BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
Colonial District
●Tiffin Room – 1 Beach Road (at Raffles Hotel); 011-65-6337-1886; raffles.com; high tea.
Chinatown
●Shots – 8 Ann Siang Road (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6224-8502; shots.com.sg; espresso bar and café, run by photographer who displays works by his contemporaries on walls.
●Tong Ah Eating House – 36 Keong Saik Road (Bukit Pasoh Extension Shop Houses); 011-65-6223-5083; facebook.com/pages/Tong-Ah-Eating-House/104880472914605; open-air kopitiam in triangular building; founded in 1939.
Duxton Hill
●Pigeonhole – 52-53 Duxton Road; 011-65-6226-2880; thepigeonhole.com.sg; for coffee or even imported cider; café and event space.
Far East Square
●Ya Kun – 18 China Street; 011-65-6438-3638; yakun.com; original store of what is now international coffeeshop chain.
Great World City
●Toast Box – 1 Kim Seng Promenade (Stall #01-52); 011-65-6836-0913; breadtalk.com; chain throughout city; try kaya (sweet coconut-egg jam).
Kampong Glam
●Café Fables – 55-57 Haji Lane (2nd floor); 011-65-6298-0838; athousandtales.com; above vintage shop (Thousand Tales); cocktails and/or coffee; charming.
●Pluck – 31/33 Haji Lane; 011-65-6396-4048; pluck.com.sg; half store and half ice-cream parlor.
Katong
●Chin Mee Chin Confectionary – 204 East Coast Road; 011-65-6345-0419; famous kopitiam (coffeeshop); old-fashioned; makes own kaya (coconut-egg custard).
Lavender District
●Heng Seng Leong Kopitiam – 10 North Bridge Road; 011-65-6292-2368; old-fashioned coffee shop; ask for kopi (coffee with sugar and condensed milk) or kopi peng (same on ice).
Marine Parade
●Chin Mee Chin Confectionary – 204 East Coast Road; 011-65-6345-0419; facebook.com/pages/Chin-Mee-Chin-Confectionery/164620966892008; old-school kaya toast destination with nostalgic atmosphere and local comfort food; Kaya Bun sets apart Chin Mee Chin’s kaya (eggy, coconut jam) toast; serves sliced-into-half buns, spread with thick layer kaya & topped with salty butter; since 1960s things haven’t changed much: tiled floor, marble-top tables, ceiling fans & steel cabinets displaying baked goods.
Somerset
●Killiney Kopitiam – 67 Killiney Kopitiam; 011-65-6734-9648; killiney-kopitiam.com; original store of what is now international coffeeshop chain; opened in 1919; more extensive breakfast menu than usual kopitiam.
Tiong Bahru
●Drips Bakery – 82 Tiong Poh Road (Stall #01-05); 011-65-6222-0400; drips.com.sg.
●Hua Bee Restaurant – Block 78 Moh Guan Terrance (Stall #01-19); 011-65-6754-6386; legendary kopitiam.
●Liang Liang Garden – 30 Seng Poh Road (Stall #02-75 at Tiong Bahru Market); shaved ice with fruit and vegetables; try Milo Dinosaur (shaved ice in ground peanuts & powdered chocolate, with red beans, pandan jellies & sweet corn).
BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
CBD
●Tippling Club – 38 Tanjong Pagar Road; 011-65-6475-2217; tipplingclub.com; modern, cozy setting.
Chinatown
●Le Carillon de l’Angelus – 41 Robertson Quay (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6738-7429; winebar with great cheese plates.
●Nutmeg & Clove – 17 Ann Siang Road; 011-65-6423-9885; facebook.com/nutmegandclove; try Simha Swizzle (vodka, yuzu marmalade, cardamom bitters, and citrus).
●Ying Yang – 28 Ann Siang Road (at Club Hotel); 011-65-6808-2188; theclub.com.sg; black-and-white rooftop bar; try Litchi Martini.
Dempsey Hill
●Oosh Bar & Lounge – 22 Dempsey Road; 011-65-6475-0002; oosh.com.sg; on 100K' sq lush green property; “nature enclave” bar; live musicians at main bar; Balinese garden; excellent cocktails and décor.
●White Rabbit – 39C Harding Road; 011-65-6473-9965; thewhiterabbit.com.sg; charmingly restored chapel with stained-glass windows; garden bar outside with topiary sculpture; well-heeled young crowd.
Duxton Hill
●Buyan – 9-10 Duxton Hill; 011-65-6223-7008; buyan.sg; Russian restaurant with bar.
Kampong Glam
●Bar Stories – 57A Haji Lane (2nd floor); 011-65-6298-0838; athousandtales.com; above vintage shop (Thousand Tales); cocktails and/or coffee.
Marina Bay
●SkyPark – 10 Bayfront Avenue; 011-65-6688-8868; marinabaysands.com; tremendous rooftop bar with outdoor seating and views over city.
Marine Parade
●Immigrants – 467 Joo Chiat Road; 011-65-8511-7322; immigrants-gastrobar.com; gastrobar; rock music blares as servers mix drinks behind bar built with construction-site-style corrugated zinc sheeting; setting Singaporeans describe as lepak (Malay for relaxed).
Mount Emily
●Wild Oats – 11 Upper Wilkie Road; 011-65-6336-5413; wildrocket.com.sg; lower-key experience with hidden-away location (in residential maze); elegant, sprawling colonial mansion with tranquil terrace; ambitious bar food menu.
Orchard Road
●Manhattan Bar at Regent Singapore – 1 Cuscaden Road (at Regent Hotel); 011-65-6725-3377; regenthotels.com; Gatsby-esque, glamorous hotel bar; try New York Sour.
●Sky Bar – 2 Orchard Turn, Level 55-56 (at ION Orchard Hotel); 011-65-6592-5118; saltgrill.com; stunning views with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Sentosa
●Shack – 120 Tanjong Beach Walk; 011-65-6278-9934; theshack.com.sg; breezy, unpretentious beach hangout; in old shipping container with recycled beer barrels for tables.
Somerset (next to Orchard Road shopping district)
●KPO – 1 Killiney Road; 011-65-6733-3648; imaginings.com.sg; bar and lounge (sharing space with post office); 2nd floor open at night with outdoor balcony.
Tiong Bahru
●Social Haus – 11 Yong Siak Street; 011-65-6557-0286; facebook.com/SocialHaus.Sg; airy bar that serves beer, chips, fish, and sliders.
HOTELS
Airport
●Crowne Plaza – Changi Airport (Terminal 3), 75 Airport Boulevard; 011-65-6823-5300 or 877-227-6963; ichotelsgroup.com; newly constructed; very affordable.
Center
●Hotel Fort Canning – 11 Canning Walk; 011-65-6559-6769; hfcsingapore.com; 86-room colonial building on 44 acres; 2 swimming pools; spa; restaurants; 1st choice hotel in Singapore.
●Fullerton Hotel Singapore – 1 Fullerton Square; 011-65-6733-8388; fullertonhotel.com; landmark on Singapore River, with 20' Doric columns; home to former colonial administration; Anderson Bridge views.
●Klapsons Boutique Hotel – 15 Hoe Chiang Road; 011-65-6521-9000; klapsons.com; 5-star luxury, contemporary design; each guestroom individualized; opulent pampering ranging from Egyptian cotton sheets and goose down bedding, to Nespresso machine and Wi-Fi.
Chinatown
●Club Hotel – 28 Ann Siang Road; 011-65-6808-2188; theclub.com.sg; 22-room luxury boutique hotel in fashionable district; stately 1900s heritage building; stylish antique and contemporary minimalism blended with oriental highlights.
●Scarlet – 33 Erskine Road; 011-65-6511-3333; thescarlethotel.com; expensive, small rooms in boutique hotel.
Colonial District
●Raffles – 1 Beach Road; 011-65-6337-1886; raffles.com; 1887 neo-Renaissance edifice set among sprawling gardens; Noel Coward and Rudyard Kipling stayed here.
Kampong Glam
●Sultan Hotel – 101 Jalan Sultan; 011-65-6723-7101; thesultan.com.sg; 64 rooms in 10 buildings linked together in historic area; Arabic-ish in design; breakfast included; might be 1st-choice.
Little India
●Wanderlust Hotel – 2 Dickson Road; 011-65-6396-3322; wanderlusthotel.com; 29-room, 4-floor boutique; every room unique; iconic design alongside whimsical eclectic art installations.
Marina Bay
●Conrad Centennial – 2 Temasek Boulevard; 011-65-6334-8888; conradhotels1.hotel.com; 31-story business hotel.
●Fullerton Bay Hotel – 80 Collyer Quay; 011-65-6222-8088; fullertonbayhotel.com.
●Oriental – 6 Raffles Boulevard; 011-65-6338-0066; mandarinoriental.com; tremendous views through floor-to-ceiling windows.
●Marina Bay Sands Hotel – 10 Bayfront Avenue; 011-65-6688-8868; marinabaysands.com; 3 55-story towers; 50 restaurants; huge casino; most innovative feature is 3-acre Sands SkyPark (cantilevered platform with observation deck, restaurant, and 490' infinity pool that connects 3 towers’ tops).
●Pan Pacific – 7 Raffles Boulevard (Marina Square); 011-65-6336-8111; panpacific.com.
●Ritz-Carlton Millenia – 7 Raffles Avenue; 011-65-6337-8888; ritzcarlton.com; 4.2K piece art collection (including works by Chihuly and Hockney); fantastic skyline views; exceptionally large rooms; lotus garden.
Orchard Road
●Four Seasons – 190 Orchard Boulevard; 011-65-6734-1110; or 800-819-5053; fourseasons.com; modern exterior contrasts with traditional interiors.
●Regent Hotel Singapore – 1 Cuscaden Road; 011-65-6733-8888; regenthotels.com/EN/Singapore; within walking distance to many top attractions, yet tucked away in quiet neighborhood; luxury hotel.
●Shangri-La – 22 Orange Grove Road; 011-65-6737-3644; shangri-la.com; 3-wing spread near Orchard Road with 200 koi fish in ponds; pretty but oddly eclectic architecture.
Sentosa Island
●Capella Singapore – 1 Knolls; 011-65-6377-8888; capellahotels.com/singapore; vertiginously-designed; on 30 rolling acres.
RESTAURANTS
Bedok
●Leng Heng BBQ & Claypot Deluxe – 1220 East Coast Parkway (at East Coast Lagoon Food Village); 011-65-6445-0513; run by energetic “auntie”; black pepper crabs will clear sinuses; claypot duck with salted vegetable soup is among best on island.
Botanic Gardens
●Au Jardin Les Amis – 1 Cluny Road (EJH Corner House); 011-65-6466-8812; lesamis.com.sg.
Bukit Merah
●Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha – 27 Outram Park, HDB Outram 1-521; 011-65-6222-9610; famed for pungent bak kut teh (pork-rib soup).
Bukit Timah
●Violet Oon’s Kitchen – 881 Bukit Timah Road; 011-65-6468-5430; facebook.com/VioletOonsKitchen; restaurant run by Singapore’s cuisine grand dame and her children.
CBD
●Tippling Club – 38 Tanjong Pagar Road; 011-65-6475-2217; tipplingclub.com; modern, cozy setting; modern, Matrix-like menu; tasting.
Chinatown
●Blue Ginger – 97 Tanjong Pagar Road; 011-65-6222-3928; theblueginger.com; Peranakan cooking; modern and traditional mix beautifully; paintings by local artists; try appetizer kueh pie tee (bite-size “top hats” filled with turnip, egg, and prawn with sweet chili sauce); for entree, try either ayam panggang “Blue Ginger” (grilled chicken dark meat with mild coconut-milk sauce) or ayam buah keluak (traditional chicken dish made with hard black Indonesian nut with sweetmeat inside); for dessert, durian chendol (red beans and pandan jelly in coconut milk with durian purée).
●Burnt Ends – 20 Teck Lim Road; 011-65-6224-3933; burntends.com.sg; for swanky barbecue.
●Dim Joy – 80 Neil Road; 011-65-6220-6986; dimjoy.com; handmade dumpling plates; leave room for sweet custard buns; this is must visit restaurant.
●Lolla – 22 Ann Siang Road; 011-65-6423-1228; lolla.com.sg; inspired yet simple, small-plates combining fine ingredients & seasonal produce with Mediterranean influences.
●Restaurant Andre – 41 Bukit Pasoh Road; 011-65-6534-8880; restaurantandre.com; affordable French food; 8-course, seasonal tasting menu; very expensive.
●Shots – 8 Ann Siang Road (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6224-8502; shots.com.sg; espresso bar and café, run by photographer who displays works by his contemporaries on walls.
●Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice – 1 Kadayanallur Street (Stall #01-10 at Maxwell Food Centre); 011-65-9691-4852; Tian Tian became arguably most famous Hainanese chicken rice stall in world after Anthony Bourdain ate there; ridiculously long lines; order chicken rice with chicken thigh.
●Tong Ah Eating House – 36 Keong Saik Road (Bukit Pasoh Extension Shop Houses); 011-65-6223-5083; facebook.com/pages/Tong-Ah-Eating-House/104880472914605; open-air kopitiam in triangular building; founded in 1939; try braised tofu with minced pork, claypot-cooked chicken in ginger garlic, oyster omelet, and/or tender beef with noodles.
Clarke Quay
●Kith Café – 7 Rodyk Street (Robertson Quay, nos. 1-33); 011-65-6341-9407; kith.com.sg; where neighborhood families and fashionable couples breakfast.
Colonial District
●Empire Cafe – 1 Beach Road; 011-65-6412-1816; raffles.com.
●Restaurant FiftyThree – 53 Armenian Street; 011-65-6334-5535; fiftythree.com.sg; local cooking with “molecular” twist; in charming, 2-story colonial-style wooden row building; very expensive and experimental.
Dempsey Hill
●Long Beach Seafood – 25 Dempsey Road; 011-65-6323-222; longbeachseafood.com.sg; tables crammed together in big indoor pavilion, complete with festive lights; among best places for fresh seafood: garoupa (grouper), sea bass, marble goby, kingfish, prawns, crab, and crayfish; house specialty is pepper crab, chopped and smothered in thick black pepper and soy sauce; make sure to order buns so you can sop up sauce.
Duxton Hill
●Buyan – 9-10 Duxton Hill; 011-65-6223-7008; buyan.sg; Russian food served in ornate rooms.
●Wok & Barrel – 13 Duxton Hill; 011-65-6220-0595; thewokandbarrel.com; creative Singaporean food; try nasi lemak.
East Coast
●Long Beach Seafood – 1018 East Coast Parkway; 011-65-6445-8833; longbeachseafood.com.sg; tables crammed together in big indoor pavilion, complete with festive lights; among best places for fresh seafood: garoupa (grouper), sea bass, marble goby, kingfish, prawns, crab, and crayfish; house specialty is pepper crab, chopped and deliciously smothered in thick black pepper and soy sauce; make sure to order buns so you can sop up sauce.
Geylang
●Char Restaurant – 393 Guillemard Road; 011-65-6842-7759; char.com.sg; 2 brothers quietly trying to revolutionize Chinese-style roast meat scene.
Holland Village
●Big D’s Grill – 46 Holland Drive, 01-359; 011-65-9662-7040; former coffee shop in small hawker center’s middle; simple plastic tables and fluorescent lighting; European and Peranakan food; try loh kai yik (braised chicken stew in fermented soy bean sauce), sambal buah keluak (Peranakan dish made with minced pork and ground buah keluak, Indonesian nut called Asia’s truffle).
Junction 8
●Din Tai Fung – 9 Bishan Place 01-41 Junction 8 Shopping; 011-65-6356-5228; dintaifungusa.com; excellent café chain that elevates street food into something elegant; try xiaolong bao (soup dumplings).
Kampong Glam
●Altazzag Egyptian Restaurant – 24 Haji Lane; 011-65-6295-5024.
●Café Le Caire – 39 Arab Street; 011-65-6292-0979; cafelecaire.com; Middle Eastern café with hookahs.
●MoSi Cafe – 32 Haji Lane; 011-65-6296 8420; yum.sg; Moroccan and Singporean food.
●No Signboard Seafood – 414 Geyland Road; 011-65-6842-3415; nosignboardseafood.com.
●Sin Huat – 659 Geylang Road; 011-65-6744-9755; what’s special about this place certainly isn’t decor (standard coffee-shop plastic) or service (waiting times sometimes stretch to hours and chef infamous for temper (cynically mimics orders upon occasion)); food is draw; wildly popular Sri Lankan crab bee hoon (prepared 1 dish at time), Chinese “escargot” accompanied by addictive chilli dip, and meaty prawns steamed with garlic and chilli; bring chilled Sancerre.
Kampong Java
●Sabar Menanti – 747 North Bridge Road; 011-65-6298-1389; sabarmenanti.com.sg; name means “wait patiently”; Malaysian; try beef rendang.
Kranji
●Poison Ivy Bistro – 100 Neo Tiew Road (in Bollywood Veggies); 011-65-6898-5001; hungrygowhere.com/singapore/poison_ivy; food made from using veggies from onsite farm; nothing to write home about, but rural location makes it special & is convenient stop if doing Kranji Heritage Trail.
Little India
●Komala Vilas – 76-78 Serangoon Road; 011-65-293-6980; famous with Singaporeans; no ambience (pure fast food); vegetarian dishes in southern Indian style; try dosai (huge, thin pancake used to scoop up curries and gravies).
●Morsels – 35 Mayo Street; 011-65-6396-6302; morsels.com.sg; farmhouse chic interiors; try steamed clams in fig broth with kimchi and smoked lamb ribs.
●Muthu’s – 138 Race Course Road; 011-65-6392-1722; local institution; most famous dish is fish head curry (cheek meat is best part); also try crab masala, chicken biryani, and mutton curry.
●Yakader – 665 Buffalo Road (junction of Bukit Timah, Sungei & Serangoon Roads (Stall #01-259 at Tekka Centre); mygola.com/singapore/restaurant/yakader-muslim-food-at-tekka-it4368; halal Asian-Muslim food; try biryani & fried chicken on banana leaf.
Marina Bay
●Singapore Food Trail – 30 Raffles Avenue; 011-65-; singaporefoodtrail.com.sg or facebook.com/singaporefoodtrail?sk=info; not restaurant but “1960s-themed food street”; hawker stalls which, although corporate managed, have authentic, good food; good place to sample various foods; look for bak kut teh soup (meaty pork ribs simmered in complex herb and spice broth), chicken rice, rojak (bean sprout, pineapple, and turnip salad with brown, sweet prawn paste sauce), fried oyster omelets with popiah (springroll made with crepe-like skin), and hokkien noodles.
●Rasapura Masters – 10 Bayfront Avenue (at Marina Bay Sands Hotel); 011-65-6688-8868; marinabaysands.com; sprawling, upscale foodcourt that seats 960; try Lau Di Fang’s “scissors-cut curry rice,” Ng Ah Sio’s bak kut teh soup, and Yong Tau Foo’s Singapore-style tofu.
●Sky on 57 – 10 Bayfront Avenue (at Marina Bay Sands Hotel); 011-65-6688-8868; marinabaysands.com; Chef Justin Quek considered celebrity; Asian-French fusion.
Marine Parade
●Chin Mee Chin Confectionary – 204 East Coast Road; 011-65-6345-0419; facebook.com/pages/Chin-Mee-Chin-Confectionery/164620966892008; old-school kaya toast destination with nostalgic atmosphere and local comfort food; Kaya Bun sets apart Chin Mee Chin’s kaya (eggy, coconut jam) toast; serves sliced-into-half buns, spread with thick layer kaya & topped with salty butter; since 1960s things haven’t changed much: tiled floor, marble-top tables, ceiling fans & steel cabinets displaying baked goods.
●Immigrants – 467 Joo Chiat Road; 011-65-8511-7322; immigrants-gastrobar.com; gastrobar; menu includes heritage food like seh bak (hearty stew of pig’s ears, heart, intestines, and stomach braised hours in spices and soy sauce), Eurasian-style bagadale (cutlet made with minced crackers, pork, potatoes, and spices), singgang (Eurasian mash of soft wolf herring cooked with 7 spices and coconut milk, served with chilled cucumber sticks for swiping it up), sambal buah keluak (Straits Chinese dish featuring pork, paired with pungent black Southeast Asian nut filling), and ayam kalasan (Malay-style chicken marinated in coconut and various spices and then deep-fried); served in tapas-size portions on sort of cheap enamel dishware that hawkers and housewives once commonly used; blanched and chilled fresh cockles are served with complex, fiery chile sauce that will have you reaching for cold chaser.
Mount Emily
●Wild Oats – 11 Upper Wilkie Road; 011-65-6336-5413; wildrocket.com.sg.
●Wild Rocket – 10A Upper Wilkie Road (at Hangout Hotel); 011-65-6339-9448; wildrocket.com.sg; contemporary gourmet take on Singaporean and Western cuisine; try roast Chilean sea bass masak merah (spicy-sweet Malaysian tomato-based paste typically served with chicken) with kaffir leaves or crab-meat linguine in chili tomato cream.
Novena
●Cafe de Hong Kong – 586 Balestier Road; 011-65-6255-3865; cafedehongkong.com; try deep-fried, salted egg yolk prawns; serves among best French Toasts in Singapore, as well authentic Hong Kong style cuisine requiring hours of preparation.
Orchard Road
●Les Amis – 1 Scotts Road (02-16 Shaw Centre); 011-65-6733-2225; lesamis.com.sg; grande dame; mingle with Singaporean celebrities and tycoons at island’s finest French restaurant; standouts are langoustines with Iranian caviar cream and roasted suckling pig with truffles; enter from street on Claymore Hill.
●Din Tai Fung – Paragon b1-03/06, 290 Orchard Road); 011-65-6836-8336; dintaifungusa.com; excellent café chain that elevates street food into something elegant; try xiaolong bao (soup dumplings).
●Din Tai Fung – 435 Orchard Road (Stall #02-48/53 at Wisma Atria); 011-65-6732-1383; dintaifungusa.com; excellent café chain that elevates street food into something elegant; try xiaolong bao (soup dumplings).
●Iggy’s – 581 Orchard Road (at Hilton Hotel); 011-65-6732-2234; iggys.com.sg.
●Mandarin Court – 333 Orchard Road (at Meritus Mandarin Oriental); 011-65-6831-6288; meritushotels.com.
●Salt Grill – 2 Orchard Turn, Level 55-56 (at ION Orchard Hotel); 011-65-6592-5118; saltgrill.com; stunning views with floor-to-ceiling windows; try rabbit confit, kingfish sashimi, and/or Petuna ocean trout in tarragon potato salad; strawberry soufflé for dessert is must.
Rochester Park
●Min Jiang – 5 Rochester Park, North Buona Vista Road (One North, at Goodwood Park Hotel); 011-65-6774-0122; goodwoodparthotel.com; try smoked duck.
Sentosa Island
●Cassia – 1 Knolls (at Capella Singapore); 011-65-6591-5045; capellahotels.com/singapore; Chinese-fusion.
Somerset
●Five & Dime – 297 River Valley Road; 011-65-9236-5002; fiveanddime.com.sg; honest & simple comfort food, kick-ass cocktails & good coffee.
Tampines
●Din Tai Fung – 4 Tampines Central 5 (Stall #02-0/131 at Tampines Mall); 011-65-6787-0998; dintaifungusa.com; excellent café chain that elevates street food into something elegant; try xiaolong bao (soup dumplings).
Tiong Bahru
●Open Door Policy – 19 Yong Siak Street; 011-65-6221-9307; odpsingapore.com; new bistro in otherwise semi-rundown area; steak tartare with truffle mayonnaise, peach bellinis, and affogatos.
●178 Lor Mee – 30 Seng Poh Road #02-58 (Stall #02-80 at Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre); famous for chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes with preserved radish) and lor mee (dark sauce noodles); also, must try shark fritters.
●Orange Thimble – Block 56, Eng Hoon Street, Stall #01-68; 011-65-9750-3989; theorangethimble.com; art-themed, modern cafe.
●Sin Lee Foods – 4 Jln Bukit Ho Swee (Stall #01-164); 011-65-6377-3170; facebook.com/sinleefoods; atop hill facing greenery & occasional passing traffic; airy, modern cafe managed by chefs trained in top New York & French kitchens; try salted-egg sweet potato fries with crispy curry leaves.
●Social Haus – 11 Yong Siak Street; 011-65-6557-0286; airy bar that serves beer, chips, fish, and sliders.
Vivo City
●Toast Box – Harbour Front Walk; 011-65-6272-4434; breadtalk.com; chain throughout city; try (kaya) sweet coconut-egg jam.
SERVICES
Clarke Quay
●Vanguard – 7 Rodyk Street (Robertson Quay, nos. 1-30); 011-65-6835-7228; vanguard-designs.com; bicycle rentals; just remember, cannot ride bikes through tunnels.
Kampong Glam
●Sanctum – 11 Haji Lane; 011-65-6299-0170; sanctumsg.com; yoga classes, tarot reading, and shiatsu massages.
SHOPPING
Bukit Merah
●Ikkan Art International – 39 Keppel Road, 1-5; 011-65-9088-7056; ikkan-art.com; art.
●Light Editions – 39 Keppel Road, 2-2B; 011-65-6223-1102; lighteditions.com.sg; regional photography; by appointment.
●Valentine Willie Fine Art – 39 Keppel Road, 2-4 (Tanjong Pagar Distripark); 011-65-8133-4760; vwfa.net.
Chinatown
●Asylum Shop – 22 Ann Siang Road (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6324-8264; theasylum.com.sg; cutting edge European designer labels.
●Maxwell Road Food Centre – 1 Kadayanallur Street (Maxwell at Neil Roads); expatliving.sg/Wine_and_dine/restaurants/Maxwell-Food-Centre-Your-guide-to-Singapores-iconic-hawker-centre-in-Chinatown-34233.ece; 250+ vendors; try Hokee (No. 79 – soup dumplings) and Tian Tian (#11, for chicken rice); meals to hunt out include char kway teow (lard-fried noodles laced with eggs, Chinese sausage, shrimp, cockles, and bean sprouts, and/or Hainanese Chicken Rice (boiled chicken with oily rice and spicy sauces).
●Patissier – 4 Mohamed Sultan Road (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6737-3369; thepatissier.com; take-away bakery housed in historic shophouse fronted by floral tiles; try pavlova-inspired passion fruit meringue.
●Style: Nordic – 39 Ann Siang Road (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6423-9114; stylenordic.com; Scandinavian design boutique.
●Woods in Books – 55 Club Street (Ann Siang Hill); 011-65-6222-9980; woodsinthebooks.sg; whimsical children’s bookstore.
Duxton Hill
●Littered With Books – 20 Duxton Road; 011-65-6220-6824; 2-story, independent bookshop.
Kampong Glam
●Blackmarket – 19 Jalan Pisang; 011-65-6296-8512; theblackmarket.sg; in century-old shophouse; exposed brick walls, dangling telephones, and Orangina bottle chandelier; designer store selling approximately 30 Singapore labels.
●Blog Shop – 25 Haji Lane; 011-65-6396-6170; theblogshop.sg; rock star fashion items.
●Dulcetfig – 41 Haji Lane; 011-65-6396-5648; dulcetfig.com; vintage clothing.
●Haji by Paper People – 49 Haji Lane; 011-65-9169-0351; paperpeople-shop.com; paper goods.
●Know it Nothing – 51 Haji Lane; 011-65-6392-5475; knowitnothing.com; trendy shop that features both tiny gallery and men’s wear.
●Pluck – 31/33 Haji Lane; 011-65-6396-4048; pluck.com.sg; half store; half ice-cream parlor.
●Salad Shop – 25 Haji Lane; 011-65-6299-5805; thesaladshop.com.sg; chic basics like stylish summer dresses, many quite affordable.
●Strangelets – 87 Amoy Street; 011-65-6222-1456; strangelets.sg; whimsical, hand-crafted goods.
●Thousand Tales – 55 Haji Lane; 011-65-6298-0838; athousandtales.com; vintage furniture.
●White Room – 37 Haji Lane; 011-65-6297-1280; atwhiteroom.com; clothing.
Newton
●Newton Food Centre – 500 Clemenceau Avenue North; yoursingapore.com; also known as Newton Circus; great place for street foods; try barbecued skate wing.
Orchard
●Bird & Co. – 8 Grange Road (Cineleisure); 011-65-6733-1170; booksactually.com; bric-a-brac and paper goods.
●Blackmarket – 181 Orchard Road; 011-65-6634-5201; theblackmarket.sg; designer store selling approximately 30 Singapore labels.
●Hansel Shop – 333 Orchard Road (02-14 Mandarin Gallery); 011-65-6337-0992; ilovehansel.com; Jo Soh’s couture designs, favored by Katy Perry.
●Tang’s Playlab – 310 Orchard Road; 011-65-6737-5500; tangs.com; casual, hip clothing and various other items.
Tiong Bahru
●BooksActually – 9 Yong Siak Street; 011-65-6222-9195; booksactually.com; accordions, cameras, toys, and typewriters; also, books and magazines; regularly invites emerging artists, authors, and playwrights to hold events and readings.
●Flea & Trees – Block 68, Seng Poh Lane, #01-10; 011-65-8139-1133; tinytrunk.com/shops/flea-trees; books, clothing, odds & ends.
●Strangelets – 7 Yong Siak Street; 011-65-6222-1456; strangelets.sg; curiosities and home furnishings.
●White Canvas Art Gallery – 78 Guan Chuan Road; 011-65-6220-8723; whitecanvas-gallery.com; art; artist-led dinners and talks.
SIGHTS & SITES
Alexandra
●Gillman Barracks – 9 Lock Road; gillmanbarracks.com; colonial-style 1930s arcade named after British General Webb Gillman; £5 million refurbishment resulted in complex housing lofty exhibition spaces, palm-fringed cafes & Centre for Contemporary Art, where artists, collectors & curators congregate, lecture & work in residence.
Bishan
●MacRitchie Reservoir Park – Reservoir Road (off Lornie Road); 011-65-6471-7808 (National Parks Board); nparks.gov.sg; beautiful park especially notable for “Treetops Walk,” several long hiking routes’ highlight; brings through different stages mature secondary forest; free-standing suspension bridge connects 2 highest points (Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang) and offers bird’s eye view; distance to Treetops Walk from Park entrance approximately 4.5 km (1.5-2 hour walk) and 2.5 km (45 mins-1 hr walk from Venus Drive carpark (note that walkway only allows for 1-direction traffic and bridge entrance is from Ranger Station via Peirce track.
Botanic Gardens
●Singapore Botanic Gardens – 1 Cluny Road; 011-65-6471-7138; sbg.org.sg; 150 acres with meandering pathways and pretty lakes; make sure to visit orchid area, with more than 1K species and 2K hybrids.
Bras Brasah
●Peranakan Museum (Old Tao Nan School) – 39 Armenian Street; 011-65-6332-7591; peranakanmuseum.org.sg; 1st of kind in world, exploring Peranakan cultures in Singapore and other former Straits Settlements in Malacca and Penang, and other Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia; Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for descendants of 15-17th Century Chinese immigrants to Indonesian archipelago and British Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore); community members in Melaka, Malaysia address themselves as Nyonya Baba (Nyonya is term for women & Baba for men); term applies especially to British Straits Settlements of Malaya and Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations’ ethnic Chinese populations, who have adopted Nusantara customs — partially or in full — to be somewhat assimilated into local communities.
CBD
●Asian Civilisations Museum – 1 Empress Place (City Hall); 011-65-6332-7798; acm.org.sg; collection includes artifacts reflecting Singapore cultural background, including basketry, ceramics & textiles.
●8Q Singapore Art Museum – 71 Bras Basah Road; 011-65-6332-3222; singaporeartmuseum.sg; contemporary art.
●National Art Gallery of Singapore – 61 Stamford Road, Stamford Court #04–01; nationalartgallery.sg; scheduled to open in 2015.
●Telok Ayer Market Lau Pa Sat – 18 Raffles Quay; 011-65-6220-2138; laupasat.biz; historic building, now food centre.
Chinatown
●Museum of Contemporary Arts – 27A Loewen Road; 011-65-6479-6622; mocaloewen.sg; Asian art works; 2.5 acre garden.
Dhoby Ghaut
●National Museum of Singapore – 93 Stamford Road; 011-65-6332-3659; nationalmuseum.sg; oldest museum in Singapore, dating back to 1849 when started as section of library at Singapore Institution; 1 of 4 national museums in country (others being 2 Asian Civilizations Museums at Empress Place Building & Old Tao Nan School (Peranakan Museum), and Singapore Art Museum); focuses on exhibits related to Singapore history.
Esplanade
●Esplanade – 1 Esplanade Drive; 011-65-6828-8377; esplanade.com; performing arts complex.
Kranji
●Kranji Heritage Trail – from Woodlands Road to Lorong Tawas, off Jalan Bahar; kranjicountryside.com; Kranji Heritage Trail includes 14 markers, each having QR Code to access information via smart phone: (1) Kranji War Memorial, (2) WWII 1st Japanese Landing Site, (3) Kranji Army Barracks, (4) Kranji Railway Train Crossing, (5) Neo Tiew, (6) Bollywood Veggies, (7) Hay Dairies, (8) Hausmann Marketing Aquarium, (9) Jurong Frog Farm, (10) Kok Fah Technology, (11) Lian Wah Hang Quail & Poultry Farm, (12) Nye Phoe, (13) Sungei Buloh & (14) Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle; bridges past and present through area’s early farming history, as well as through historical sites; other landmarks include “Pier,“ late Howard Cashin’s house, “Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle“ (built around Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln, which Tan family has operated since 1965).
●Kranji War Memorial (Tanah Perkuburan Perang Kranji) – 9 Woodlands Road; singaporecity360.com/kranji-war-memorial; dedicated to men & women who died defending Malaya & Singapore against invading Japanese forces during WWII; comprises Memorial Walls, Military Graves, State Cemetery & War Graves.
●Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve – 301 Neo Tiew Crescent; 011-65-6794-1401; sbwr.org.sg; 1st wetlands reserve to be gazetted in Singapore; globally important as stop-over point for migratory birds; 130 hectares; ASEAN Heritage Park since 2003.
Marina Bay
●ArtScience Museum – 10 Bayfront Avenue; 011-65-6688-8868; marinabaysands.com/ArtScienceMuseum; focuses on art and science’s overlap; make sure to go also to SkyPark, where have 360º views (as well as world’s largest infinity pool).
●Gardens by Bay – 18 Marina Gardens Drive; 011-65-6420-6848; gardensbythebay.com.sg/en; 250 acres reclaimed land in central Singapore; 3 waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden & Bay Central Garden; aim is to raise life quality by enhancing greenery and flora in city.
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