Singapore: World City. Kim Inglis
South Indian cuisine is well represented in Singapore as many early immigrants were Tamils: super-spicy curries, often utilizing coconut milk and flavoured with mint, curry and coriander leaves, are a particular favourite served on banana leaves in numerous inexpensive restaurants in the Little India area. That’s not to say that north Indian tandoor cuisine, as well as Indian Muslim food isn’t popular: roti prata (derived from the word paratha) is a crispy-crunchy type of pancake served with curry often as a late-night, post-clubbing snack, while a number of different biriyani or saffron-scented rice dishes are also well liked.
On the Chinese front, there are literally too many authentic cuisines to mention: Be it Szechuan, Cantonese, Teochew or Hakka, Chinese chefs are very inventive, with many adapting their dishes to local tastes and ingredients. Some of the best loved are seafood dishes like chilli crab, arguably Singapore’s national dish, with crispy duck hot on its heels! Fried spring rolls or popiah make for a tasty snack, while staple noodle or mee dishes, won ton dumplings and Hainanese chicken rice, steamed and served with a clear chicken stock, are all firm favourites amongst Singaporeans.
Peranakan women, called Nyonya, are famed in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore for their home cooking which is an expressive medley of eclecticism. In Nyonya dishes, we see the Malay fondness for chillies, belacan (dried shrimp paste) and coconut flesh and milk incorporated into traditional Chinese recipes. Pungent, spicy and fragrant, cooks say it is all in the preparation—which can literally take hours. Extended periods of marination, all spices pounded fresh, only the freshest of local ingredients and the best cuts—all contribute to this delightfully distinctive cuisine.
Finally, we cannot finish a description of food without mentioning the importance of Malay cuisine. Essentially a mixture of peninsular Malaysia dishes with influences from the Indonesian islands, most dishes are served with rice. Satay, small bamboo skewers with chunks of chicken, mutton or beef, marinated then grilled over charcoal and dipped in a spicy peanut sauce finds its way into many kitchens. Or try nasi goreng, a fried rice dish that is really as much Chinese as Malay; it’s a good example of the multi-national flavour of Singaporean cuisine.
Singapore lends itself to casual outdoor dining, and nowhere is this more apparent than along the Singapore river. Here, a row of pubs, eateries, and even a microbrewery line the river at Riverside Point.
SHOPPING
THE OTHER NATIONAL OBSESSION
A poster advertising Singapore’s annual Fashion Festival. Humour in a road- side sign on Orchard Road. Jutting out over the waters of Marina Bay is the Moshi Safdie designed futuristic glass-and-steel pavilion that houses one of only 12 Louis Vuitton Island Maison stores found worldwide.
When people talk about shopping they invariably mention "Orchard", as Singapore’s equivalent of Fifth Avenue in New York or Oxford Street in London is known. A 1.5 km one-way street lined with malls, hotels and offices, Orchard Road contains every brand one can think of—and more. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this is your only option: Singapore has plenty of other retail therapy on offer.
Even though you aren’t likely to bag a bargain, unless you shop during late May to early July when the Great Singapore Sale is on, what you will find in Singapore is a huge choice of goods and a very convenient shopping experience. It is easy to get from mall to mall, quality is high and prices are fixed, so you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off. But if the mall isn’t for you, there are steamy bazaars, outdoor wet markets (for fruit, veg, fish and meat, as well as sundry other goods), small neighbourhood shops usually on the ground floor of shophouses, and a few well-established department stores. Singaporeans seem to obsess about shopping almost as obsessively as they obsess about food—so there is something for everybody in pretty much every category.
Diversity is also to be found in the goods on offer: From international brand names to quirky local and Asian labels, fashion is well represented. Singapore is keen to be seen as the region’s fashion capital with its annual Singapore Fashion Festival in April unveiling collections from international powerhouses and talented Asian designers alike. Along with the parties and press releases, there are runway shows and fashion exhibitions as well. For the most part, Orchard is your best bet for Western clothes, whilst regional attire may be found elsewhere: saris in Little India and sarong and kebaya in Chinatown and the Arab Quarter, for example.
These areas are also good for a more local shopping experience. Chinese silks, traditional Chinese medicines and herbs, Asian antiques and crafts, made-in-China souvenirs, and more are all to be found in the grid of lanes off South Bridge Road in Chinatown. For sure, there’s a lot of tourist tat, but the atmosphere in this buzzy area of low-rise shophouses is an attraction in itself. Similarly, the Arab Quarter is worth a wander: set around the Sultan Mosque are a number of small lanes of shophouses carrying a good selection of fabrics ranging from Indonesian and Malaysian batiks to Chinese silks and Indian cottons, as well as handmade perfume bottles and basket wares. And if it is Indian wares you are after—saris, incense, gold jewellery, henna tattoos and the like—the alleyways and shops around Serangoon Road won’t disappoint. This is also the location of Mustafa: open 24 hours a day, this venerable institution stocks an eclectic collection of goods from Bollywood DVDs to white goods, fresh food, luggage and electronics.
An exterior view of ION Orchard captures the curvy structure of this landmark shopping mall designed by British architects Benoy in 2009.
A sculptural Chinese New Year decoration graces Orchard Road in front of the up-market Paragon shopping mall. The theme in 2012 for the decorations was "Colourful & Brilliant".
Modern art is readily available in Singapore, both at galleries and specialist art fairs.
An indie fashion store on trendy Haji Lane in the Arab Quarter.
Chinese porcelain pieces in a high-end antiques gallery.
A catwalk show of designs from Priyadarshini Rao at the annual Singapore Fashion Festival.
A row of select shops lines the mall at Resorts World Sentosa.
A selection of rare and authentic Khmer, Thai, Burmese and Chinese sculptures and Chinese ceramics from Asia Ancient Gallery.
All the high-end, international brands, including Prada, line the malls on Orchard.
Even though the latter aren’t as cheap as they used to be, there are a few malls that deal exclusively in electronic goods, from cameras to computers and an assortment of accessories. Here, you can do a bit of bargaining and it pays to do some research before you arrive: many of the shopkeepers have a great sales patter. The same can be said for the carpet sellers: a number of carpet dealers have made Singapore their home over the generations and they stock an extensive selection of Middle Eastern and Asian carpets and rugs. But, remember, they are true professionals; before you know it, you’ll be organizing a shipment of rugs that you didn’t need or particularly want!
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