10 Unique Things to do in Singapore

Stepping into CHIN MEE CHIN, a charming hole-in-the-wall confectionary is like stepping back in time. The 65-year-old fixture on East Coast Road is a breakfast and tea favourite with fans, even if it has none of the comfortable trappings of modern
day coffee joints. What is does boast, is an old-world charm and the offer of an experience reminiscent of how people had their breakfasts in the day. The aroma of fresh baked pastries and brewing coffee set against mosaic floor tiles, old school ornaments and fixtures, and the almost therapeutic whirring of ceiling and wall fans is enough to make you swear off Starbucks for good. But if that doesn’t do it, dig into its delectable kaya (traditional jam made from eggs, sugar, and coconut milk) toast, swiss rolls, cream puffs and coffee served the old way – in porcelain cups and saucers – and you’ll be a convert soon enough.204 East Coast Road Opens: 8.30am - 5pm; closed on (View Location Map)












Wala Wala is just the place you head out too when you want none of that snobby fuss that comes with partying at some hip-chic spot. Which isn’t to say Wala isn’t hip or chic. Except the mood here is so laid back and chilled out, you wouldn’t be out of place if
you turned up in bermudas and flip flops. Music from the live band takes centrestage every night, and expect raucous, spontaneous sing-a-longs to Top 40 favourites and pop classics. The two-storey Holland Village stalwart packs a crowd that ranges from varsity students to yuppies, and they’ll tell you the grub here is as much of a draw as the music is. Sample Wala’s great-tasting pizzas and savoury chicken wings and pedestrian pub grub will never do for you again. 31 Lorong Mambong, Holland Village Tel No: (65) 6462-4288 Opens: Mon-Fri: 4pm-1am; Sat: 3pm-2am; Sun: 3pm-1am (View Location Map)












So crazy in fact, you’ll queue up for more than an hour and then some for a table at Eng Seng Restaurant off Joo Chiat Road. Well known with East Coast denizens, the coffeeshop stall attracts even locals from far-flung corners of Singapore with its
signature Black Pepper Crabs. Call it crazy, but the 50 crab fiends who queue up to feed here every night can’t be all wrong, can they? Well Eng Seng die-hards swear the wait is well worth it. Bring along a couple of friends to stave off the waiting time, and before long you’ll be tucking into a well-deserved crab dinner.241 Joo Chiat Place, Eng Seng Restaurant Open 5pm to 10pm, Closed on Wednesdays (View Location Map)












It’s a curious sight to say the least, but line-dance diehards grooving at Far East Square has become such a common sight, Friday and Sunday evenings here without this pack just wouldn’t be the same. What makes Singaporeans tick? For this
group (members of the Country Line Dance Association), it’s dancing in line, and on cue to Country and Western tunes, pop hits and even the odd samba. The line dance craze caught on since a few years back and today, you’ll see boot-wearing, cowboy -hatted line-dancers congregating in public places to shimmy and stomp. You can gawk all you want, but wouldn’t joining in (at just SGD 3!) better serve you some first-hand experience? So who says Singaporeans are shy? Yee-hah!Far East Square, Amoy Street (View Location Map)Website: http://www.cldas.com/












Hailed as Singapore’s national dish by its fans, laksa, consisting rice noodles, shrimps, cockles, fish cake and chilli paste in thick coconut-based broth, has won over expatriates, visiting dignitaries and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. But there’s
laksa, and there’s Katong laksa. The Katong variety differs from its counterparts in that it is served only with a spoon (no chopsticks required), and mostly consists of rice noodles, cockles and shrimps. But of greater interest is that the dish can’t be separated from the territorial tussle that’s come to be known as the ‘Katong Laksa Wars’, with four stalls (47, 49, 57 and 328) along the same stretch of East Coast Road claiming to be the best/the original/the Real McCoy. The tussle has been the centre of much debate since the ’90s with local TV shows, newspapers, magazines and even the foreign press having covered the famous stretch and its laksa lore. But don’t take their word for it, take your time to sample each stall’s offerings, then name your own victor.Corner of Ceylon Road and East Coast Road (View Location Map)

Occupying the former Sembawang Sea Sports Centre, this Bottle Tree Village has a lovely seaside resort feel to it. Created by Singaporean Alex Neo after he discovered Bottle Trees (Brachychiton Rupestris) on a trip to Australia, this little-
known weekend haunt is home to an ensemble of restaurants, a BBQ area, and even meetings and events facilities for corporate retreats. If pleasure’s on your agenda, roam the lovely quiet area, spend the afternoon fishing, or plan a BBQ cookout in the evening. The flipside to this idyllic escape, is that Bottle Tree Village is tucked far away off Sembawang Road. It is best accessed by car, which makes it an ideal exploration candidate for the whole family.60 Jalan Mempurong, off Sembawang Road; Tel: (65) 6755 4056 (View Location Map) Website: http://www.bottletree.com.sg/












Tired of eating, shopping and clubbing? Then consider a whole new form of excitement – ghost hunting! Sign up for a ghoulish trail with the Asia Paranormal Investigators.http://www.api.sg/















Sin Huat Seafood Restaurant and its signature Crab Bee Hoon have legions of fans who don’t mind waiting in queue for its fine fare. The relatively modest pairing of large, meaty Sri Lankan crabs and bee hoon is elevated to gastronomic heights here;
each platter comprises a huge crab filled with bright-hued roe and firm and juicy flesh, swimming in a thick pool of flavoursome broth and transparent noodles. Famous foodies such as celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, the Age newspaper’s food critic Matthew Evans and famed British food writer Kevin Gould have indulged in this dish and come away effusive with praise. But beware: the restaurant is perpetually packed. Those in-the-know will tell you that the magic hour to visit for a taste of heaven is after 9pm, so one can avoid all that waiting time.659-661 Geylang Lorong 35 (at the corner of Geylang Road); Tel: (65) 6744 9755; Opens: 6.30pm – 12.30am (View Location Map)











Home to 71 hectares of land, Pasir Ris Park, on the northeast coast of Singapore (close to Changi Airport), is fast becoming a tourist hotspot. Pond-fishing is a huge attraction here and so is beachfront
local delicacies. Aside from bike, blade and kayak rentals for the sports junkie, the park has a six-hectare mangrove forest built with boardwalks that take you closer to exotic flora and fauna for free. Indoor sportsmen will relish a game of pool and ice cold beers at Tropicana Café, while the equestrian in you can head on over to the newly-opened Gallop Stable on Pasir Ris Green. The adjacent Gallop Café serves a mean All-American breakfast for under SGD 10. And down by the beach, Balinese-inspired Mid Summer Nite Breeze Café is a great place to take in the balmy evening breeze and tuck into some cheap Italian fare.












A common sight at hawker stalls and commonly used to pack takeaway food in the post-war decades, the nondescript opeh leaf virtually disappeared from sight when hawkers switched to the more economical plastic-lined brown paper sheet for packaging takeaways. Today, the humble leaf is enjoying a revival; Hokkien mee stall Thye Hong at Wisma Atria’s Food Republic serves its noodles on it and is said to enjoy queues of eager diners round the clock. Some hawkers are even lining their plates with the opeh leaf for dine-in orders, and customers have started requesting for it. What’s so magical about this humble leaf ( the inner sheaf of the bark of a betel nut palm)? Hawkers agree that when used to wrap takeaway food, it infuses the food with a subtle, woody fragrance that enhances its taste.