A Singaporean's Guide to Singapore
I’m quite lucky to call Singapore home. It didn’t always feel this way, but being away from home now for the 3rd time, I’ve began to appreciate Singapore a lot more along with all its quirks and “Singaporeanisms”. There’s so many places and food here that’s attached to various memories of growing up and living here, and here’s a little list of some of my favourites … with a focus on the smaller/independent establishments and businesses which I feel give Singapore that little bit more soul. The list is just a starting point and is not exhaustive but I hope it’s useful in your exploration of this little red dot :)
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BOOKSHOPS
It’s a nice travel ritual to visit local bookshops wherever one goes. Beyond the biggie (Books Kinokuniya), here are a few others that I like:
Epigram Bookshop: Formerly at the URA building, they have moved to a new location - to the Singapore Art Museum @ Tanjong Pagar Distripark. It’s a little out of the way, but I love this bookshop for stocking up on titles focused on Singapore (not necessarily just by Singapore authors, but as long as the subject relates to Singapore). It’s got a good selection for adults and kids and makes for a good stop to pick up a few books.
Library@Orchard: is an oasis in the middle of Orchard Road and a “design-focused public library”. Not your typical tourist spot, but well-worth a visit if you like books, or appreciates good design.
For the kids: A few other independent ones that I like are:
Grassroots Books: stocks predominantly Chinese books but also has a small selection of English books. I love their selection for kids. Nice place to browse and have a coffee at the back of the bookshop.
Littered with Books: This is just 5-min from Grassroots Books and has a wide variety of books spanned over two floors.
Maha Yuyi: A Chinese bookstore for kids located at the Bras Basah complex. Small shop but superb selection.
Hook on Books: Great customer service at this delightful Chinese bookstore for kids and it has a very nice art and craft section for the kids to tinkle with.
FOOD
The obsession is real. There’s so much to offer from cheap eats to fine dining, and here’s a few that’s top of mind.
Local - HAWKER fare (The real deal)
The best way to try local food, is to head to a hawker centre or a kopitiam, the heart and soul of Singapore’s heartland. Most of the places are non air-conditioned (hot and sometimes stuffy), fairly basic and sometimes chaotic but are great spots for getting an authentic feel of our local hawker culture and cuisine.
Tiong Bahru Market: A good starting point and fairly central for a wide array of local food (just go for the ones with lots of people queuing up if you don’t know what to get.)
Chomp Chomp Hawker Center: This is in the heartlands (Serangoon Gardens) so a bit out of the way unless you’re living in the hood and is best in the evening for the best BBQ stingray and excellent selection of local fare.
Wanton Mee: Bei-Ing at Roxy Square
Bak Chor Mee: The original Tai Wah at Crawford Street (even there there’s 2 stalls, go for the one near the drinks stall).
Nasi Lemak: Uptown Nasi Lemak at Telok Ayer Street
Prawn Mee: Beach Road Prawn Mee
Chicken Rice: Any!
Fish Curry: Ocean Curry at Amoy Street
ION Food Opera: By far my favourite foodcourt in Singapore and it has aircon so a great spot to sample local hawker fare in a little more comfort :)
Local - restaurants
Jumbo: For the chili crabs (I like the outlet at East Coast for the sea breeze and sea views).
The Coconut Club: Serves up delicious nasi lemak and great chendol and other desserts.
National Kitchen by Violet Oon and Candlenut: Delicious mouth-watering Peranakan dishes.
Not a restaurant per se but over at Joo Chiat, One Kind House offers a cooking experience at their shophouse.
Japanese
Sushi: For higher-end sushi restaurants, there’s Oshino, Hashida and Tatsuya. Tomi Sushi on the other hand offers decent quality sushi that doesn’t burn a hole in the pocket. The Flying Squirrel is a sushi bar tucked away in a small street off Amoy Street.
Ramen: Most ramen places serve up a decent bowl of ramen. Check out Ramen Bar Suzuki, Ramen Keisuke, Ippudo, Afuri Ramen, Sanpoutei Ramen, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Uma Uma Ramen.
Grills / Sake Bars: Yazawa Yakiniku was excellent the last time I visited, pricey but great quality. Mobomoga at Robertson Quay is super fun!
All-round good Japanese food: Suju (Mandarin Gallery) has really good Japanese food with a focus on miso. Ishinomaki Grill & Sake for the great lunch deals. Kuro Maguro for the delicious salmon/tuna aburi rice bowls.
EVERYTHING ELSE
Dumplings: Ding Tai Fung. Consistently good quality and service. The dou miao and the chili vinegar wantons are excellent too.
Chinese: You won’t go wrong with any of these restaurants that has great quality Chinese food and nice settings: Imperial Treasure, Crystal Jade, Putien, Paradise Teochew, Lei Garden, Hua Ting.
Thai: Tamarind Hill & Jim Thompson: A bit on the higher price range but delicious Thai food. For a more affordable version check out Ah Loy Thai.
South Asian:
Colombo at Boat Quay (I actually don't enjoy the Boat Quay stretch that much but this particular restaurant is situated right at the top of one of the shophouses on the 5th floor. To be honest, it’s mostly non-South Asians dining there so not sure if my Indian friends would agree but I like the food and the view/ambience is great!).
Mustard at Little India.
Kinara at Holland Village.
Annalakshimi: Delicious Indian vegetarian meals and you pay what you think the meal is worth.
Meats/Grills
Camp Kilo: It doesn’t exist anymore sadly but was one of my favourites - It’s so casual, always play good music, has delicious grilled meats (and seafood and vegetables), and some seriously good vibes. Look up Raw Kitchen Bar instead which seems to have taken over.
Burnt Ends: ps. Very good looking venue at Dempsey at Keong Siak (and just learnt that they have a very decent bakery and charming alfresco space for mornings too).
BARS
Barely scratching the surface here and I’m so outdated here but here goes a few:
Every bar (and restaurant) in the Jigger & Pony Group: Great service, great cocktails and most importantly a great team behind the group.
Le Bon Funk: Great spot for an after-work/after-dinner drinks, and the open kitchen looks like it serves up pretty decent food options too. I love their branding and all their ceramic wares.
Wine RVLT: One of the OG’s natural wine bars in Singapore. I love the disco ball :)
Offtrack: I’ve not been but looks amazing!
CAFES / BAKERIES
The cafe scene is burgeoning. Again I’m out of touch here but theToo many to mention but here’s a few to start..
Punch, Glasshouse, Hvala (love this place for tea), Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Dutch Colony, Tiong Bahru Bakery, and just this trip I really enjoyed the coffee and pastries at Burnt Ends Bakery. Plus Pure Pandan along South Bridge Road (while not a cafe) has great pandan cakes….
PARKS & NATURE
All around the island you’ll find parks and green spaces, I love all of them. For something central,Singapore Botanical Gardens and Fort Canning Park are great. If you venture out a bit into the neighbourhoods - there’s East Coast Park, Labrador Park & the Southern Ridges, Hort Park, MacRitchie Reservoir, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the entire Bukit Timah Hill Nature Reserve area, Jurong Lake Garden and Tampines Eco Green.
CULTURE
Local Photographers: Get to see Singapore through the lens of our photographers. I like Aik Beng Chia, Mindy Tan, Darren Soh and Nguan.
Singapore City Gallery: I don’t know if many people know that in the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) building, there’s a few floors of really fantastic exhibits on Singapore, that showcases our transformation over the last 50 years. Definitely my top pick for anyone who is keen to learn a bit more about the city regardless of whether you’re a resident or just staying for a few days.
Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI): Nice workshops!
National Museum of Singapore: The grand dame. It is a beautiful building with permanent exhibits of Singapore heritage and history. I love looking up at the dome the moment you step in to the building :) It also links to Fort Canning Park on the 3rd floor, which makes for a nice side trip.
National Gallery: It's a gorgeous building, previously home to the Supreme Court. Very nicely restored and has a number of good restaurants and an awesome area just for the kids. ALL-TIME FAVOURITE.
Objectifs: If you enjoy photography and film, check this place out. They also have a store that sells books and films by local artists, and often holds exhibitions and talks/workshops.
Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall: This was the original home for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra before Esplanade and is my preferred venue (over Esplanade) for classical music concerts because it's just so much more intimate and the heritage building itself is a good reason to visit. You can get tickets for concerts that are held there via the Singapore Symphony Orchestra website.
The Projector: An independent cinema situated at Golden Mile Tower, don’t be fooled by the state of the building. Awesome place for people who enjoy a bit of your non-Hollywood blockbusters. Singapore needs more places like this.
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Favourite hoods to wander around for photowalks with historic architecture, good food and cafes: Joo Chiat/Katong area in the east, the entire Ann Siang/Amoy/Telok Ayer/Keong Siak area, Arab Street and its surroundings and Tiong Bahru.
LOCAL BRANDS
Many of the museums have shops that carry decent products that’d make nice souvenirs to bring home. Apart from that, here are a few of my favourite local brands:
MATTER: As of mid-2020, they’re on an indefinite hiatus but I’ve kept it here as it’s truly a brand well-built and clothes well-made and probably my favourite local brand. I like and appreciate their philosophy of being inspired by tradition, sourcing heritage prints and styles, and reinterpreting them for the modern nomad.
MUDROCK Ceramics: Absolutely gorgeous looking hand-made homeware (they also supply to a number of restaurants/cafes). Great pottery courses to boot. Follow them on IG!
SUPERMAMA: Designed in Singapore, made in Japan. Beautiful ceramic homewares that often included symbols of Singapore. Flagship store is at Beach Road.
Anthony the Spice Maker: Excellent selection of Asian/Singapore spices helmed by Anthony himself and his daughter.
So, over to you, what’s your favourites?
Last updated: 19 Nov 2022 from Singapore.
