of the tour, which visited cities such as Saitama, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Seoul. She cancelled her Nov 9 gig in Jakarta, Indonesia, citing unsafe staging at the Indonesia Arena.
The tour – in support of her third studio album Radical Optimism, which was released in May – will resume in March in Melbourne, before eventually going to Europe and ending in North America. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
