Kaya contains eggs by the way. Saw your other comment on your friend being a vegan and possibly having issues buying non-vegan products. Not sure where he/she draws the line.
Yep I think they would be fine with buying me non-vegan stuff that are packaged
I think they would have issue with buying dried meat and going into a meat shop in particular I also asked them to buy me mayo that has eggs and they were fine with it.
The Glory brand kaya started to disappear from US shelves in 2021, then I found out they were going out of business. I bought 10 jars when I came back in 2022 and have been rationing it ever since.
Overseas buddies dig dig, yum yum “whaaaa what? This has eegggg in it? Wahapahathbbbppttt and never open the jar again.” Fools! Kaya good!
(Based on a true story)
If you want to try Singaporean dishes, get the Prima Taste packs. They come with idiot proof instructions. Found at most supermarkets. You can get satay, laksa, chicken rice, bak kut teh, Singapore curry etc.
There's this gift shop 'Onlewo' located along Joo Chiat that sells items such as scarves, notebooks, etc with designs inspired by Singapore heritage and culture.
Hey, check out Keffen tape patches. Haven’t seen them in other continents. My friends abroad appreciate them for arthritis etc. they’re like a fabric credit card sized bandaid that you stick over a bad muscle or joint. Can slap it whole for pain in back, or cut to size/shape for fingers/wrists etc.
It’s basically a similar med to ibuprofen (what’s in Advil), which is effective but bad for liver. Instead of swallowing a large dose like advil that hits your whole body, these patches have 1/8th the dose, it’s ketoprofen, delivered through skin and nearly untraceable in bloodstream — so no liver damage worries.
No idea why this isn’t available in every developed country on the planet.
Hi OP, I want to add on: can consider buying from Bengawan shop:
- Pandan chiffon cake
- kueh lapis
- Lapis Sagu (red& green, & layered-looking)
Personally I love these! But i'm not a fan of pineapple tarts haha, subjective tastes I guess
If you're able to, I recommend getting the curry sauce at McDonald's!
You're typically only able to get them when you buy chicken nuggets, so maybe order a pack and ask for lots of it 😅
If I'm not wrong, SG's Maccas curry sauce is exclusive to Singapore, so probably worth bringing back for friends who've never been!
OP - speaking of McDonald, u should try our signature McSpicy before leaving haha 😂
And in my experience, if u order any meal, just go to the counter to ask for curry sauce! It's not strictly exclusive to buying chicken nuggets. (Sometimes they might ask u to show ur receipt to prove that u ordered a meal )
!! Can we ask for more than one tub?? I know they used to be quite strict, so I only ever ask for one tub every meal and stock them up at home like a mad man for when they miss out on it during deliveries 😂
But I was thinking if OP wants to bring back a whole bunch for friends to try, it might be better to just order 20pcs chicken nuggets for the sauce, since they give idk 6 tubs?? (It's been a while since I ordered 20pcs nuggets HAHA I apologise for any misinformation)
Pro tip: jewel’s NTUC/ kiosks at b1/level 1&2 has lots of sauce packs/ sg edition trinkets!! Got toastbox travel set with kopi and kaya as well. Or even soya sauce
A convenient place for you to get everything you need.
Pandan leaves (it's very cheap and you get a Whole bunch)
- it's aromatic leaf can be placed in your cupboard for vanilla-like fragrance
- juice can be used to make A LOT of desserts, many Asian countries utilise
- one of the components to make kaya (along with coconut milk, eggs, sugar)
- can also be used to make thai pandan chicken
There might be an issue with carrying fruit on plane I've been told but I will tell them and they can figure out if it's allowed thanks for suggesting.
Your comment has been automatically removed because your account is relatively new or you have negative karma.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askSingapore) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lol let your friends travel and have fun. From this thread it sounds like you are sending them on a 5 day itinerary looking for things to buy back for you..
Bak Kwa.
(Something like beef jerky but much better)
Must tell staff there that you are bringing overseas so they can vacuum pack the properly to bring overseas.
Not sg made, but sg-loved... When travelling, i asked my angmoh counterparts if they ever heard of himalayan pink salt. Then i gave them some himalayan salt candy, citing how popular it was in SEA. Pretty much everybody liked it.
If your country allows import of fruit:
The tiny bananas.
Mangosteen!
Bakkwa
Pickled lettuce (some of my overseas who lived in SG crave this for some reason. And braised peanuts haha)
Ikan bilis if you dare :)
Pandan anything (pandan cake, cookies, baking essence)
Prima Taste laksa soup packs
Irvins salted egg fish skin
Oldtown white coffee classic 3 in 1 sachets
Bengawan Solo kueh lapis cake
Toastbox kaya bottles.
All these can be found at the supermarkets / shops at Jewel.
If looking for cheap souvenirs and keen to experience culture, can consider shopping at Mustafa.
Recently I saw some people buying merlion merchandise from a cart at Jewel. I think it’s some doll keychain with a sidekick merlion. There are other options for the sidekick like durian or gardens by the bay. I find merlion merch quite cute, like the Starbucks bear. There’s also the intricate gardens by the bay fridge magnet. If you are not into such touristy souvenirs, can also exploring joo chiat for peranakan souvenirs like Kebaya, bead shoes or just simple peranakan design coasters
OP, you can ask your friend to go to NTUC finest at Clark quay.
Lots of local souvenirs and soup/sauce packets for tourists!! Even as a local, I’m blown away by their selection!!
Kaya
Thanks for the suggestion looks good hope my friend can find it.
Kaya contains eggs by the way. Saw your other comment on your friend being a vegan and possibly having issues buying non-vegan products. Not sure where he/she draws the line.
Yep I think they would be fine with buying me non-vegan stuff that are packaged I think they would have issue with buying dried meat and going into a meat shop in particular I also asked them to buy me mayo that has eggs and they were fine with it.
Not every country can allow it through customs, as a foodstuff
The Glory brand kaya started to disappear from US shelves in 2021, then I found out they were going out of business. I bought 10 jars when I came back in 2022 and have been rationing it ever since.
Overseas buddies dig dig, yum yum “whaaaa what? This has eegggg in it? Wahapahathbbbppttt and never open the jar again.” Fools! Kaya good! (Based on a true story)
If you want to try Singaporean dishes, get the Prima Taste packs. They come with idiot proof instructions. Found at most supermarkets. You can get satay, laksa, chicken rice, bak kut teh, Singapore curry etc.
Thanks looked at pictures and looks good hope I get to try some.
Prima Laksa Noodles Packs! It's around 10 bucks and you can get it in Jewel NTUC supermarket before you leave.
One of my favorite meals and local food I bring as gifts when traveling! They made the soup perfecto
Yes that coconut broth. Not spicy enough to take away the richness. It's a cooked food as a souvenir! Love it.
There's this gift shop 'Onlewo' located along Joo Chiat that sells items such as scarves, notebooks, etc with designs inspired by Singapore heritage and culture.
Thanks for the suggestion I will tell them to look at the selection and see if I can find anything online.
Tangs has a section of that as well
For older Asian folks (like me) : medicinal oils and balms like Electric Medibalm, Kwan Loong and Rheumasalve.
Good suggestions thanks my mother might be interested in these.
Buy them at Mustafa Center. Have fun!
Hey, check out Keffen tape patches. Haven’t seen them in other continents. My friends abroad appreciate them for arthritis etc. they’re like a fabric credit card sized bandaid that you stick over a bad muscle or joint. Can slap it whole for pain in back, or cut to size/shape for fingers/wrists etc. It’s basically a similar med to ibuprofen (what’s in Advil), which is effective but bad for liver. Instead of swallowing a large dose like advil that hits your whole body, these patches have 1/8th the dose, it’s ketoprofen, delivered through skin and nearly untraceable in bloodstream — so no liver damage worries. No idea why this isn’t available in every developed country on the planet.
Buy pandan cake from Bengawan solo at the airport
pineapple tarts and various local snacks from Bengawan solo cake shop
Sounds tasty thanks.
Hi OP, I want to add on: can consider buying from Bengawan shop: - Pandan chiffon cake - kueh lapis - Lapis Sagu (red& green, & layered-looking) Personally I love these! But i'm not a fan of pineapple tarts haha, subjective tastes I guess
singapore themed board/card games
Sounds fun I will look if I can see anything fun online and tell them thanks.
Haha, have the ancient SG monopoly
Those mostly make sense for locals only though
If you're able to, I recommend getting the curry sauce at McDonald's! You're typically only able to get them when you buy chicken nuggets, so maybe order a pack and ask for lots of it 😅 If I'm not wrong, SG's Maccas curry sauce is exclusive to Singapore, so probably worth bringing back for friends who've never been!
OP - speaking of McDonald, u should try our signature McSpicy before leaving haha 😂 And in my experience, if u order any meal, just go to the counter to ask for curry sauce! It's not strictly exclusive to buying chicken nuggets. (Sometimes they might ask u to show ur receipt to prove that u ordered a meal )
They locked it down to nuggets only, tried to ask for it a couple weeks back but they flat-out refused to give them out.
Huh serious, I just tried it like 2 days ago again and the auntie happily gave me leh 💀 I never got rejected before
The Hougang One outlet said no, had a couple guys on the NS discord who also said the same thing.
!! Can we ask for more than one tub?? I know they used to be quite strict, so I only ever ask for one tub every meal and stock them up at home like a mad man for when they miss out on it during deliveries 😂 But I was thinking if OP wants to bring back a whole bunch for friends to try, it might be better to just order 20pcs chicken nuggets for the sauce, since they give idk 6 tubs?? (It's been a while since I ordered 20pcs nuggets HAHA I apologise for any misinformation)
💀💀 I didn't know they will give 6 tubs... I've never ordered 20 pcs before Curry sauce tubs in fridge > chilli sachets in fridge
Orchids made into jewelery (e.g., a brooch)
Can get at orchid gardens, after enjoying a beautiful tour.
Singapore army rations as gag gifts 😉
Rather than buy I <3 SG tees, go buy admin tee
I got myself a Merlion bottle opener. I recommend getting anything with a Merlion on it. Merlions 😎
I brought Irvin’s fish skin for my American colleagues and they surprisingly loved it!
Pro tip: jewel’s NTUC/ kiosks at b1/level 1&2 has lots of sauce packs/ sg edition trinkets!! Got toastbox travel set with kopi and kaya as well. Or even soya sauce A convenient place for you to get everything you need.
Pandan leaves (it's very cheap and you get a Whole bunch) - it's aromatic leaf can be placed in your cupboard for vanilla-like fragrance - juice can be used to make A LOT of desserts, many Asian countries utilise - one of the components to make kaya (along with coconut milk, eggs, sugar) - can also be used to make thai pandan chicken
You can’t usually bring leaves or plants into other countries. Airport security will throw it out
Can bring essence in bottle.
Thanks for the suggestion!
We brought back a bunch of Bak Kwa
Looks interesting thanks for the suggestion, my friend that is abroad is vegan though so might be an issue with buying them (I'm not vegan myself)
There’s some neat hell-related souvenirs you can buy at Haw Par Villa (which is in itself worth a visit)
Thanks I will suggest them that.
Bee cheng hiang Irvins Sauce packets from supermarket for chilli crab/ chicken rice
Thanks for the suggestion looks good hope my friend can find it.
Durian!
There might be an issue with carrying fruit on plane I've been told but I will tell them and they can figure out if it's allowed thanks for suggesting.
No problem! Suppose it's allowed, remember to request for vacuum seal packaging.
ready made curry pastes from supermarkets
That would be nice thanks for suggesting hope they can bring some.
There are no universal suggestions, the answers would be very different if you're from, say, Indonesia and Malaysia or from the UK.
[удалено]
Your comment has been automatically removed because your account is relatively new or you have negative karma. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askSingapore) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lol let your friends travel and have fun. From this thread it sounds like you are sending them on a 5 day itinerary looking for things to buy back for you..
Haha 3 suitcases later… “hey, op, can we tour a bit now??”
Bak Kwa. (Something like beef jerky but much better) Must tell staff there that you are bringing overseas so they can vacuum pack the properly to bring overseas.
Not sg made, but sg-loved... When travelling, i asked my angmoh counterparts if they ever heard of himalayan pink salt. Then i gave them some himalayan salt candy, citing how popular it was in SEA. Pretty much everybody liked it.
Wan wans!
A flight ticket
If your country allows import of fruit: The tiny bananas. Mangosteen! Bakkwa Pickled lettuce (some of my overseas who lived in SG crave this for some reason. And braised peanuts haha) Ikan bilis if you dare :) Pandan anything (pandan cake, cookies, baking essence)
Note only 5% comments actually thought to suggest something that isn’t edible 😂
Vacuumed pack bak kwa from bee cheng hiang.
Jewelry from Risis
Prima Taste laksa soup packs Irvins salted egg fish skin Oldtown white coffee classic 3 in 1 sachets Bengawan Solo kueh lapis cake Toastbox kaya bottles. All these can be found at the supermarkets / shops at Jewel. If looking for cheap souvenirs and keen to experience culture, can consider shopping at Mustafa.
Recently I saw some people buying merlion merchandise from a cart at Jewel. I think it’s some doll keychain with a sidekick merlion. There are other options for the sidekick like durian or gardens by the bay. I find merlion merch quite cute, like the Starbucks bear. There’s also the intricate gardens by the bay fridge magnet. If you are not into such touristy souvenirs, can also exploring joo chiat for peranakan souvenirs like Kebaya, bead shoes or just simple peranakan design coasters
Siingapore-themed Starbucks mugs?
Lots of ya kun kaya jam
singapore old school snacks - https://eatbook.sg/old-school-snack-stalls/
Darlie toothpaste. Found anywhere and really cheap. Uniqlo SG admin T. Cafe 21 mini coffee packs. No sugar
Tiger balm oil. The white n the red (for muscle aches)
OP, you can ask your friend to go to NTUC finest at Clark quay. Lots of local souvenirs and soup/sauce packets for tourists!! Even as a local, I’m blown away by their selection!!
Stress or debt.
Milo!
not sure where you’re from but milo is great if your country doesn’t have it!
We don't have it I will tell them to look for it hope to find it thanks for the suggestion.
Irvin's salted egg yolk snack, maybe
Toast box mug
Thanks for the suggestion!