Made in Singapore — Discovering What Only Singapore Offers
Made in Singapore — Discovering What Only Singapore Offers
Cocktails hidden in a corner shop, the world’s largest bird park, and a forest bath at the airport. A search for the charms found only in Singapore, with fresh inspiration for travelers.
Words & Photos Hur Taewoo
In collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board
Eat and Drink Like a Local
Eat&Drink
Scaled by Ah Hua
The star of Jalan Besar, a street that has recently emerged as a dining destination, is without question Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong. This farm-to-table restaurant cooks seafood sourced directly from Ah Hua Kelong, a fish farm on Singapore’s northern coast. For locals accustomed to imported seafood, it has opened up a new horizon in dining. The seafood dishes served in this small, industrial-style restaurant are varied and delicious. Fresh sea bass, pomfret, mussels, and prawns appear as Indian-style curry, Korean-style fried dishes, Chinese stir-fries, and Italian pasta. Spices are never overused, so the natural flavor of the seafood shines through with real depth. Side dishes such as butter-grilled mantou buns and potatoes in XO sauce are also standouts. It feels as if the dishes of old establishments that once made their names in the hawker centers of Geylang or Little India have been reinterpreted in a contemporary Singaporean style.
Scaled by Ah Hua: www.scaled.sg
The Dragon Chamber
Step through the door and you find a tidy, traditional coffee shop, a kopi tiam, without a single customer. Don’t be alarmed. Follow the staff member’s glance, open the drinks fridge beside the counter, and walk in. A strangely eerie corridor follows, and at its end, through another door, lies The Dragon Chamber restaurant itself. With an atmosphere that blends a clandestine gambling den with a DJ club, the place specializes in bold Chinese cooking, so read the menu descriptions carefully before you order. Numbing Sichuan spices, nose-tingling truffle, and slow-simmered herbal aromas can leap out at you anywhere, at any time. There are pricey dishes such as steamed golden eye snapper and fried lobster, as well as startling ingredients like crocodile feet and genitals. After a proper meal, you may discover a hidden taste you never knew you had.
The Dragon Chamber: www.thedragonchamber.com
Coconut Club
This restaurant specializes in nasi lemak, a traditional Malaysian dish, and has been named a Bib Gourmand (meals under 45 Singapore dollars) in the Michelin Guide Singapore. It sources most of its ingredients from local Singaporean suppliers and is credited with raising nasi lemak to a new level through superb technique. In 2022, it opened a second location in a converted two-story shophouse on Beach Road in Kampong Glam. With a sunlit courtyard and cheerful pastel colors, the new restaurant has no empty seats even at weekday lunch. The signature dish is, of course, nasi lemak. It comes in three styles, chicken, beef, and fish, and the spicy sambal sauce whets the appetite. Add fried chicken, ayam goreng, or homemade otah, a Southeast Asian-style fish cake, and you have a fine Singaporean Malay meal. For a finish, I recommend the coconut shake.
Coconut Club: www.thecoconutclub.sg
Mama Diam
The name refers to the corner shops that once stood, one or two to a neighborhood, all over Singapore, and for locals they are full of childhood memories. Mama Diam is a speakeasy hidden at the back of just such a nostalgic shop. Behind a vintage display cabinet that opens like a door, you enter a simply decorated bar buzzing with lively conversation. The cocktails mixed by passionate bartenders are more than enough to summon locals’ memories. The witty lineup includes Kopi Cino, which blends coffee and alcohol; Childhood Delight, made with rum and White Rabbit Candy milk (Singapore’s national sweet); and Chai Tarik Brews, whiskey and milk tea served in a nostalgic OKI can. Thanks to this atmosphere and concept, it quickly established itself as a favorite speakeasy among Singaporeans. Recently, Mama Diam’s owner also opened Synthesis, a bar and restaurant with a different concept, in Suntec City mall. It is a mix of a hip lounge club and an old neighborhood Chinese medicine shop. Since opening, it has once again become the talk of the town among locals.
Mama Diam: www.mamadiamsg.com
Enjoy with the Family
Attraction
Bird Paradise
It’s time to forget Jurong Bird Park, long a celebrated tourist attraction in Singapore, because Bird Paradise at Mandai Wildlife Reserve has newly opened. It is the first fruit of Mandai’s plan to merge the existing Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, and other attractions into a sustainable, super-sized wildlife park. On 17 hectares live some 3,500 birds of more than 400 species, and every bird from Jurong Bird Park has moved here too. About 24 percent of them are threatened with extinction. In other words, this is the world’s largest bird zoo and also a conservation center that helps them survive and treats them. The facility even runs a specialized hospital that supports the treatment, rehabilitation, and breeding of birds. The variety of birds you meet in carefully zoned spaces is endlessly fascinating. Emperor and gentoo penguins live in Penguin Cove, the penguin habitat, while red birds including flamingos flock together in Crimson Wetlands. Join an expert-guided tour or a bird-feeding program for a chance to get close to the birds.
Bird Paradise: www.mandai.com/ko
The Palawan @Sentosa
Palawan Beach on Sentosa Island has been upgraded once again, thanks to The Palawan @Sentosa, which adds family-friendly attractions for leisure, relaxation, dining and play. The new facilities fill the gaps between the white sand and the palm trees, with something for every age group: UltraGolf, an 18-hole mini golf course; Splash Tribe, a beach club for children; +Twelve, a terrace beach club with an infinity pool; and The Palawan Food Trucks, which gather street food from around the world. Together they can keep the itinerary of any family traveler looking to venture beyond Sentosa’s resorts happily full.
The Palawan @Sentosa: www.thepalawansentosa.com
Stay in the Midst of Nature in the City
Stay
Park Royal Collection Pickering
This hotel is a landmark of Singapore’s nature-friendly architecture. When it opened in 2013, its sustainable design and operating policies created a major stir. The facade, which looks as though a tropical garden has been draped over the entire building, makes its values unmistakable. The green gardens, spread across four levels, total 15,000 square meters, and the rooftop Urban Farm grows 50 species of plants that can be used as ingredients. Light pours in through the windows across the front of the building, so every corner feels open and airy. Careful sustainability measures also stand out, from the active use of solar energy to the collection and recycling of rainwater. The organic design that flows from the entrance to the lobby and into the guest rooms is another draw. The outdoor infinity pool, set within the gardens, feels like an oasis in the heart of the city.
Park Royal Collection Pickering: www.panpacific.com
Experience Singapore Anew
Activity
Singapore Sidecar
Hop into the sidecar of a Vespa and race through Singapore with the wind in your face. It is perhaps the most exhilarating way to see the city from a unique perspective. Led by Simon Wond, the program has been named one of Singapore’s best tours on Tripadvisor several times. Themes range from Singapore’s cultural heritage to museums and galleries, food and drink, and custom tours are also available. At each stop, the driver explains the history and culture in detail and takes commemorative photos. The night tour, which glides beneath the dazzling lights of the skyline, makes passengers cheer out loud. Small pet dogs can ride along free of charge.
Singapore Sidecar: www.sideways.sg
Forest Therapy
Whether the forest is man-made or natural, it works. Follow the voice of forest therapy guide Youmin Yap, relax your body and open your mind, and your senses seem to expand. It is the moment you discover yourself connected to nature. Combining meditation, walking and, at times, yoga, forest therapy helps you reclaim a few hours of complete rest from a packed daily routine. Finish with a cup of tea, and you will feel refreshed, as if your wandering thoughts have simply vanished. Sessions take place outdoors, such as at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, as well as in distinctive spaces with trees, like the Shiseido Forest Valley inside Changi Airport.
Forest Therapy: xiunatureconnections.com