Taya Starling

Singapore is one of the most unique cities in Asia.  I always tell people it’s the least Asian city in Asia since the first language is practically English (well Singlish really), it’s squeaky clean, & it has more shopping malls than hawker stands (a truly difficult feat in any Asian city).  When you first visit Singapore I recommend you hit a few important landmarks such as the Singapore Eye (Singapore’s attempt to one up London), the Merlion, the Gardens by the Bay (looking like something straight out of Avatar), the Zoo (one of my favorites in the world), the National Museum, any one of the numerous malls on Orchard Road, and of course Sentosa Island.  But once you’re done scratching that surface level, there are a few other places I think you should check out.

See there’s that mystical Merlion

First up is one of my favorite local haunts- Haji Lane

This colorful little lane is lined on both sides with plenty of shops and cafes to make for a nice afternoon without the usual stall air of a shopping mall.  I ventured over this past trip with my girls to show them a different side of Singapore.  Here are a few of my favorite spots:

CAD (Coffee Art Design) Cafe

23 Haji Lane

It’s a tiny little spot but just perfect for grabbing a cuppa joe and getting a bit of inspiration from the artful ambiance and coziness- my kinda spot to sit and get some creative work done on a week day.

Salad Shop

25 Haji Lane

Everything from home decor to accessories and clothes… this is my first stop shop every time I visit Haji Lane

Spoil Market

74 Haji Lane

Everything you see and more- a great spot to find a gift for a friend (:

Grammaha

66 Haji Lane

Great reworked vintage stuff out front and a cute little treat corner in the back fettering the Tiramisu Hero and some old school candies.  Would love to show you the vintage stuff up front and upstairs but the Nazi shopkeeper followed us around like a suspicious fly and insisted on no photography.  Clearly she doesn’t know who she’s dealing with.  No photography is just an invitation for me to get a good sneaky photo… and BOOYAH. 

Shop Wonderland

53 Haji Lane

The name alone drew me in and the shop doesn’t disappoint at all with all it’s cute home decor and stationary- i immediately felt the need to throw a dinner party of some sort.

Just around the corner from Haji Lane is Arab St. where you can find a plethora of fabric shops, hookah lounges, rug shops, halal restaurants, and this beautiful mosque. Sultan mosque, also known as Masjid Sultan, was built in 1824. It was proposed by Sultan Hussein himself and funded by the East India Company.

 Just down the way is a great local halal spot called Haja Maimunah on Jalan Pisang where you can find amazing dishes.  We had our friend Egan order since this is his go to in the area and this is what we got: Sambal Paru, Sambal Brinjal, Beef Rendang, Sambal Goreng, and some kinda yummy fish dish.  Its cafeteria style so you order, pay, take a number and they bring your dishes to you.  Amazing amounts of delicious food for the price, you should definitely make a trip by and just point if you can’t remember the names (;  

Walking back to Haji Lane after our lunch we discovered I AM… Cafe mainly because the gorgeous rainbow cake caught our eye and declared that we definitely still had room for dessert. This little open air cafe boasts a full menu of food along with coffee, juices, and these beautiful treats- check out that rainbow crepe cake!

As night settles in over Singapore the urge to grab some good solid Singaporean food takes hold and my first craving is always chili and pepper crab.  We headed to Sin Hoi Sai at Tiong Bahru to get real nice and local with it… Check out this swagged out bike in the restaurant corridor.

 I’ll be the first to tell you that my eyes are bigger than my stomach… Over- ordering is something I’ve been dealing with for years.  I even developed a series of recovery steps… All that goes out the window when it comes to a delicious meal I’ve been anticipating though. Whoops. On top of the chili crab… We also got pepper crab… AND coffee glazed spareribs, stir fried morning glory, muntoh, cereal prawns, and soup.  Then we walked the neighborhood in search of a dessert spot to seal the deal.  We stumbled up the Orange Thimble Cafe- happily stumbled I should say. A super cute local spot with yummy desserts, coffee, and unique ice cream flavors such as earl grey and lavender strawberry, we sat down for a sweet sweet ending.

A few other spots I didn’t get to hit but I’d recommend are

Food:

• P.S. Cafe
• The Book Cafe
• The Marmalade Pantry
• Wild Honey (Scott’s Square 4th floor, on Orchard Rd)
• Croute (491 River Valley Road)
• Antoinettes
• Em by the River
• Artichokes
• 40 hands cafe
• Kith Cafe
• Sabar Menanti  (get the nasi padang) 
  
• Long Beach
• No Sign Board
• Jumbo Seafood @ East Coast Seafood Centre
• Coriander Leaf
• ImperialTreasure
• There are several Imperial treasures actually as well as Crystal Jade, Din Tai Fung, etc., for really good chinese food
• Don Quijote on Dempsey Hill (which is a great area with lots of restaurants and bars etc.,
• There’s also House
• The Disgruntled Chef
• The White Rabbit