Covetourist is a grid travel guide written by fashion insiders. Consider these best places to eat, see and shop, full of locals, only the gems hidden by locals, your algorithm won't show you.
Ten years ago, I moved from Singapore to New York City. When the taxi pulled to my first apartment in West Village, I noticed a restaurant called Chomp Chomp, named after the iconic hawker center. I didn't even glance at the menu in the windows, I knew this was the place in Singapore. Somehow, no matter where you go, home can follow and find you.
Singapore sits at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula: nearly 6 million city islands on the equator, which are hot all year round (that's probably why summer is my season). This is where I grew up with other major ethnic groups (Malays and Indians) as ethnic Chinese. We all speak English and code switching to prompt for Singlish, blending English and local languages as familiar and kinship gestures. But sometimes this is the only way to point out the key points. Our multicultural makeup permeates every inch of the city: our tastes, our habits, our lifestyles.
The beauty of living abroad is the opportunity to return home with newly discovered miracles and gratitude. Explore with fresh eyes and find ways to stay in touch even from a distance.
These are some of my favorite attractions in Singapore. This is by no means an exhaustive list, especially when it comes to food, but I hope you see Singapore really rich (beyond the “crazy Asian version” version).
Shopping in Singapore
sojao
Stacey Pamela Chia
Health Club
Stacey Pamela Chia
New Baru
New Bahru is the town’s latest lifestyle destination, bringing together 40 local creative talents and businesses under one roof. Omno has sustainable skin care and hair care; crispy shirts from ready-to-wear brands are good; multidisciplinary design studios outside of the vine; Studio Yono’s art and design objects; and Sojao’s family essentials. Check out public art programming there. As you stroll through the shop, you are strolling in the halls of a renovated former teaching building, which gives the new Bahru all the charm.
Health Club
Recognizing the close connection between beauty and health, and the need to be in the rushing speed of life in Singapore, Sabrina Tan, founder of Singapore’s most famous beauty exterior, brings together like-minded entrepreneurs to launch the Wellness Club. Located at JW Marriott Singapore, this one-stop destination offers a carefully selected health journal for Skin Inc’s iconic essence, mulberry silk accessories, and lifestyle essentials from local brands including I am My Second Nature, Sova, Sova, the letter M and more.
Our second nature
Although the brand is known for its ready-to-wear collection and is easy to cut in a calm, neutral palette, I especially like their Scandi-style homeware collection.
Things to hold
Low-key, functional and relaxed and refined. The brand only performs popups, so you have to check out the next account in their Instagram account, although they are free shipping worldwide.
Kate's cheering
Used for high-quality, luxurious lingerie. As a little woman who has never found a really suitable little corsage, their bra is a dream.
Super Mom
A remarkable design shop known for its porcelain, which blends local culture with Japanese design sensitivities
Where to eat in Singapore
Maxwell Market
There are many hawker centres on the island that offer classic Singaporean staples such as chicken rice, laksa, bak chor mee, fish ball noodles, Mee Rebus and Roti Prata, but head to Maxwell Market but head to Maxwell Market, local favorite celebrities, and even like Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Dua Lipa and Dure Barrymore, paid a visit. Hawke culture is also on the UNESCO list of representatives of human cultural heritage.
Air
Enjoy a serene farm-to-table contemporary Asian dining experience overlooking 40,000 square feet of greenery in Dempsey Hill. Every Saturday at 5pm, visitors are offered a guided garden tour with edible landscapes.
Pss Pafe in Dempsey Hill
A French copper style food with local flavor and I like to read the jungle view in the morning.
Violet
Peranakans are descendants of Chinese immigrants married to Malays, and cuisine is a vibrant fusion of two traditions. Given the unique ingredients required and the meticulous cooking process of most dishes, Peranakan cuisine is not readily available outside Southeast Asia. Bold, complex flavors with all the flavors are characteristic of Peranakan dishes. In Violet Oon, you will find classic Peranakan dishes dreamt of the dishes of the same name by the leading authorities of Peranakan cuisine.
Stacey Pamela Chia
Stacey Pamela Chia
Candlestick
Candlenut is the world's first Michelin-star Peranakan restaurant with modern cuisine.
Corba
Used in traditional British and Hainan cuisine. I can't think of Colbar without considering my childhood.
Coconut Club
They specialize in Nasi Lemak – the original coconut rice, paired with fried chicken, sunny eggs, fried anchovies, beef fishing and more. Come here for lifting, or head to any hawker center for peeling versions.
Belimbing
Creative exploration of Singaporean cuisine.
Bon Brother
Michelin-starred chef Andre Chiang has the most complex hotpot dining experience in the city.
Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Kaya is a sweet Pandan-style coconut sauce that is a staple for breakfast. You will find it at Ya Kun Kaya Toast and many other traditional coffee shops.
Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff
For most of us, deep fried pastries filled with curry chicken and potatoes are comfort food.
Janice Yellow Chocolate
Cleverly, infused with local flavors.
What to do in Singapore
Provided by Hideaway
Walking in the Botanical Garden
We are equivalent to well-preserved gardens in the heart of the city, rich in heritage traceable back to British colonization of Singapore. This is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also home to the National Orchid Gardens, with over 1,000 and 2,000 hybrids.
Wet market
Anthropology glimpses of local culture and daily life.
National Gallery
It is home to the world's most extensive Singaporean and Southeast Asian art collection.
Explore Peranakan architecture in Joo Chiat
Joo Chiat always buzzes in new restaurants, shops and pop-ups, but the appeal of this historic community is its stunning collection of Peranakan Shophoodes, a unique architectural style that tells the story of the rich cultural heritage of the region. Visit the nearby intake to learn more about Peranakan culture.
Bar Jump
During my recent trip to Milan, I had a bartender asking me where I came from and he praised the scene at the Singapore bar. The bar has always ranked globally with its creative cocktails and ambience, adding to our colorful nightlife. Some of my favorites include Atlas, locals, Sago House, 28 Hong Kong. After dark, Singapore is indeed in its best shape.
Family Meal
Even if Singapore has a lot of dining options, you won’t get the taste of home cooking from a large kitchen. In recent years, the family dining experience, all the services offered to Peranakan cuisine, has been sprouted by dozens of sprouting, offering personal fusion of food, hospitality and the opportunity to have a conversation with cravings and share our lifestyle. Some popular chef Ben Fatto 95 in the pickle and salt salon.
Spa resort
What would a tropical island without a large spa be? Head to the resort’s Holy Line Island, which should be a quick taxi or bus to experience some of the top spas, given the island’s compactness. There are Capella Hotel, Raffles Sentosa and Barracks Hotel Sentosa. On the main island, Hideaway is my top choice for my neural review approach to consider how color, objects, textures and volume affect happiness, and of course there are great treatments.
The best hotels in Singapore
Nothing is more comfortable than my parents coming home, but I like to mix some hotel accommodations to keep finding Singapore thrills. Each of these suggestions comes with a pool so you can access refreshing dips anytime, anywhere. You will thank me later.
Warehouse Hotel
Singapore version
Singapore version
Like sister attributes around the world, the Singapore version is both exciting and tranquil. It is one of the city’s newest and most luxurious hotels, providing a fresh sight for tropical modernism, with lush greenery seamlessly weaving throughout the design, encouraging you to whisper and slow down. The rooms are spacious with high ceilings and as calm as a deep bathtub, and the hotel is just a short walk from Orchard Road, the main shopping district of the city. Entering the marble hall, you will immediately learn that Singapore is known for its low-key elegance.
Warehouse Hotel
For me, the most memorable accommodations are those deeply embedded in history and heritage, and the Warehouse Hotel is a great example. Chinese immigration was part of what shapes Singapore’s early days, when the area was a hotbed for China’s secret society and the city’s red light district. The hotel thoughtfully weaves Chinese cultural influence, from preserving the original Chinese characters of the exterior wall to printing them on laundry bags and creative brand elements throughout the space. The illustration of the postcard is one to be written. The front desk retail installations have items that reflect Singapore's rich heritage. Even if you don't stay here, the Hall Bar is worth adding its creative cocktail to your itinerary, made with local herbs, fruits and spices. I never say no to good Pandan cocktails, I love white horses.
21 Carpenter
21 Carpenter was once a former remittance house for early Chinese immigrants, another legacy gem reimagined by the well-known Singaporean design company Woha, known for its sustainable design solutions. This is probably just my favorite long-term stay. You don't feel like you're in a hotel, but in a space that thinks about people's lives, work and sustainability. Don't miss the rooftop infinity pool as it offers stunning views of the city skyline. Ask the hotel staff for design details throughout the property, as stories are found in almost every corner, including love notes resurrected from the national archives and carved into the walls.
My perfect day in Singapore
Stacey Pamela Chia
- Early morning walk to Singapore Botanical Gardens, the weather is still comfortable at 80°F.
- After walking, there are Kaya Toast and local coffee in the classic Kopitiam.
- In the morning, explore in historic communities like Joo Chiat or Tiong Bahru.
- Have lunch at a hawker centre and experience the way most Singaporeans eat.
- After lunch, the weather is the hottest place, visit any shopping mall, museum, or go to the Tanjong Beach Club in Sentosa.
- Enjoy a classic Singaporean seafood dinner and order chili crab.
- When the night is cool, visit the gardens of the bay where the super trees lit up and it is really spectacular.
- The city lives at night so ends the day in Rasa, a new place that blends nightlife, music, art and food. Parisian Parisian Bánh Mì and donut shop Nonette currently live in Rasa because of the salty or sweet food before bed.