Whether you have visited or not, there are plenty of images that come to mind when thinking of Singapore: soaring skyscrapers overlooking a magnificent harbour; charming colonial boulevards; colourful local cuisine and the rush of crowds filling its buzzing streets.
With Singapore celebrating its Golden Jubilee as an independent city-state this year, there has never been a better time to visit this vibrant island city that has given birth to an “east meets west culture” all of its own. With all that said, the important thing is to get down to detail and discover what Singapore really has to offer. Well, first up, it has plenty to offer your stomach.
Head to Chinatown’s night market or Gluttons Bay for spicy sambal stingray, coconut-based rendang curries and simple-looking chicken rice that always turns out to be more delicious than any you’ve tasted before.
Appetite sated (for now), dive into the city’s Colonial Quarter, exploring Singapore’s history through displays at the National Museum. Don’t forget to stop by at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel. Here, you’ll be able to enjoy a Singapore Sling at the place it was invented exactly 100 years ago by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon.
Although it could be said that the British founded Singapore, the city’s character is today thoroughly international. See this for yourself by walking through the town from Little India – with its Hindu and Buddhist temples – to Chinatown, where you’ll find streets hung with red lanterns, locals playing Chinese checkers and having tea the traditional way. We dare you not to think in travel clichés here – melting pot, city of contrasts, these hackneyed terms seem suddenly to make sense on this walk.
Everybody knows that Singapore is great for shopping, so if you really want to flex those credit cards, try KEEPERS, a local designers’ collective on Orchard Green for jewellers, bag-makers, perfumers and much more. Alternatively, head to the buzzy Haji Lane in the old Arab quarter for hip independent shops selling fashion and homewares.
You’re sure to be ready for more food by now, so why not dine on a true taste of Singapore - a fish-head curry? Bursting with flavours from the city’s Chinese, Malaysian and Indian cuisines, this dish combines red snapper and a curry sauce, with the addition of coconut milk for creaminess and tamarind for a sweet-sour kick.
As night falls, Singapore sheds its inhibitions and comes out to play. Rooftop drinking is the best way to start, with cocktails at 1-Altitude, the world’s highest al fresco bar. After, drop into Harry’s Bar , or try one of Singapore’s hip hideaways such as Bar Stories, Hopscotch, The Library or 28 Hong Kong Street, where world-famous mixologist Peter Chua mans the bar. Try Chua’s favourite cocktail, the Negroni – a heady mix of gin, vermouth and Gran Classico bitter. It’s the perfect way to celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday.
