Spotted: World leaders chowing down cheap eats in Singapore

Spotted: World leaders chowing down cheap eats in Singapore

When we travel, many of us eat as the locals do for an authentic experience - and politicians are no different. In fact, some of them, like former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has visited Singapore on numerous occasions, even have go-to haunts for their favourite food.

On Monday (Sep 9), Thaksin attracted quite a crowd when he stopped by Uncle Chieng’s mobile cart stationed outside Ngee Ann City for some ice cream. While there was no mention of what flavour he picked or if he had his ice cream with rainbow bread or wafer, the visit (his last was three years ago) sure made Uncle Chieng’s day, and he quickly uploaded their photo to his Facebook page.

Last December, Thaksin was also photographed digging into beef noodles and Phad Thai at Thaksin Beef Noodles at Seah Im Food Centre. And yes, you guessed it: the stall at HarbourFront was named after the former politician.

Thaksin isn’t the only foreign dignitary to check out humble eateries during their visit to the Little Red Dot. Read on to see where the VIPs have been spotted.

Photos: Facebook/Uncle Chieng, Ing Shinawatra

Justin Trudeau

Where: Adam Road Food Centre

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sure had a busy schedule when he was in Singapore for the ASEAN Summit last November. In between the many meetings, he found time to visit Fort Canning to pay his respects to his great-great-great-great grandmother - turns out she’s the daughter of William Farquhar, the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore – and was also seen making a juice run at Adam Road Food Centre one early morning.

Needless to say the charismatic leader caused quite a stir at the hawker centre when he turned up to grab some lime juice and selfies with locals.

Photo: Instagram/@icecreammilktea ​​​​​​​

Joko Widodo

Where: Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut

For a taste of home, Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who was also in town for the ASEAN Summit, made a stop at fried duck joint Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut at Lucky Plaza for lunch and even invited some passers-by to join him.

Photos: Twitter/Jokowi, Kantor Staf Presiden

Aung San Suu Kyi

Where: Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre

Ghim Moh Market is one of the most popular hawker centres in Singapore so it’s no surprise that Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan chose to buy Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi breakfast there in 2016. On the menu were laksa, carrot cake (black and white), chwee kueh, tau huay, and putu mayam – all favourites there. But where’s the famous Guan Kee char kway teow?

Photo: TODAY

Rodrigo Duterte

Where: The Coconut Club

Instead of taking Rodrigo Duterte to one of the high SES restaurants, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hosted the Philippine President to a nasi lemak lunch at The Coconut Club at the hipster enclave of Ann Siang Hill in 2016. And because no meal is complete without dessert, they finished off with some chendol, also a favourite at the eatery, and fruit in the form of D13 and Mao Shan Wang durians. With so much to eat, it’s no wonder Mr Duterte needs his power naps.

Photo: Facebook/Lee Hsien Loong, The Coconut Club

Joe Biden

Where: Adam Road Food Centre

Did Mr Trudeau exchange notes with former US Vice President Joe Biden before his trip? Mr Biden also swung by Adam Road Food Centre for some lime juice from drinks stall Taj Mahal when he visited in 2013.

Photo: AFP

Narendra Modi

Where: Komala Villa

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Singapore in 2015, PM Lee and Mr Modi shared a hearty supper at no-frills vegetarian restaurant Komala Vilas at Little India, where they enjoyed thosai, idli (rices cakes) and vadai (fritters), and later checked out the Deepavali light-up.

Photo: Twitter/Narendra Modi

Najib Razak

Where: My Briyani House

Indian food was also the order of the day during one of former Malaysian PM Najib Razak's state visits to Singapore in 2014. PM Lee hosted Mr Najib to a simple meal at My Briyani House, where they tucked into the restaurant’s signature dishes chicken briyani and fish head curry. Wonder who had the privilege of eating the fish eyeballs?

Sultan of Brunei

Where: Adam Road Food Centre

Selera Rasa may be a humble stall in Adam Road Food Centre but its fragrant nasi lemak is fit for a king. A fan of the dish for almost two decades, the Sultan of Brunei reportedly dabaos it (by the dozen packs!) whenever he’s in town

Photo: Shaowei Ho via burpple

Bonus: PM Lee

Where: Redhill Food Centre

PM Lee is a huge fan of Redhill Food Centre, where he has been spotted on several occasions, and was even photographed waiting patiently in line for 30 minutes for fried chicken wings from the popular stall Yan. Though the stall has since relocated to West Coast Market Square and renamed Yon Yan, the queues are just as long. No sighting of PM Lee here yet though.

Photo: Zhihui Lim via burpple