Chinatown, Singapore

Article by: Katie Falkiner, May 2006

Singapore housing

Some taxi drivers will still throw you a dubious glance when you ask to be taken to Keong Siak Rd even though the conversion of old shop houses into mid-range and budget boutique hotels has made the area slightly more salubrious. It is, however, still a reasonably colourful road (by Singapore's standards), wearing shades of its past as the domain of Chinatown's seedier denizens.

Thirty years ago the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) decided to start knocking down the old colonial shop fronts. It took the destruction of a significant number of buildings before it occurred to the URA that they were indeed destroying the charm of Chinatown and thankfully put the brakes on before character annihilation was complete.

the smell of dried fish and incense is the background for a heady psychedelic mix of South East Asian tropical fruits and a field of leafy green veggies.

These mottled streets are now enjoying a spirited resurrection. Young Singaporeans are setting up stylish bars and restaurants, and funky boutique hotels. Taking a hotel in Keong Siak Rd or near Smith or Club Sts, will put you within walking distance of some of Singapore's best hawker food and most entertaining night life. It's a walk that will take you past colourful shop fronts filled with Chinese medicines, tailors, homewares and charmingly crummy souvenirs. You may have to run the gauntlet of massage touts and stallholders but the sweet smell of kopi and the background chink of mah jong tiles cut a swathe through the cacophony and floats an odd serenity over the bustle.

Chinatown Complex Food Centre

Smith St is the hawker centre that the tourist brochures will tell you about and, while there's no denying that it is a great place grab some food and a large bottle of Tiger Beer (a godsend after a day walking in sticky shoes through the heat and humidity), the Chinatown Complex Food Centre (see below) will afford you a more authentic eating experience. Here you can hunker down to fried carrot cake and oyster omelettes at a fraction of the cost. It ain't tourist-scenic like Smith St, but then this isn't part of Singapore tourists are meant to see. A good rule of thumb is to keep an eye out for Makansutra commended restaurants. Makansutra writes a guide to hawker stalls in Singapore and any place that carries his seal of approval is one of Singapore's finest.

It ain't tourist-scenic like Smith St, but then this isn't part of Singapore tourists are meant to see

If you fancy some self-catering, whip downstairs to the 'wet market' in the Chinatown Complex. The smell of dried fish and incense is the background for a heady psychedelic mix of South East Asian tropical fruits and a field of leafy green veggies. This is a part of Singapore where English won't be much use, while gesticulating wildly will just result in bemused looks. Persevere, however, and you'll bag the tastiest take-home char siu pork in Singapore.

The heat can be stifling in Singapore, so a mid-afternoon nap to escape the worst of it makes a lot of sense and recharges the batteries in time to launch yourself into Chinatown at night, when the area really bursts to life. Jostle at the hawker stalls before hunkering down in one of the slinky new bars to admire the supermodel-esque crowds. If you want something a little more flavoursome, there are a plethora of slightly questionable venues to play in such as Talk Cock Sing Song, which roughly translates from Singlish as a place to 'talk nonsense'.

So flip that coin. Take that gamble and hopefully you will find yourself in the arms of the old-school charms of this hot, funky, fragrant, demanding heart of Chinese Singapore.