A long weekend in Singapore
Here I am - in front of the famous Singapore Marina Sands
Singapore was the start of a 3 weeks holiday, and I can tell you, it is a perfect location to shed your jet-lag. For me the time-difference was 7 hours (later). Although the city is busy, it is very organized, clean and safe. So your poor jetlagged brain doesn’t get too over stimulated.
Arriving on a Saturday evening, after a very long but pleasant flight with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, was actually good timing. With all the offices closed, the streets were actually full of people enjoying their weekend off.
The four nights / three full days in this unique metropole were going to dedicated to good (street)food, some shopping, discovering the various neighbourhoods and savouring the best cocktails obviously.
The food – streetfood markets
Being surrounded by so many countries with their own specific cuisine, Singapore is the perfect location to savour really all the oriental cuisines you can think of. Including the actual authentic Singaporan cuisine. You can visit restaurants but without a doubt, the best experience is to go to one of the streetfood markets. They offer an incredible selection of food and drinks. It is informal and social - you can eat at long tables shared with other or you get your own table. And – as with everything in Singapore – it is clean, so food-safety is guaranteed.
Our favorite streetmarket is LauPaSat – located between Chinatown and Marina Bay. See location. The experience was so overwhelming that we simply had to sample as many different flavors as possible. And for that, one visit is simply not enough, so we simply wemt there twice during our short visit.
What you ca expect at LauSaPat? Simply every oriental cuisine, from Malysian to Chinese, from Vietnamese to Indonesian and of course Singaporean. One thing you must try there is the sateh – shrimp, beef and chicken, all being freshly cooked on the grill / BBQ.
And then there are of course the many variations of dumplings, fried buns, pad thai, the fingerlicking good Singaporean chili crab, laksa – just to name a few.
As for drinks, it is mainly the usual softdrinks, unidentiefied colorful local juices and propoer pints or beer. They’re not cheap but they combine great with all the food
Sateh at Lau Pa Sat
More food options
In fact Singapore is full of good food options. Chinatown is a very safe bet, with the streets packed with any chinese food you can imagine. Freshly prepared and well priced.
Fresh Spingrolls at SoPho
Tucked away in the Marina Sands Bay shopping mall and a perfect place to take a break from your shopping is SoPho, a vietnamese restaurant with good, fresh food. Watch out for the service, they can be a bit grumpy.
Wagyu Burger at Picotin Brewhouse
In case you need a bit of a break from the oriental cuisine, I can highly recommend Rosso Vino. An authentic family run, Italian restaurant with honest, uncomplicated dishes all prepared with the freshest ingredients. And not to forget the great Aperol and Negroni.
Looking for some comfort food? Go to Picotin Brewhaus. They offer the asian version of just that. I couldn’t resist ordering a really good juicy wagyu burger.
Shopping
Well – Singapore is a shopper’s paradise. From the bustling street shops in Chinatown to the ultra-modern shopping malls, you could easily dedicate two full days to a shopping spree here. Just make sure your credit card limit can handle the adventure!
Two malls I particularly enjoyed were Takashimaya Department Store and Marina Bay Sands. At Takashimaya, I discovered Spingle brand shoes—amazing footwear made from kangaroo leather. These shoes are crafted in Japan and are only available in Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. (Check out my post on them here: <link to blog page on shoes>)
Beyond shoes, these malls offer just about everything you could imagine. You’ll find all the big international brands alongside a variety of unique, local Asian labels. The locals have a serious passion for skincare, high-tech gadgets, and gourmet food ingredients—so expect to see plenty of that too.
Marina Bays Sands with its hotel and famous rooftop bar
Spingle kangaroo leather shoes
The Apple store floating in the bay
Cocktails
All over town, you will find places that serve good cocktails. Be aware that most of them have a dresscode. Mainly smart casual <link to what is smart casual>. So even though it may be over 30 degrees celsius outside, just slip into some nice light linnen pants with a dressy poloshirt and you’re all set.
Try to get into Lavo on top of the Marina Sands Bay Tower. Yes, it is a bit touristy and the cocktails are not top notch but you are able to get outside on the terrace offering spectacular view all over Singapore. And not unimportant, the staff is very friendly.
For a more casual cocktails, you could go and visit Dorothy’s a fun campy bar in the middle of Chinatown. The hosts are superfriendly with rather over the top outfits. The cocktails are generous and the crowd is chill and fun. But make sure you know how to keep your liquor… getting ‘sick’ may land you a fine of 250 Singapore Dollars