Singapore WHERE PASSION AND POSSIBILITIES MEET In association with tos_Singapore18-cover-ND-ND.indd 4 19/09/2018 4:33 PM D ROA RSON CPH P MA IE T H O M S O Toa Payoh N R O A Geylang D WAY (PIE) DUN RESS BUK EAR EXP IT T N RO AND IMA AD SL H R PAN I OAD D A O R E E H R T T O C C L E SIMS AVENUE LA R N R SERANGOON ROAD D A F Novena N R B GEYLANG ROAD OA UK D IT T IMA D H R R O AD A T S I Y Tanglin Little India KALLANG ROAD V A A W N S O C O O N U M RC B M E HA E H O RD N U T W RO Y R Q O E AD T A A E W N L Arab H TH E IG R H A T L V Quarter L Kallang OAD E S O O R N Orchard Road PH IC TEN U P I N AT E E R TB R UN S T R O E O D M IN E C R R H P T O S R R IA D KIM SENG ROAD R O East Coast River Valley T IC ST PARKWAY (ECP) H V EAST COA Park O S O T Q A T M U F K O E C R E I Colonial D Marina N A A R LEXA M S NDRA RO District D D W AD H AY A GA I E Y NGES AVENUE GH R R AFFL R TIO S ES AV A N TR JA G BA E H HRU R E OAD T EX PR ES SW ) A E Y (A Bukit Merah T YE) (C J Y Chinatown LAOS ALA A N B SSW MYANMAR THAILAND VIETNAM UK RE T IT XP E CBD M L E E ER A R A R T D H T S CAMBODIA A N E N Pulau Tioman O E Marina C S R NG City Park A TO P R U EC PA D E SIR RAFFLES QUAY PAN N JA A NG R X Marina South OA E BRUNEI D L A MALAYSIA SINGAPORE Mount Faber D A Park O R INDONESIA T L EL E O P Labrador K P B E 0500 miles Park LA K NG AH ROAD Harbourfront 500 km AG ASOTNES AG Pulau Brani Malaysia Johor Causeway Sembawang YAWET Malaysia Woodlands Sungei Buloh Mandai Singapore Zoo Pulau Ubin Night Safari Lim Chu Kang & River Safari Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Ang Mo Kio Singapore Tuas Secon Changi Jurong Singapore Tampines Bishan d Link MacRitchie Toa Payoh Sentosa Reservoir Jurong Bird Park Little India Dempsey Hill Kampong Glam Katong & Joo Chiat Orchard Road Bras Basah & Bugis Chinatown Queenstown Tiong Bahru Marina Bay Jurong Island Labrador Park Marina Bay Singapore Cruise Centre Cruise Centre Sentosa WELCOME 06km 06km This isSingapore–wherepassionandpossibilitiesmeet. toexperience. possibilitiesfortravellers about creatingnew andreimaginingitselfwithpeoplewhoarepassionate reinventing evolving, thiscitythatisconstantly Join usindiscovering a medicinehall(p33)orpayingtributetotheMerlion(p35). of thetallesttreesinAsia(p35),drinkingatacraftbeerbar in walking amongsome mayfindyourself in thesepagesandyou intoanyofthe12areasdetailed about theLittleRedDot.Venture know thinkyou whatyou gobeyond This guidebookwillhelp Indonesia thelatestinfoonSingaporesee For changes. Info iscorrectattimeofprintingbutmay besubjectto enquiriesonthebookcall Board.For Tourism the Singapore behalf of on Guide Division Custom Publishing Pty& Digital Print by Ltd’s Produced Associate Publisher Guide Editor Editor’s note Charlene Fang Charlene Fang 020.5 1 1.5 km Phil Bunting Sub Editor MD, TimeOutAustralia VisitSingapore.com Nick Dent NickDent +61 282395990 3 the city they love. the citytheylove. who’ll sharetheirsecretsabout passionate Singaporelocals toseven you but introduces sightseeing andnightlife, Singapore’s eating,shopping, guideto only acomprehensive Guide. Thiseditionpresentsnot of theTimeOutSingapore THE TO WELCOME 0 Designer MichaelRodrigues orvisit Mitchell Moore MitchellMoore media.au.timeout.com 2019 edition 2019edition 012 miles 020.5 1 1.5 2.5 3 km © Copyright Time Out Group 2007 WELCOME CHANGI AIRPORT Welcome to the Little Red Dot BUKIT TIMAH NATURE RESERVE Whatever you choose to call for, Singapore has it. As a quick into a landing strip by removing Singapore – the Little Red Dot, the introduction, here are some fun the potted plants in the middle. Lion City (see below), or Singapour facts about its history and culture... (thanks to its humidity) – it is 3 The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve anything but Singabore. 1 It’s popularly believed Singapore’s has more tree species than the whole These days, it’s full of passionate original name – Singapura – meaning of North America. See p44. changemakers crafting unique and ‘Lion City’ in Malay – was given when diverse experiences that are authentic the city’s 13th century founder, Sang 4 The Singapore Flyer observation yet inclusive. From local craft beer Nila Utama, saw a lion when he first wheel had its direction changed a bars to Michelin-starred restaurants, arrived on these shores. few months after the official opening, mindblowing hawker food on every as feng shui masters believed that it corner to lush nature reserves, 2 While Changi Airport has won should draw the sea water (symbolic skyscrapers that defy the imagination numerous accolades for being one of wealth) into the land rather than to dynamic global events – not to of the world’s best, it may also boast away. See p35. mention a growing number of creative one of the world’s most unique talents – this island crams a lot into runways. The East Coast Parkway 5 Singapore is one of only three its 720km2 space. (ECP) is an automobile expressway city-states in the world (the other two Whatever experience you’re looking that was designed to be converted being Monaco and Vatican City). SINGAPORE FLYER 4 5 Introducing the Guide Passion Tribes for foodies PASSION TRIBES Chef Malcolm Lee leads a trail through Singapore, peppered by his love for food and Peranakan heritage KATONG LAKSA Little India A taste of aromatic biryani (an Indian spiced rice dish with meat or vegetables) at Tekka Centre is a fitting way to start the day. Mustafa Centre For bargains, pay a visit to the 24- hour Mustafa Centre. This eight- storey complex in Little India stocks everything from mobile phones to perfume and kitchen appliances. Bukit Merah Get dinner at Keng Eng Kee, whose speciality coffee pork ribs and chilli crab are some of my favourite dishes. Malcolm worked his way from Katong Laksa Foodie humble line cook to his current LITTLE INDIA Start the day with a steaming bowl of Katong Laksa. role as chef-owner of Peranakan Malcolm Lee restaurant Candlenut. “There’s a Katong & Joo Chiat reason why we’re called a ‘kitchen Stay to explore the Katong/Joo Chiat neighbourhood, home to THIS MICHELIN-STARRED CHEF brigade’. When service time hits, iconic Peranakan architecture. SERVES UP A TASTER OF THE the kitchen turns into a warzone,” CITY THAT INSPIRES HIM Malcolm says. “But I love the cuts, Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant the burns, the camaraderie.” Go here for a hearty, traditional Peranakan lunch. Since 1953, Malcolm Lee grew up with the smell It’s not just the adrenaline of the Guan Hoe Soon has been serving of spices from his grandmother’s kitchen that drives his passion: to up Straits Chinese favourites. traditional Peranakan (Straits Malcolm, food is a way of creating Geylang Serai Chinese) dishes. Today he’s one of a a deep connection with both friends Geylang Serai Market. has handful of Singaporean chefs to have and strangers. “I believe the essence everything you need to cook Malay won a Michelin Star, and is constantly of Peranakan food is really about food, from fresh seafood and looking for ways to both preserve and people. Food is love, and I hope spices to coconut milk. innovate the flavours of his youth. people can feel that.” SINGAPORE ZOO 6 7 Guide for nature lovers PASSION TRIBES Subaraj Rajathurai takes you into the untamed areas of Singapore that he has fought to preserve MacRitchie Nature Trail & Reservoir Park Head over to MacRitchie Reservoir Park, a water catchment area in the heart of Singapore. The oldest rainforest in this region is here. The diversity is amazing. If you’re lucky, SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS you’ll cross paths with long-tailed macaque monkeys and flying lemurs. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Spend your afternoon bird watching at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, home to diverse inhabitants such as Explorer watersnakes, herons and otters. Singapore Botanic Gardens Subaraj Rajathurai Spend your evening relaxing at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Be sure to A WILDLIFE CONSULTANT SHARES HIS LOVE OF NATURE visit the Learning Forest, a lush habitat that’s home to some of the tallest tree species in Southeast Asia. Many of Singapore’s nature reserves still be more to learn,” says Subaraj, exist due to the efforts of individuals who fell in love with the rainforest at Pulau Ubin MACRITCHIE NATURE TRAIL & RESERVOIR PARK This island was nearly turned into like Subaraj Rajathurai, a self-taught the age of 18, during a visit to Bukit industrial and housing estates. naturalist and wildlife consultant. Timah Reserve. Singapore’s blend Nature co-exists with humans here. Over the last 35 years, he has of urban landscapes and hidden You’ll find wildlife in the fruit orchards, campaigned behind the scenes ecosystems keeps him fighting hornbills in the villages, and grey herons in its quarries. to preserve ecosystems including against rampant urbanisation: Sungei Buloh, a mangrove forest in “In Singapore, you can get from a Chek Jawa northwest Singapore that was slated five-star hotel to a rainforest in 20 On Pulau Ubin, make your way to its for redevelopment by the government minutes.” You’ll find Subaraj still southeastern hook, which is home to the Chek Jawa Wetlands.