Mover and shaker
Even the Singapore Sling has changed with the times in this city of ever-evolving neighbourhoods.
Escape
The one constant in Singapore is change—and we aren’t talking about the latest high-rise condominium being built. Just shy of a decade ago, the city’s landscape transformed with the addition of Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay, built entirely on reclaimed land at Marina Bay. Since then, the glam hotel and nearby multi-coloured Supertrees have become the face of Singapore.
The same year, visitors to the island of Sentosa doubled after a multi-billion-dollar tourism plan saw it reborn as a lifestyle destination for kids and grown-ups alike. And the evolution of Singapore’s neighbourhoods continues.
In 2017, The Quayside dining precinct opened—along with boutique and big-name hotels—reinvigorating a previously tired stretch of the Singapore River. Progress can even be seen in heritage neighbourhoods such as Tiong Bahru, inspiring tourists and locals alike to return for another look.
Here are the neighbourhoods in Singapore worth seeking out.
TIONG BAHRU
An entire neighbourhood of three-storey art deco buildings isn’t what you’d expect to find in modern Singapore, yet more surprises await in this charming hipster enclave, which was Singapore’s first public housing estate.
When Forty Hands café opened in 2010, it was the genesis of an island-wide fad for gourmet coffee–and kickstarted what would be a dramatic gentrification of the neighbourhood. Today, street art by local artist Yip Yew Chong draws visitors down the backstreets, while aging residents continue to shake joss sticks in Qi Tian Gong Temple, which celebrates the Monkey God of Chinese Mysticism.
But most locals flock here for the food, whether it be traditional hawker fare or trendy Western cafes and bakeries serving French croissants and avocado on toast. Millenials queue alongside the elderly for fishballs or char kway teow (Malaysian rice noodles) at the Tiong Bahru hawker centre, above the wet market—a destination in itself.
ORCHARD ROAD
Singapore’s answer to the Champs Elysees is Orchard Road, a 2.2 kilometre street lined with more than a dozen shopping malls. It takes its name from its origin in the early 1830s, as a country road through orchards and nutmeg plantations.
In 1958, Chinese merchant C.K. Tang founded Singapore’s first homegrown department store, TANGS. Today, it remains in its original building—an architectural ode to Beijing’s Forbidden City—across the road from the futuristic ION Orchard. All along the street, international designer labels are within walking distance of high-street chains, such as local footwear brand Charles & Keith.
Worked up an appetite? Inside ION Orchard, Taste Paradise offers some of the city’s best yum cha; TWG Tea, an upscale local chain of tea salons, serve well-priced tea and scones; and Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill & Sky Bar, on the top floor, provides Mod Oz cuisine and 360-degree views of the city.
JOO CHIAT/KATONG
The Peranakans, or Straits Chinese, are known for their decorative embroidery and beading; and food, which fuses Malay and Chinese flavours. In Singapore, their heartland is the Joo Chiat and Katong neighbourhoods, where coconut plantations once thrived.
See pretty, pastel-hued shophouses—built circa 1900—lined up like giant dollhouses on Koon Seng Road. For a glimpse of the interiors, head to nearby Rumah Bebe. The museum, eatery and store stocks colourful tiffin carriers, sarong kebayas and kasut manek (beaded slippers), and serves home-made dishes such as steamed radish cakes and pineapple tarts.
For a Peranakan-inspired stay, check in to the modern Hotel Indigo Katong—the décor nods to neighbourhood’s heritage. For breakfast, at the hotel or one of the nearby local coffeeshops, order kaya toast—a Singapore institution, comprising white bread, slabs of butter, coconut jam and a soft-boiled egg.
SENTOSA
A name change and a bold tourism plan helped recast Sentosa as the island playground it is today. Once known as Blakang Mati––“behind death” in Malay––the island off Singapore’s southern coast was renamed Sentosa, which means “tranquility”, in 1970.
Its transformation was complete in 2010, with the launch of the $6.59-billion Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s first integrated resort. Now, kids of all ages converge on the island to zip line over Siloso Beach, go bungee jumping, visit the aquarium or Universal Studios theme park.
Taking its name to heart, the island is also a haven for those seeking relaxation. Award-winning spas abound, such as So Spa—its Garden of Eden-style grounds come complete with a waterfall and swimming pool—or Capella’s decadent Auriga Spa, which offers luxe lunar-based treatments.
Before you catch the cable car back to the mainland, allow some time to sip a cocktail on a cabana at the perennially cool Tanjong Beach Club.
ROBERTSON QUAY
Bumboats once plied this strip of the Singapore River, delivering goods to the godowns (warehouses) along its shores, before it was turned into a residential zone in the 1990s. But sometime during the last decade, it lost its lustre. That was until 2017, when new life was breathed into the area.
Much of the credit goes to The Quayside, a new urbane lifestyle district on the waterfront, with an emphasis on alfresco dining—from Summerlong’s laidback Mediterranean share plates and Publico’s gourmet pizzas, to festive Mexican fare at Super Loco.
The area also received a boost with the opening of several new hotels along the river, most notably a slick new Intercontinental; the Philippe Starck-designed M Social; and boutique hotel The Warehouse, which is worth a visit just for its industrial-chic lobby bar, and restaurant, Po, which serves elevated Peranakan cuisine.
MARINA BAY
Every bit as iconic as the Sydney Opera House, Marina Bay Sands has become synonymous with Singapore. It’s hard to believe the Moshdie Safdie-designed hotel and lifestyle structure isn’t even a decade old. But perhaps more surprising is that the land it stands on is relatively new as well.
Once just a body of water off Collyer Quay, land was reclaimed during the 1970s in order to develop the area now known as Marina Bay. After a few decades, to allow the land to settle, The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay performing arts complex was among the first buildings to open, in 2002.
It was followed by a 165-metre-high observation wheel, the ArtScience Museum, the 101-hectare Gardens by the Bay, plus the famed hotel and its Instagram-worthy rooftop infinity pool. Marina Bay has also been the site of Singapore’s annual New Year’s fireworks display since 2005.
CHINATOWN
A Buddhist temple, a mosque and a Hindu temple all on a single street? Singapore’s former enclave for Chinese immigrants does things a little differently to other Chinatowns. The standout is Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, which traces the enlightened being’s life, and offers dawn chanting and vegetarian meals.
But if you’re visiting Chinatown, you must eat in a hawker centre. If you’re willing to wait in the outrageously long queue, head to the Michelin-star Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodles at Chinatown Complex. However, unless you have the refined palette of a local, you’ll probably enjoy chicken rice at most hawkers on the island.
Save room for dinner on Keong Saik Road, Chinatown’s former red light district that continues to reinvent itself. Dine at lively modern izakaya Neon Pigeon or hit Esquina for Spanish tapas. Kicking on? Head to the four-storey Potato Head Folk, or the Hemingway-inspired The Old Man—a sister venue to the Hong Kong bar which made Asia’s 50 Best list.
DOWNTOWN
It would be remiss not to visit the downtown civic district, even if you’ve seen it before. The birthplace of modern Singapore, designed by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822—and the site of the Formula One Night Race each September—has seen many of its colonial buildings repurposed or revamped in recent years.
Snap a cheeky photo with the Merlion before strolling over Anderson Bridge, along Fullerton Road. The former Supreme Court and City Hall were combined to create the National Gallery in 2015. While its clever architecture is enough of a drawcard, add daily back-of-house tours, world-class exhibitions and a cracker museum shop, and it’s a must-visit.
A few blocks away, the fabled Raffles hotel has reopened after an 18-month, multi-million-dollar transformation with more rooms and a new restaurant by lauded French chef Anne Sophie Pic. If the iconic Singapore Sling tastes a little different, it’s because they’ve tweaked the recipe—think less sugar, more alcohol.
LITTLE INDIA
From the late 1820s to 1860, the British-established lime pits and brick kilns along Serangoon Road served as a source of employment for Indian labourers, who also found work in the buffalo trade. And the area has remained a home away from home for the Indian community ever since.
For full effect turn up on a Sunday, the foreign workers’ day off, when Singapore’s bustling Little India is reminiscent of crowded Chennai. Expect Hindu temples, restaurants dishing up spice-laden curries, and stalls selling fresh mangoes, okra and jasmine garlands.
The neighbourhood’s cultural heart and most distinctive landmark, the colourful Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, was built by Bengali labourers in 1881 and is dedicated to the fearsome goddess Kali.
Equally as vibrant is the former home of Chinese businessman Tan Teng Niah, built in 1900. Painted in bold colours, the last surviving Chinese villa in the area has become something of a magnet for the social media set.
KAMPONG GLAM
Storied mosques, hookah cafes and independent boutiques are among the hallmarks of the Muslim enclave of Kampong Glam, also known as the Arab Quarter.
The undeniable focal point of the neighbourhood, Sultan Mosque—Singapore’s largest—was constructed in 1824 with the aid of a grant from Sir Stamford Raffles and the East India Company, after Raffles’ treaty with the sultan of Singapore allowed the Malay leader to rule. The original building was replaced with the current impressive, gold-domed structure in 1928.
On nearby Arab Street, Middle Eastern restaurants jostle with textile stores and hookah cafes. While Bali Lane and Haji Lane are known for their brightly coloured murals, and independent boutiques selling quirky stationery, Scandi furniture and up-and-coming local designer clothing.
This story was originally published on September 1, 2019 in Escape.