Singapore: My little red book
Everything I ate, drank and saw in Singapore. Featuring satay, soju and speciality coffee.
For my first trip back to Singapore in five years I wondered: would it be different? Would the things I loved about it still exist? Would I even recognise it? And does a bottle of wine from the supermarket still cost $40?
Well, I’m back and I can report: Singapore’s still got it. The food remains incredible. The energy of the place continues to be overwhelmingly optimistic. And, yes, alcohol is still crazy-expensive.
In a departure from my usual programming, today’s post gives you my favourites from the city - call it my Little Red Book for the Little Red Dot.
All were still open when I visited two weeks ago (I’m still recovering from the news that Pho99 is no more), though if you’re reading this months from now best to check before you go. And if you’ve visited recently I’d love to hear your own recommendations - just add them in the comments.
😴 Where to stay
Ideally, at a friend’s house. Singapore ain’t cheap, and AirBnb is possible but not technically legal.
That said, compared to European hotel prices right now, I thought the accommodation on our trip was all reasonably priced given the quality (and location).
Mondrian Hotel. This new Singapore outpost of the global Mondrian chain is located right on Duxton Hill, in the heart of the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, filled with bars and handily located next to Maxwell Hawker Centre (one of the best). The whole place is decked out beautifully, the coffee in the ground-floor cafe is excellent, and the cherry on top is a stunning infinity pool on the top - a perfect place to while away an hour between sight-seeing. Around 200 EUR a night.
The top of the Mondrian botel Kinn Studios. After staying in swanky hotels for a week it was time to return to reality. I wanted something cheap, cheerful, but centrally-located so plumped for the three-star Kinn Studios on Keong Saik Road. It’s all of those things, with friendly staff and budget-supportive amenities like a shared kitchen. The bed was comfy, shower powerful, and the television big: it was just what I needed and for a more palatable 90 EUR a night.
KēSa House. I didn’t stay here on this trip, but when I left Singapore in 2019 this was home for my last few nights, and it’s still there. The rooms are small for the price point (which was why this time I stayed at Kinn Studios, literally next door) but the decor is a little nicer, there are some cute and cosy shared areas (it also has a kitchen you can use). There is an on-site restaurant if you fancy a bite. Around 150 EUR a night.
Marina Bay Sands. I still can’t quite believe this story but when me and my roommates moved out of our old flat in Singapore, our rental agent gifted us a two-night stay at MBS so we’d move out quicker for the next tenants. No, this is not normal, and yes, we made the most of it accordingly. It’s very expensive to stay here, but if you want to dip in the famous pool at the top of Singapore’s landmark building, it’s the only way you’ll be able to do it as the pool is closed to non-residents. It’s a beautiful hotel, if a little soulless: the rooms are massive, well-furnished, and with luxurious bathrooms (a bath! My heart), but you’re very aware that there are thousands of you staying there. The reception is literally the size of a shopping mall. If you go, ideally get someone else to pay, and then make the most of it: spend as much time as you can on the rooftop pool or in the king size bed. From 500 EUR a night.
☕️ Morning coffee
Drinking coffee used to be a psychological boost for me - having it as part of my morning ritual was enough to get me prepped for the day. Nowadays I realise that need has become physiological: I need that caffeine just to feel half-alive.
Lucky then that there’s always a rotation of solid artisan coffee shops in central Singapore. Some of my favourites have already shut down. Five Oars was never a huge favourite of mine but it’s still there and serves a very good coffee, now in a bigger unit on Tanjong Pagar Road where you can also order breakfast. Cloud (Duxton Hill) was a new one I stepped into: a little too cool for this ageing millennial but again the coffee was delicious and I loved the delicately designed clouds hanging up as decoration.
Though I didn’t get chance to go back I’m thrilled to see that Nylon coffee is still going. A neighbourhood joint nestled within an HDB (public housing estate), in 2019 I was there most mornings to sit on the wooden box out front and watch the neighbourhood go by. I’m not usually a fan, but their iced coffee is to die for. I also recommend the Lavender Lattes at the Bravery Cafe, now located on Amoy Street.
Finally, if you fancy something more local I really recommend the local coffee or kopi - you can get it from any hawker or joints like Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Traditionally strained through a special ‘coffee sock’, this thick, syrupy coffee is sweetened with condensed or evaporated milk (ask for it ‘siu dai’ or ‘less sweet’ if you can feel you arteries clogging. It’s certainly a treat but as a jet lag cure I’ve yet to find better.
🍜 Where (and what) to eat
If you like to eat, you’ve come to the right place. Singapore is deservedly high on the global culinary scene: not only for the richness of its own varied cuisine, but the importance placed on eating good food.
One of the few topics Singaporeans will argue with you on is where to find the best chicken rice, mala hotpot, or chilli crab. And chefs from the world over come here to develop new menus and open new projects, safe in the knowledge that the local culture prioritises gastronomy - at all ends of the price spectrum.
But international chefs aside, some of the best meals I’ve had in Singapore have cost less than $5 and been eaten on a plastic stool at my local hawker centre. Recently some of those same stalls have even been awarded Michelin stars. But my advice, just head to any hawker and look for the stalls with the longest line. Or ask your Singaporean friends - they will certainly have an opinion.
Hawkers I return to:
I’d go as far as saying all hawkers will have high quality food at most of the stalls, but if you’re unsure you can also look for the A, B, C signs which designate hygiene.
Lau Pa Sat. This hawker centre dates from the Victorian period and is in a colonial style. For that reason it’s kinda the fanciest hawker and located right in the centre of the Central Business District (CBD) it attracts the office crowd by day as well as tourists by night. Don’t miss satay street.
Maxwell Food Centre. A stalwart of my agency days. Most of my favourite stalls have gone but Shangai Tim Sum is still there: go for the steamed dumplings, stay for the fried - and the ginger-soy sauce which accompanies them.
Newton Hawker centre. One of the most famous ‘local’ hawkers, this hawker is even featured in Crazy Rich Asians.
Gluttons Bay. The food is standard hawker fare, but the view from this one, just next to Esplanade MRT, is what you go for. I used to take visitors here on their last night for one last meal with a view of the Bay and Marina Bay Sands.
And the dishes to try there? Where to start? Chicken rice was a staple foodstuff for me, but it’s so rich I had to reduce it to hangover days and sick days. Bak Kut Teh (pork rib soup) is another favourite I rushed back to, though I recommend the one at Song Fa at Clarke Quay (not a hawker). Paratha with curry sauce for breakfast (Indian fried bread). I could go on: Mee Goreng, Nasi Lemak, Popiah, Chili Crab, Rendang, Butter chicken - all Malay-Indonesian-Chinese-Indian dishes reflecting the multicultural melting pot that is Singapore.
Non-hawker restaurants I recommend
You can get great Korean BBQ anywhere along Tanjong Pagar Road. Don’t forget the soju!
Ryo Sushi is a super-cute city sushi joint in a tiny unit (also on Tanjong Pagar Road).
Violet Oon National Kitchen in the National Gallery for Peranakan Food. My only regret this trip is that we didn’t make it there for her beef rendang.
Din Tai Fung. If someone sends ‘DTF?’ in a text message in Singapore, don’t jump to lewd conclusions. They’re probably lusting for a xiao long bao soup dumpling at this Taiwanese dim sum joint. They do now have one in London but apparently it doesn’t compare.
There’s a plethora of fancy dessert bars in Singapore, and some (literally) cool spots doing fun things with flavour. My favourites are Apiary in the city, and Birds of Paradise on the East Coast (though they now have a central location too).
🥃 Late night drinks
Or, where I spent most of my money when I lived in Singapore. I love the bar scene here. Yes, it’s expensive. But the drinks are worth it, if you manage to stop at two.
28 Hong Kong Street. This Singapore speakeasy is my ‘original and best’. Open a non-descript door and immediately you’re whisked behind a curtain and into the cavernous cocktail emporium. It’s laid back, low-key but still buzzing. Even better, five years later (and older), I can still have a conversation without having to scream. And the cocktails are still good - as you’d hope for one of the world’s best bars. I enjoyed a Brenda’s Breakfast: whiskey with maple and butter, what’s not to love?
Jigger & Pony. My second favourite bar, and not just because they give you endless free crisps. The drinks here are always inventive whether giving you riffs on a classic or an entirely new concoction. A few years back (yikes, probably several years back now) they moved location and into a hotel, which dimmed the atmosphere a little bit the last time I went. Visiting this time, though, the buzz was back and the waiters’ charm and recommendations added to it. I could have stayed here forever, and got close to trying. There’s also a happy hour every day 6-7pm.
A cocktail at Live Twice, black cherry perched perilously on top. Live Twice. This Japan-themed bar from the Jigger & Pony group is fun for a nightcap. The bar is cosy and entirely wood-panelled, with no windows. The only hint of another perspective is thanks to the mirrors hoisted above the bartenders so you can see them at work.
Smoke and Mirrors. This was THE bar I used to bring visitors to. Yes, you can go to one of the three bars (or clubs) on top of MBS (though I’d recommend Spago), but for the best view of the entire bay from a bar in Singapore, this is it, with Kinki a close second and Southbridge third. It’s located in the National Gallery, an impressive building in itself.
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🌴 What to do
Neighbourhood walks
The cheapest way to see what Singapore has on offer is on foot. Dress appropriately (it’s never not hot, whatever time of day you venture out), and don’t forget an umbrella for the regular downpours.
Neighbourhood walks I recommend would be through Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street / Haji Lane, Duxton, and Tiong Bahru.
If you manage to do the first three in the same day (a challenge, but possible), you’ll see just how many sides Singapore has to it - you’ll go from Taoist temples to Hindu temples to Mosques in just a few square miles.
One of my biggest pet peeves is how visitors will say ‘Singapore is so sterile, it has nothing much there’. If that’s the case, it’s most likely you spent your entire visit in the central business district.
Ambles through nature
Singapore isn’t a concrete jungle and it prides itself on being a garden city. You only have to look up at some of the high-rises to see how they’ve managed to make this a reality: many of them have what look like whole jungles coming out of them.
OK, that’s not quite ‘real nature’ - but if you want it, Singapore’s got it. My number one to do is to get the MRT (metro) or a taxi to Changi Point ferry terminal, and get the bum boat (small ferry, costs $2 each way) over to Pulau Ubin.
This little island is like the Singapore that time forgot: it’s wild, sprawling and full of monkeys, birds and even boars! When you get off the ferry you can hire bikes for $10 (check them before you ride off, they’re very well-loved) and set off around the island. There is always something which surprises me: this time it was a shrine to a German girl who was found dead on the island in 1918.
Other wildlife haunts worth a look:
MacRitchie Reservoir, You can do a 8-12km loop of the Reservoir - don’t miss the treetop walk.
Singapore Botanic Gardens (especially the Orchid Garden)
Gardens By the Bay, very Singapore, very OTT, but really cool - and free to visit parts of it. The light show at night is worth going for too.
Museums worth a wander
National Gallery. We’ve already established the National Gallery is worth a visit, being home to one of my favourite restaurants (Violet Oon) and one of my favourite bars (Smoke and Mirrors). It’s also home to one of the biggest art collections in South East Asia. Come for the culture, stay for the sundowners.
National Museum of Singapore. It’s embarrassing to admit that before I moved to Singapore I didn’t know much about it as a country, nor its history. If you’re like me then this is a great place to start (I won’t tell anyone).
Peranakan Museum. The Peranakan community has existed in Singapore since the mid-15th century, when Singapore began to be a real melting pot of cultures and ethnicities thanks to its role as a maritime trade hub. But again, I didn’t know much about this fascinating culture despite enjoying its spoils (see Sunday Smorgasbord #43) and this was a great museum to set me right. And if you’ve not tasted Peranakan food, make it a priority to try.
💸 And what to do when the money runs out
Like I said, Singapore is expensive. But there are plenty of fun things you can do for zero or very little money. Much of the nature trips I recommend above are free except for transport (renting a bike Pulau Ubin will set you back about $14 for the day trip , about 10 EUR). Here are three more favourites for the week before payday hits.
Marina Barrage. Catch the MRT (metro) down to Bayfront or the newer Gardens by the Bay station and head to this humble headland tucked behind all the razzle dazzle. Straight in front of you is the sea, tens of container ships, and often people flying kites. Look behind you and you have the Singapore skyline ‘in reverse’. It’s a great spot for sunset, take some 7-11 beers and a packet of crisps for a makeshift picnic.
Haw Par Villa. This bonkers park was created by the man who invented Tiger Balm and it doesn’t disappoint. Take the MRT to Haw Par Villa, it’s a short walk to this old-school amusement park, full of enormous, colourful and sometimes downright creepy statues. Do not miss the Circles of Hell exhibit. It’s a trip.
Tekka Centre, Little India. A slice of India in the heart of Singapore. You can buy almost anything in this bazaar-meets-shopping centre-cum-market, and at a good price. Just brace yourself: it’s fast, furious and very hard to find your way around.
🦁 Thank you for reading today’s post. I’d love to know: have you been to the Lion City? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.
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Can’t wait to squish as much of this in as I can during my last 3 days — thanks for sharing with me Emma! ☺️
Excellent advice!