A day in Singapore

Let me apologise, you're about to look at a lot of coffee and food photos! I always try and cut them down, but it looks like we’re still left with quite a few…

Travelling south from Malaysia, I arrived in Singapore and I can say with some confidence that it was one of my favourite places. Singapore is a small place, meaning you can cover a lot in one day. Equipped with the most detailed recommendations list I have ever received – massive thank you to Aaron for that – I set about devising a logical route on the train. If you’re planning on visiting, I would definitely suggest getting a tourist pass as you can get unlimited travel on the trains!

I place so much value in receiving tips from friends who have visited the city before

With Aaron and I having the same interests, every place he jotted down was a winner.

I wasn’t intending to create a guide by any means from my time in Singapore, but I’ll list everywhere at the end for you. While I managed to tick off a few places I think you’ll enjoy - I didn’t manage to photograph every place though.

First stop on the list was Pact, a place that housed a local favourite, Kilo and menswear store Sifr. Good food and menswear, what more could you ask for? The menswear unit shared the same belief I’m trying to adopt recently of ‘buy less, buy better’. Creating good quality basics and having the bragging rights of the softest crew neck, these guys are trying to change the buying habits of men in Singapore. Mariah Low was telling me how it’s an uphill battle to change men’s buying habits and is yet to discover how to change it.

Singapore recommendations list:

1. Pact (Kilo and Sifr) - 181 Orchard Road

2. Mondays Off - Haji Lane

3. Library@Orchard - 277 Orchard Road

4. Naiise - 501 Orchard Road

5. National Design Centre - 111 Middle Road Kapok - 111 Middle Road

6. Stranger’s Reunion - 33-37 Kampong Bahru Road

7. Punch Coffee - 32 North Canal Road

8. Books Actually (Tiong Bahru)

9. Plain Vanilla (Tiong Bahru)

Then one floor up, I visited homeware store Naiise. Books, posters, postcards and stationary from local designers were all tempting. Stores like Sifr and Naiise were hard to come by and it didn’t seem as if independent stores were that common. One area that is trying to spark an independent scene is Haji Lane where you’ll find gift store Mondays Off. Mainly womenswear, the street was still interesting to walk down.

Always walk the long way round while exploring a new place…

Next mission was to try and sample as much coffee as I could. My personal favourites from my visit were Punch Coffee (so good I went twice) and Stranger’s Reunion. On the way to Stranger’s I took the long way around along Everton Road to admire the old houses of Singapore (Thank you Kristabel for the tip). Singapore manages with ease to blend together the buildings of old and new. There were plenty of photos to take here and I’m sure I’ll be sharing them in the weeks to come. Inside Stranger’s I managed to try a coffee called ‘Magic’ which lived up to its name. Then at Punch the aesthetic brief must have been minimal, with nothing being surplus to requirements.

The last area Aaron wanted me to visit was Tiong Bahru, somewhere further out of the main city. A short walk from the station, Tiong Bahru is home to design stores, Plain Vanilla Bakery and independent bookshop haven Books Actually. I’m slowly building up my collection of independent reads, with a few piling on the desk all ready for an afternoon of reading. I picked up Design Anthology for the rest of my trip. As for Plain Vanilla, I’ll let you choose with cake to have.

I don’t think I’ve made a post that long in a while. I guess it proves that there are many cool spots to visit in Singapore. It may be a little too organised or too clean for some, but it suited me perfectly.