Things to do in Singapore City
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Indian Handicraft Centre
Cushions, fabrics, screens, statuettes, cabinets, furniture – anything Indian you can put in a house can be found here. The shop is too small to accommodate everything they have, so if you’re after something specific, ask the owners.
reviewed
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Wild Child
A refreshing antidote to the overbearing Kidz ’R’ Uz world of mass production. Parents-to-be and baby-shower shoppers of a more traditional bent will love this collection of cribs, toys and other Victorian-style nursery decorations.
reviewed
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Next Page
This is where Hunter S Thompson would have hung out if he’d been a journo in Singapore. Dark timber bar, red lanterns, exposed brickwork, booths, pool table, Carlsberg on tap and quirky bartenders – sit down and write the next page of your novel.
reviewed
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Gorkha Grill
Recommended by readers, this affordable, all-comers curry house serves up a peak of the Himalayas in Chinatown. Try the Kashmiri chicken curry, or the jheenge papita (prawns marinated in wine and mountain herbs, served in a papaya boat).
reviewed
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BluJaz Cafe
Live jaz (sic) is only played here on Saturday nights and on the first Monday each month. This bohemian-decorated eatery is popular for its wide range of Asian and Western dishes and the belly dancer on the first and third Friday of each month.
reviewed
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Dolphin Lagoon
Dolphin Lagoon at Palawan Beach is where Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins (aka pink dolphins) dutifully perform at 11am, 1pm, 3.30pm and 5.30pm. For S$150 you can swim with the dolphins (call or check the website for bookings).
reviewed
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Superbowl - The Art of Eating Congee
There aren't many American gridiron players here, but we did find dozens of MSG-free varieties of congee (Chinese porridge). Try it with 'drunken' chicken, pigs' kidneys, preserved eggs, or a more appetising-sounding combo of your own.
reviewed
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Books Actually
A charming little bookstore with an excellent and eclectic selection of literary fiction (think Burroughs and Murakami), toys, cameras, objets d’art and the prerequisite shelf of Moleskines. Its imprint, Math Paper Press, publishes local poets.
reviewed
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Royal Selangor Pewter Gallery
On the western end of Clarke Quay is the Royal Selangor Pewter Gallery. Walk through the back where pewter-casting demos are run, then gawp at or buy the shiny stuff in the retail cabinets. It also runs pewtersmithing courses.
reviewed
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Canteen
Unappealing office-block views fail to deter romantic couples here, gazing into each other's eyes over sharp-edged tablecloths and weathered floorboards. The fare is meaty - the veal cheek cooked in red wine and orange reduction is a standout.
reviewed
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Kim Choo Kueh Chang
Joo Chiat is stuffed with bakeries and desserts, but Kim Choo retains that old-world atmosphere, selling its traditional pineapple tarts and other gaudy Peranakan desserts from a wooden counter that looks more like an apothecary’s shop.
reviewed
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Cha Cha Cha
For a Singaporean slant on Mexican classics, Cha Cha Cha makes an interesting outing. Join the pallid expats sucking cigarettes on the forecourt or head into the cheery yellow dining room for crab-meat enchiladas and margaritas by the pitcher.
reviewed
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Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple
The Taoist Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple translates as Calm Sea Temple. Dating from 1826, it’s an atmospheric place – giant incense coils smoulder over an empty courtyard while a village of tiny plaster figures populates the roof.
reviewed
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Colours by the Bay
Colours by the Bay comprises seven different Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants, where you can sit at one and order from any of the others. The Garlic Restaurant creatively uses the pungent bulb in many of its dishes, including ice cream!
reviewed
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Altivo & Glass Bar
Part of the small complex atop Mt Faber Hill that sucks in the cable car and spits it out towards Sentosa, the Altivo outdoor lounge and impossibly hip indoor Glass Bar are both magical spots to watch dusk slide into night over the sea below.
reviewed
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Palm Beach Seafood
There’s not a palm or a beach in sight (name inherited from its parent branch at East Coast Parkway), but the bay views from this split-level diner are pretty good. Groups of suits spin the lazy Susan, enjoying baked, steamed and fried crabs.
reviewed
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Post Bar
Named the Post Bar, as it retains the original ceiling of the General Post Office, this classy lounge bar within the glorious Fullerton Hotel lobby is way upmarket, without being snobbish. It also serves the best mojitos this side of Havana.
reviewed
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Smith St Hawker Centre
You can't quite beat dinner in the open air - and clearly thousands of people agree, which is why Smith St Hawker Centre is such a hit. Grab a table, order a barbecued seafood feast, an endless stream of cold Tigers, and your night is made.
reviewed
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Poison Ivy Bistro
Set in the wonderfully peaceful Bollywood Veggies organic farm, Poison Ivy Bistro is the perfect place to stop. The food, using veggies from the farm, is nothing to write home about, but the rural location makes it special.
reviewed
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Thanying
Thanying is one of Singapore’s best Thai restaurants. Meticulously prepared Royal Thai curries and stir-fries are shuffled out by efficient, unintrusive staff in a slightly ostentatious setting. There’s a recently opened branch in Sentosa.
reviewed
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RAV
Unrelentingly red with disco balls aplenty, RAV is Circular Rd's stand-out club, pumping out everything from acid jazz to Motown to under-30s. Big-name local DJ Illusion is a regular; gals are regular recipients of free-flow 'housepours'.
reviewed
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Soup Restaurant
One of 11 'Soups' around town celebrating dishes enjoyed by Samsui women, tough Chinese construction-worker gals. House specialities are the double-boiled medicinal soups which (amongst other things) prevent coldness and cure 'windiness'.
reviewed
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Sakana
Sakana is one of those great little informal eateries you so rarely find outside Japan - super-compact and uncomplicated with tiny screened booths, calligraphic art and rattling racks of sake bottles. Try the set lunch for S$15.
reviewed
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Yum Cha Restaurant
This capacious place with broad clattering floorboards and grumpy trolley ladies serves from early till late, so there's no excuse for going hungry. Munch into bite-sized prawn-and-abalone or crystal-chive dumplings at bite-sized prices.
reviewed
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Peach Garden
For a Chinese restaurant with a view, it's tough to beat this one - and the food and service are immaculate too. Try to reserve a window table well in advance and tuck into superb dim sum, or try the duck, roast goose or lobster noodles.
reviewed