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KEONG SAIK
This precinct in the heart of Chinatown has
one of Singapore’s most colourful histories.
Back in the day, Keong Saik Road was home to
the mistresses of wealthy Chinese merchants.
By the ’60s, it was teeming with brothels
and became the notorious Sio Loh Kuan
Secret Society’s turf. The area has since been
gentrified. Art Deco and pre-war shophouses
that line the street now house boutique
hotels, upscale restaurants, bars and swanky
cake and bread shops, which stand cheek by
jowl with hawker stalls and offices.

Don’t miss The colourful Sri Layan Sithi

Vinayagar Temple (73 Keong Saik Road) at the
intersection with Kreta Ayer Road was built in
1925 by chettiars from South India, who were
mostly moneylenders, to house a shrine for
Vinayagar (or the Elephant God, Ganesha).
Between Thursdays and Sundays, watch
devotees making 108 pragarams (circling
around the sanctum) to fulfil their vows.

Local flavours, old and new Tong

Ah Eating House (35 Keong Saik Road) is a
kopitiam (traditional coffee shop) institution
famous for crispy kaya toast and traditional
coffee with butter. Its zi char (Cantonese-style
stir-fried dishes) favourites like coffee pork
ribs and sambal chicken also draw patrons.
Tong Ah’s old premises is now occupied
by Potato Head Folk (36 Keong Saik Road),
a three-in-one F&B concept including a
gourmet burger joint. A short walk away,
Copper (10 Jiak Chuan Road) is a quirky,
intimate bar offering gin-based concoctions
spiked with teas, spices and herbs.

Shop At Rose Citron (23 Keong Saik Road),

designer Zoe Borie cleverly combines French
flair with Asian motifs and fabrics to create
unique fashion items, toys and furnishings. 

The former Tong Ah
Eating House, now home

to trendy Potato Head
Folk. Right: Spam

fries from retro chic
cocktail bar Copper

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LITTLE INDIA / JALAN BESAR
The area from Little India to Jalan Besar has
always been an assault to the senses. Little
India is a melange of colour, heady scents,
clamouring traffic and vendors peddling
textiles, fresh produce and flower garlands,
while adjacent Jalan Besar is dotted with
hardware stores, vehicle workshops,
backpacker hostels, clan associations and
karaoke bars. What was once a swampland
with tracts of grassland and pig abattoirs
became mills, factories and brick kilns as
trade developed in Singapore. Today, it’s an
emerging hipster hangout with art galleries,
pop-up shops, concept stores and cafés, all
drawn by the gritty charm of one of the city’s
liveliest districts.

Don’t miss The newly opened Indian

Heritage Centre (5 Campbell Lane) is a sight to
behold with a gleaming glass façade reflecting
the surrounding heritage shophouses in the
day. Learn about the origins, migration and
lives of early Indians in Singapore, and take in
a variety of arts performances and workshops.

Local flavours, old and new The

stalwart South Indian vegetarian restaurant,
Komala Vilas (76 Serangoon Road), has been
dishing out dosas (rice crepes), idlis (savoury
rice and lentil cakes) and thalis (rice set with
a variety of vegetables) for over 60 years. Its
menu has also expanded to include North
Indian naans and vegetable dishes. At The
Refinery (115 King George’s Avenue, #01-02),
self-billed as an all-in-one grill, bar and
workspace, the Salted Egg Onion Rings hit
all the right umami spots. Also drop by Chye
Seng Huat Hardware (150 Tyrwhitt Road), a
café housed in a former hardware shop,
that’s famous for its bottled chilled coffee
made from Ethiopian beans.

Shop Tyrwhitt General Company (150A

Tyrwhitt Road) stocks made-in-Singapore
shoes, bags, jewellery, timepieces and
tchotchkes by independent designers and
emerging craftsmen. For sheer variety, it’s
hard to beat Mustafa Centre (145 Syed Alwi
Road) – akin to a livelier, colourful Walmart.
It has everything from saris and sports gear to
electronics and edibles from round the world.

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Clockwise from KAMPONG GLAM
left: Colourful The historic heart of Singapore’s Malay
community, Kampong Glam was once home to
mural at the Indian a diverse population that included the Arabs,
Heritage Centre; Javanese and Baweanese. Recently, the area
has seen an influx of independent retail outlets,
made-in-Singapore eclectic lifestyle stores, izakayas, cafes, jazz
keepsakes in bars and arts spaces in and around the rows
of well-preserved shophouses - built in a
Tyrwhitt General range of architectural styles - along Arab,
Company; Arabic Kandahar and Bussorah Streets.

coffee at Beirut Don’t miss The heart and soul of the
Grill; Masjid
district is Masjid Sultan (3 Muscat Street),
Sultan; Grill Bar, the country’s most impressive and largest
The Refinery mosque, with grand balustrades, dramatic
minarets and Mughal-style cupolas. Look out
for the base of the “onion” domes made from
black glass bottles donated by poor Muslims
during its reconstruction.

Local flavours, old and new Century-

old Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant (697 North
Bridge Road) serves tasty murtabaks (flaky bread
stuffed with eggs, meat and onions) and teh tarik
(milky pulled tea). For lighter fare, head to Beirut
Grill (72 Bussorah Street) for authentic koftas
(spiced meatballs), shawarmas (grilled meats)
and fatteh (pita with chickpeas and yogurt).

Shop Bobby Fabrics (57 Arab Street) is an

Aladdin’s cave with every imaginable material in
various colours, prints and patterns. The helpful
staff will be happy to recommend the perfect
fabric. On the parallel street is Soon Lee (73 Haji
Lane), a tastefully curated women’s boutique
that has works from local designers. 

51

This page: The
distinctive ‘Streamline
Moderne’ architecture
of Tiong Bahru’s
estate. Facing page:
Vintage and retro
items for sale in
BooksActually;
Bincho, a tiny
Japanese bar
and restaurant

The estate’s
buildings were
inspired by
the industrial
age... design
features that
echo the
curves and
aerodynamic
lines of
automobiles,
trains, ocean
liners and
airplanes

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TIONG BAHRU
The 30 low-rise apartment blocks in the area,
built in the ‘30s, are the earliest iterations
of public housing in Singapore. Built in a
minimalist architectural style known as
‘Streamline Moderne’, the estate’s buildings
were inspired by the industrial age of the
’20s, with design features that echo the
curves and aerodynamic lines of automobiles,
trains, ocean liners and airplanes. Thankfully,
the neighbourhood has retained much of
its original look, feel and charm despite its
recent transformation into an indie enclave.

Don’t miss Block 78 (which straddles

Moh Guan Terrace and Guan Chuan Street)
is designed in the shape of a horseshoe,
and was once the only five-storey building
in Tiong Bahru. Historically, it features
Singapore’s first civillian air raid shelter
in a public housing project, which was
used to accommodate up to 1,500 people
during WWII.

Local flavours, old and new

Perhaps nothing encompasses the duality of
Tiong Bahru’s dining scene better than Bincho
at Hua Bee (78 Moh Guan Terrace, #01-19), a
mee pok (Chinese noodles) hawker stall during
the day, and yakitori kitchen and drinking
den in the evenings. As the focal point of the
neighbourhood, the Tiong Bahru Market and
Food Centre (corner of Lim Liak and Seng Poh
Streets) boasts some heavyweight hawker
stalls on the second level and is reportedly
a favourite haunt of celebrity chef Tetsuya
Wakuda. Try chwee kueh (rice cakes and fried
preserved radish) from Jian Bo Shui Kueh
(#02-05), and the famous pork ribs prawn
noodles from Min Nan (#02-31).

Shop Not just a bookstore, BooksActually

(9 Yong Siak Street) champions local writers
by publishing their works and hosting
literary gatherings. Of note are its elegantly
hand-bound notebooks and Singaporean
memorabilia. Stop by old-school pastry
shop Galicier Confectionery (55 Tiong
Bahru Road, #01-39) to sample Nonya kueh
(Peranakan sweets) and cart home a bottle
of pineapple tarts. 

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JOO CHIAT skillfully dabbing a thin layer of dough onto Above: Joo Chiat PHOTOS: COURTESY OF POTATO HEAD FOLK; COURTESY OF INDIAN HERITAGE CENTRE/AARON POCOCK; GETTY IMAGES
Where cotton and coconut plantations used to hot griddles to cook. Get the popiah set with is peppered with
be is now a thriving, dynamic neighbourhood. the skins and all the necessary ingredients these colourful,
In the early 20th century, significant numbers for the filling to test drive your popiah Peranakan-style
of Peranakans and Eurasians moved into the wrapping skills. Over at Immigrants: The
area to live alongside the Chinese, Malays and Singapore Gastrobar (467 Joo Chiat Road), shophouses.
Indians. Joo Chiat’s multi-ethnic influences the modern, industrial space belies the Below: A plate of
are most prominent in its architecture and authenticity of its home-style Peranakan popiah sliced into
dining. Some of the best examples of its and Eurasian dishes. A winner is the Sambal
diverse architecture can be found along Koon Buah Keluak Fried Rice, a fragrant creation bite-size pieces
Seng and Everitt Roads and Joo Chiat Place. that’s a riff on the popular Nonya buah keluak
(Indonesian black nut) spiced meat stews.
Don’t miss One of the neighbourhood’s
Shop Lug home Nonya rice dumplings from
best-kept secrets is The Intan (69 Joo Chiat
Terrace; visits by appointment only; call family-owned Kim Choo Kueh Chang (60 Joo
+65 6440 1148), a private Straits Chinese Chiat Place). While you’re here, explore the
museum showcasing owner Alvin Yapp’s large gallery of ornate Peranakan crockery and
collection of Peranakan furniture, costumes objets d’art. For modern Peranakan-inspired
and trinkets.You can also pre-book for tea bijoux, check out Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery
or dinner – a chance to tuck into authentic (331 Joo Chiat Road). Her new Warisan Ice
Nonya dishes prepared by Yapp’s mother. Jade collection features pretty one-of-a-kind
pieces made of jadeite set in 18-carat solid
Local flavours, old and new rose gold. Look for the Butterfly ring that
does double duty as a necklace pendant. 
Since 1938, the Quek family behind Kway
Guan Huat (95 Joo Chiat Road) has been
making popiah (spring roll) skins by hand,

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