With everything under one roof so to speak—city, state and country all rolled into one island—Singapore is a very unique Southeast Asian enclave, its history as a trading settlement influencing all aspects of modern life in profoundly original ways. The population comprises Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures—Peranakans descended from people who immigrated to the Malay archipelago between the 15th and 17th centuries—with an icing of English due to the more than 145 years of British rule.

The incredible architecture is a profusion of colourful, mixed-use “shophouses” with retail space on the main floor and residences above, extraordinary Buddhist and Hindu temples, edgy new skyscrapers and colonial-era buildings infused with modern glamour.

Eat constantly. This place is a foodie’s wet dream. The traditional dishes sold in the “hawker stall” food courts lay the foundation for the Modern Singaporean restaurants (Mod-Sin for short) that yield homespun food with a twist. Singaporeans have distinct opinions on where to get the best crab or buns or laksa or chicken rice or coffee or anything. Discussing food is a national pastime.

TASTE TO TRY: TRADITIONAL DISHES

Find the star. You can eat the world’s least-expensive Michelin star meal at Hawker Chan’s Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, the first hawker stall to be awarded a Michelin star. The signature dish goes for just $2.50.

Roam the streets. Singapore is a series of neighbourhoods. Trendy Tiong Bahru is filled with cool boutiques, design shops, bookstores and small cafés, including your must-do: the Tiong Bahru Bakery. The Katong area is a multicultural community filled with fun concept stores, great restaurants, massage parlours and karaoke joints. Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Little India and Dempsey Hill should also be on your wander list.

HOW-TO: ORDER KOPI COFFEE

Soak up art. National Gallery Singapore exhibits the largest collection of Southeast Asian art in the world in an interconnected complex linking the old Supreme Court and City Hall buildings. Expansive courtrooms, hallways, offices and judges’ chambers were converted into galleries, some documenting Singapore’s history and independence.

Go play in the park. Gardens by the Bay is a nature reserve complete with its own family of free-range otters who you can find sleeping off lunch at the water’s edge. A series of three gardens here is dominated by a grove of “supertree” structures and by two domed conservatories, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.

Hit the high street. At one time merely fruit trees, nutmeg plantations and pepper farms, Orchard Road is now Singapore’s grand shopping boulevard, home to all your fashion favourites—the higher-end retailers, landmark shopping plazas and more.

WHERE TO STAY: THE ANDAZ
WHERE TO STAY: THE WAREHOUSE

Stop for toast. Weirdly, Singapore is obsessed with toast. Toasted sandwiches are filled with a thick slice of cold butter and a gooey, sweet layer of kaya jam, a coconut jam made from coconut milk and eggs, sugar and pandan leaf. This is then served with a hard-boiled egg.

TASTE TO TRY: RIBS FOR BREAKFAST

Learn new words. Due to the cultural mix, there are four official languages—English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil—but you will also hear many other tongues, including the colloquial “Singlish.”

When You Go. The best time to visit Singapore is from February to October, with May and June being the hottest months. November to January is the wet season. Pack lots of linen—and your flip-flops!

VISITSINGAPORE.COM
SINGAPOREAIR.COM

The post Singapore appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Singapore is the chameleon of Southeast Asia, its colourful history as a trading settlement still influencing all facets of life, including the local food. The vibrant mix of multiple cultures—Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and Malay—all overlap in the kitchen in delicious ways. Neighbourhood markets all have a food court of sorts, filled with rows of “hawker stalls,” little kiosks that produce their own particular specialty. The traditional foods sold here have laid the foundations for a new cuisine movement called Mod Sin (for Modern Singaporean), a twist on Grandma’s home cooking. Here are a few of the best-known, most iconic Singaporean dishes to try.

THINGS TO DO: IN SINGAPORE

Chee Cheong Fun. Begin your day two or three of these tasty rice noodle rolls, perfect for breakfasting on the go. These are steamed and served alongside soy, hoisin and/or sesame sauces, with roasted sesame seeds on top.

Roti John. Created by Malay who lived in Singapore during colonial times, this excellent street food is essentially an omelette sandwich of minced meat, onions, eggs and chili sauce on a baguette.

HOW-TO: ORDER COFFEE IN SINGAPORE

Carrot Cake. Paradoxically, this is neither carrot nor cake, but also an omelette-style savoury food made with diced turnip and pickled radish. Rice flour and white radish (the “carrot”) are mixed and steamed, cut into squares and then fried with garlic and eggs. This is more delicious than it sounds.

Chicken Rice. Half the population of Singapore sits down to a dish of chicken rice every day for lunch—and they will line up for the best stalls, so keep an eye out for lineups and join one.

Chili Crab. Spicy and delicious, a plastic-bib kind of food, chili crab is great to share with a table of fellow travellers and giant bottles of beer on an outdoor patio.

WHERE TO STAY: IN SINGAPORE

Laksa. A big hug in a bowl, this comforting noodle soup is a Peranakan dish made of wheat noodles or rice vermicelli done up with chicken, shrimp or fish in a spicy curry coconut broth.

Durian Puffs. People hate the unusual smell of this fruit, a combination of rotting onions and sulphur. The puffs are crispy choux pastries stuffed with durian-flavoured whipped cream.

 Pandan Cake. Of Malay origin, the pandan cake is a green chiffon confection, similar to an angle food cake with the hole in the middle. The pandan plant is similar in taste to vanilla.

TASTE TO TRY: RIBS FOR BREAKFAST

The post Chowing down in Singapore appeared first on TravelRight.Today.