Sarawak Food in Singapore: 8 Dishes and Where to Eat Them (2026)
15 October 2026 · By the Eventful team
For a sit-down Sarawak meal in Singapore, go to KANTIN on level 5 of Jewel Changi Airport, open 11am to 10pm daily. The eight dishes to know: Sarawak laksa ($24), pansuh chicken cooked in bamboo ($32), ikan balut ($16), umai jellyfish ($12), kampung tempoyak ($10), belacan paku ($15), gula apong satay ($14) and rainforest fried rice ($20). Booking is free.
Sarawak sits on Borneo, and its cooking uses what grows there. Gula apong is palm sugar from the nipah palm. Paku is wild fern. Tempoyak is fermented durian. Chicken gets cooked inside a bamboo tube over a fire.
Most people here know Sarawak food as a plate of kolo mee. That is not what this list is. These are the dishes on the menu at KANTIN at Jewel, which calls itself the only Bornean restaurant in Singapore. If laksa is why you came, we wrote a whole piece on how Sarawak laksa differs from the one you grew up with.
2. Headhunter Pansuh Set, $32. Chicken and wild vegetables cooked in bamboo over a fire. The most Sarawak thing on the menu.
3. Ikan balut, $16. Fish wrapped in leaves and grilled, from the smokehouse section.
4. Umai jellyfish, $12. Umai is Sarawak's cured seafood salad. Here it is made with jellyfish, so expect crunch.
5. Kampung tempoyak, $10. Built on fermented durian. Order it if someone at the table claims to eat everything.
6. Belacan paku, $15. Fern tips fried with shrimp paste. Your vegetable for the night.
7. Gula apong chicken satay, $14 for 3. Satay glazed in nipah palm sugar, smoky and sweet.
8. Rainforest fried rice, $20. Fried with tapioca leaves and torch ginger flowers, two very Borneo ingredients.Photo: KANTIN
Where to eat it sit-down in Singapore
KANTIN is at #05-206/207 Jewel Changi Airport, open 11am to 10pm every day, last seating 9:30pm. Jewel is on the public side of the airport, so you do not need a flight. Take the MRT to Changi Airport station and walk over the link bridge from Terminal 2 or 3.
You can book a table free on Eventful Tables for up to 8 people. There is no discount at KANTIN, so you pay menu price whatever time you pick. The room is built like a longhouse, with thatched umbrellas under the Jewel canopy and a carved mask over the charcoal.Photo: KANTIN
What to order for 2 vs 4
For two: Sarawak laksa, the pansuh set, satay and belacan paku. That is $85 at menu prices before drinks, and you have covered soup, smoke, bamboo and fern.
For four: get the $168 Headhunter Feast Platter, then add a laksa and the umai jellyfish. That is $204 before drinks.
For drinks, the Sarawak Teh C Special ($10) is the safe pick. If you want the real Borneo move, KANTIN also pours tuak, Sarawak rice wine.
Good to know
· Order the pansuh set even if you skip everything else. It is the dish you will struggle to find anywhere else in Singapore.
· Ask for the tempoyak in the middle of the table, not in front of one person. Fermented durian divides rooms.
· There is no kolo mee on KANTIN's menu. If you want dry noodles, the Superdry Laksa ($20) is their dry version.
· KANTIN is not halal. For a halal group, look at Epicurean Fusion in Kampong Glam or Family Hakata in AMK instead.
FAQs
Is there a Sarawak restaurant in Singapore?
Yes. KANTIN at #05-206/207 Jewel Changi Airport serves Sarawakian food and calls itself the only Bornean restaurant in Singapore. It is open 11am to 10pm daily and you can book free on Eventful Tables.
Is KANTIN halal?
No. KANTIN is not a halal kitchen and is not halal certified. It also serves beer, cocktails and Sarawak rice wine.
Does KANTIN have kolo mee?
No, kolo mee is not on KANTIN's menu. The closest thing is the Superdry Laksa at $20, a dry version of Sarawak laksa.
What is pansuh?
Pansuh is a Sarawak way of cooking meat inside a bamboo tube over a fire. At KANTIN the Headhunter Pansuh Set is chicken and wild vegetables cooked this way, for $32.
What is gula apong?
Gula apong is palm sugar from the nipah palm, common in Sarawak cooking. KANTIN uses it to glaze its chicken satay, $14 for three sticks.
