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Whenever we met, she would always suggest,
Go Orchard Road lah.
It was fne the frst time.
Ater all, it was a nice, sae, easy-to-get-to road with cosmo-politan options. But ater our second, third and subsequent
appearances at Orchard Road, it was apparent that the entirety
o her Singapore hinged, pivoted and revolved around Orchard
Road. Lah.
This is not uncommon. The usual suspects Orchard Road, City
Hall, the various quays and villages (Boat Quay, Clarke Quay,
Dempsey Hill, Holland Village) would be the frst to surace in
every Singaporeans mind when they are aced with the ques-
tion, Go where, ah?
It is a sad, lamentable state o aairs echoed by travellers
whom we meet on occasion, Singapore is a beautiul and clean
place! But boring. No doubt, they were thinking o Singapores
dressed-in-white gahmen
when describing this city.
They are dead wrong.
Singapore bears many similarities to Hong Kong. They are both
dominated by high-rise buildings; scuttling ofce workers;
shops in every nook and cranny; and a taste or urban pleasures.
Like Hong Kong, there are many interesting pockets which lie
outside and in some cases, over the above-mentioned popu-
lar areas. And most people (locals and oreigners) are unaware
o the existence o these little pockets.
The rest o this article is a taste o what else is good in the
city. Most o them will not be ound in Singapore Tourism
Boards (STB) brochures. Hopeully, it will get you started on
exploring the city.
I not, at least, you will have a ready answer to the question,
Go where, ah?
express
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blu-jaz caf11 Bali Lane, Singapore 189848; Opening Hours:12pm to 12am (Mondays to Thursdays), 12pm to 2am(Fridays), 4pm to 2am (Saturdays);Tel: [65] 6292 3800; blujaz-cae.blogspot.com
This two-storey bohemian shophouse o happy,psychedelic murals, sited just behind Haji Lane,has great live Jazz music. According to Aileen,the owner, it is best to drop by on Mondays whena ten-piece band o proessional musicians gettogether and play songs rom their own creations.There is also a second oor chill out lounge i youwant some space and quietness or conversation.
coffee bar k205 River Valley Road, #01-076 UE Square,
Singapore 238274; Opening Hours: 6pm to 3am
(Mondays to Fridays), 6pm to 4am (Saturdays),6pm to 1am (Sundays); Tel: [65] 6720 5040
A cocktail needs balance, otherwise it tastes likecrap. That is one o the reasons why we like CoeeBar K. The bars immaculate bartenders alwaysmix the cocktails just right. You can choose romover 300 dierent cocktails or get the bartendersto customise one or you. In addition to that, youwill also get complimentary bee carpaccio togo with your drink. There is, however, a slightproblem the bartenders speak only Japanese.
martini firm (daybed supper bar)15 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238967;
Opening Hours: 7pm to 3am (Sundays-Fridays),7pm to 4am (Saturdays); www.martinirm.com
The all-white walls and oor can be overly stark orsome. And it is rather dim inside. This little pubsmain claim to ame is the rows o beds lined onthe side and its house martinis. Their playpen oruits a vodka-based martini with eight typeso ruits crushed into it is a prime example o theeort that goes into their martinis. Try not to allasleep on the beds.
tuckshop21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-05, Singapore 08
Opening Hours: 11am to 9pm (Mondays to Sun11.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to 12pm (MondayFridays), 5.30pm to 1am (Saturdays);Tel: [65] 6534 9287; www.tuckshop.com.sg
Intimate, no-rills ca/bar with great musday, Tuckshop serves up huge steak sandwBy night, the tables are cleared to one sidthe very talented Dance & Soul (Dean on tand Kaye on the sax) plays a mixture o jaand deep house to a chilled-out crowd. Keyour eyes peeled as it is easy to miss out othe nondescript entrance.
albert court hotel180 Albert Street, Singapor e 189971; Tel:[65] 6339 3939; www.albertcourt.com.sg
This row o shophouses is easily overlooked as it is hidden in a cul-de-sac behind LaSalle College o theArts. Their quaint courtyard suites are cheap and spacious. Good or travellers who want to be nearmajor cultural centres yet ar enough rom the madding crowd.
link hotel50 Tiong Bahru Road, Singapore 168733; Tel: [65] 6622 8585; Fax: [65] 6622 8558; www.linkhotel.com.sg
Link Hotel resides in a or mer public housing block in Tiong Bahru, Singapores oldest housing estate.Like the other buildings in the area, the buildings art deco aade is kept intact. As the building isphysically narrow, its rooms are simple and unctional aairs. However, waking up to bird song andtaking in Tiong Bahrus shophouses, heartland ood and nostalgic ambience is defnitely somethingto consider.
lotus @ joo chiat89 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427806;
Tel: [65] 6348 8533
The biggest draw o Lotus @ Joo Chiat is tto stay in a conserved Peranakan shophoushophouses have been reurbished with mamenities. However, the architecture, intother decorations have retained their Permotis and decorations. Requires a minimstay o seven nights.
le bistrot2 Stadium Walk, #01-03 Singapore Indoor Stadium,
Singapore 397691; Opening Hours: 11.45am to 2pm
(Thursdays to Fridays), 6pm to 10pm (Tuesdays toSundays), 10am to 2pm (Saturdays to Sundays Brunch);Tel: [65] 6447 0018; www.lebistrot.com.sg
A French couple once told me, Your ood is asgood as home!. Upon learning that the che isSingaporean, they exclaimed in astonishment.They had expected him to be French, saidThaddeus, Le Bistrots restaurant manager. Theirood is really that good the skin on the duckconft is crinkly paper-thin as the meat slides othe bone; the Tian o Crab & Artichoke remouladeis sweet, sour and resh all at once. On top o that,we let with a ull belly. Now, that is a rarity inSingapores French restaurants.
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comme des garons guerilla store +6511 Mount Sophia Road, #01-01 Old School, Singapore
228466; Opening Hours: 12pm to 7pm (Mondays toSaturdays); Tel: [65] 6224 3226
The guerrilla store has turned up at Old School.Fittingly, the dcor is a cross between an aban-doned classroom and laboratory. For example,books and other products are displayed on antiqueschool desks. Being a Comme des Garons shop,you will fnd merchandise such as specially com-missioned pieces, vintage pieces rom the labels12 lines and the ull range o ragrances. In addi-tion, it carries products by Japanese design super-collective Groovisions. It will be at Old Schooluntil 18th January 2009.
isan gallery42 Jalan Kembangan, Singapore 419113; Open
By appt only; Tel: [65] 6442 4278;www.isangallery.com.sg
I create the designs bu t my shawls are hain Ban Mai Roong, the village o rainbowPercy Vatsaloo, owner o the gallery. Whcould hike out to the Korat Plateau in seahis village, it is ar easier going to his littgallery hidden within a quiet housing estspacious sitting room, Percy proudly disgorgeous, one-o-a-kind silk shawls and twhich have garnered a cult ollowing in S
You will also be doing a good deed by bu part o the proceeds goes back to the Is
ers who produced them.
lartichaut37 Novena Terrace, Singapore 307921; Opening Hours: 11am to 7pm (Mondays to Fridays),12pm to 5pm (Saturdays); Tel: [65] 6252 9155; www.lartichaut.com
The name, translated rom French, means the ar tichoke. They are not greengrocers. The namalso a playul expression or hot art. That is what youll get inside their secluded showroom wa mysteriously padlocked door. They bring in a wide range o niche designer accessories TattyDevine, Alex+Chloe to name some luminaries not ound in Singapores shopping malls. Moreinormation available on their website.
lorgans100E Pasir Panjang Road, #01-03 Century Warehouse,
Singapore 118521; Opening Hours: 10.30am to 7pm
(Mondays to Sundays); Tel: [65] 6272 4988;
www.lorgans.com
You will fnd urnishings rom art deco 1950s topsychedelic 1970s albeit upholstered andrestored to pristine condition in this hip antiqueand urniture store. The gold Arco lamps, HarryBertoia diamond chairs and JVC video sphereswould naturally appeal to the retro-conscious.They also carry a small selection o retrohomeware, clothes and jewellery. So theressomething or you even i that S$2,500 Eero Aarniobubble chair is beyond your budget.
plant142 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 229842;
Opening Hours: 12pm to 7pm (Mondays to STel: [65] 6836 0010; [email protected]
Plant is quite dierent rom your usual Firstly, it stocks quirky ora stu rom EuAsia cast-iron cherubs, ornate candlestdried ower bunches strewn carelesslyshop; like a charmingly messy home. Secwouldnt fnd a catalogue o ready-madearrangements here. Instead, Michelle anner create customised ower arrangemesays, Its like making a painting. The octhe colours and texture o both owers a
singapore marriott hotel320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865;
Tel: [65] 6735 5800; www.singaporemarriott.com
You certainly cannot miss the Mariotts gr een pa-goda in the middle o Orchard Road. What makesthis chain hotel stand out, are the nine chalets builtaround the 5th oor swimming pool. Each chaletcomes with the usual electronic amenities or busi-ness travellers and plush beds. But it is the use onatural lighting in the chalets; it s open oor-plan;
and the impression you are at some beach getawaymakes the rather exorbitant price worthwhile.
marina mandarin singapore6 Rafes Boulevard, Marina Square, Singapore 039594;
Tel: [65] 6845 1000; Fax: [65] 6845 1001;www.marina-mandarin.com.sg
Marina Mandarin is your standard business-classhotel with Asian-inspired rooms and a breath-taking night-time view o Singapores businessdistrict. Its artist-in-residence program is a novelway o getting to know Singaporean artists. Hereshow it works: an emerging artist spends six monthsworking in a studio in the hotel. During whichguests can talk to the artist and get to know himbetter. The current resident artist is Lin Bao Ling,a painter known or creating nocturnal cityscapes.His residency will culminate in an end-o-residencysolo exhibition in July 2008.
antipodean27A Lorong Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore
277686; Opening Hours: 11am to 9pm (Mondays toSundays); Tel: [65] 6463 7336; Fax: [65] 6295 1733;www.antipodeanshop.com
It is easily missed out amongst the bright lights oHolland Villages many eateries, unless you con-scientiously look up. This clean, little shop is runby two sisters who are passionate about Australianlabels. Like their shops location, they too eschewrun-o-the-mill labels or lesser known labels suchas Akira Isogawa and One Teaspoon.
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changi chapel and museum1000 Upper Changi Road North, Singapore 507707; Opening Hours: 9.30am to 5pm
(Mondays to Sundays); Tel: [65] 6214 2451; www.changimuseum.com
The museum is a sobering account o lie as a prisoner o war (POW) during the Japanese occupationo Singapore. Presented within are letters, photographs, sketches and personal eec ts which oncebelonged to prison inmates. In an open court yard, stands the Changi Chapel a symbolic replica o themany chapels built during the Japanese Occupation. A ull-scale replica o the Changi Murals, a series owall paintings by a ormer pow, should be the highlight o your visit.
sinema old school11B Mount Sophia Road, #B1-12 Old School, Singapore 228466;
Tel: [65] 6336 9707; www.sinema.sg; [email protected]
A homage to Singaporean cinema. The independent 130-seater cinema space screens only local flms.From Wednesdays to Saturdays, it shows a mix o flms taken rom Singapores heyday in 1970s to itsrecent resurgence (e.g. 12 Storeys by Eric Khoo). Also, Sinema Old Schools ret ail store is a treasure st ashodvds and soundtrack cds rom local flms, limited edition movie merchandise, literary works bySingaporean writers and local independent magazine publishers, and CDs by Singapores musicians.In short, i you want to watch local flms, then this would be the place.
rojak213A Selegie Road, Singapore 188336;
Tel: [65] 6336 1706; www.arm.sgRojak is a quarterly sharing session that eaturesworks by 10 local creatives. It is organised byfarm, a collective who promotes local creativetalent. Each Rojak is held in a dierent setting thatemphasises the Singapore-ness o the endea-vour. Past Rojak sessions were held in import antarchitectural icons (e.g. Golden Mile Complex) andoverlooked crannies such as the backyards o LittleIndia. Thus it is not just a mingling session with thecreative crowd; it is also a romp through the citysbackyard and skyscrapers. Check out their websiteor details.
the intan69 Joo Chiat Terrace, Singapore 427231; Opening Hours:
By appt only; Tel: [65] 9338 2234;[email protected]; $85/person (min. 6 persons,includes tour and dinner.)
Alvin oers cultural tours via his home museum.He said to us, Peranakans are ar aid o emptiness.Thats why most o their urniture is bursting withvery intricate designs. It might, at frst, seem to bequite messy. But look closer; youll see order withinthe chaos.
His house certainly verifed that claim. It was flledend to end with all sorts o Peranakan ur niture, ac-cessories and arteacts. Alvin is a walking encyclo-paedia o Peranakan quirks and culture. A newly-wed couple would sit on this wedding bed and shylysee each other or the irst time. See the weddingribbons and decorations around the bed? I ts to mar-ket the brides unmarried sisters! Apart rom his-tory lessons, Alvins tour also includes a Peranakandinner prepared by his mom.
cookery magic58 Jalan Tembusu, Singapore 438240;
Tel: [65] 6348 9667; www.cookerymagic.com
Ruqxana conducts a cooking class quite unlikeothers in the city. Instead o cooking Nasi Lemakin a state-o-the-art kitchen, her kitchen is in a 200year-old kampong house on Pulau Ubin. Highlightso the lesson include harvesting jungle herbs andcooking it in a kampong kitchen. For some reason,the ood made out there seems to taste better.
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