Singapore - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 686

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Cups n Canvas 139 Selegie Rd; map p.678. This cosy café-
art studio with mismatched furniture and colourful artworks
on display offers soups (S$6.90), salads (S$9.90), nibbles
(S$5.90) and sandwiches (S$9.90). There are weekend art
jamming sessions with tutors. Tues-Thurs 10.30am-10pm,
Fri & Sat 10.30am-11pm, Sun 10am-8pm.
Fast Food For Thought 8 Queen St; map p.678. This great
café and burger (S$8.50) joint doubles up as a community
art museum. Part of the profits support social causes - check
out the empty glass jars with orphans' notes and drawings
that decorate the ceiling. Tues-Sun 10am-10pm.
Gold Food 91 Bencoolen St; map p.678. A popular Thai
Chinese restaurant serving great pad thai (S$10) - make
sure you get here early before the long queue forms. Daily
11.30am-4pm & 5-11pm.
Overdoughs 161 Middle Rd; map p.678. This tiny bakery
under the same management as Artichoke displays a
delectable selection of sweet pastries including exquisite
baklava, which come in a variety of flavours including fig
chutney and pistachio and apricot. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm,
Sun 10am-4pm.
Saveur 5 Purvis St; map p.678. The queue at this casual-
chic French bistro with minimalist decor forms way before
the doors even open. Hearty dishes are prepared using
local ingredients - try the tasty duck leg confit (S$10.90).
Mon-Sat noon-2.15pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 6-9pm.

no-frills café - a nasi lemak will set you back just S$2,
while a chicken curry is just S$6.50. Bargain. Daily
6.30am-11pm, Tues & Sun until 6pm.
Shiraz 391 Orchard Rd; map pp.684-685. This kebab joint
right outside Ngee Ann City Mall is the best spot to grab a
kebab (S$9.20) as you shop. Daily 11am-11pm.

LITTLE INDIA & ARAB STREET
Ananda Bhavan 95 Syed Alwi Rd; map p.683. This
outstanding Indian restaurant is known throughout Little
India for its superb vegetarian dishes, from tandoori
(S$7.35) to biryani sets (S$9.60). Open 24hr.
Anjappar 76-78 Race Course Rd; map p.683. This a/c
restaurant exclusively serves dishes from Chennai. The excel-
lent chicken biryani (S$10) sells like hot cakes - or try the
chettinad chicken masala (S$8.50). Daily 11.30am-10.30pm.
The Banana Leaf Apolo 54 Race Course Rd; map p.683.
This place has been going strong since 1974, specializing
in tenderly cooked red snapper fish head curry (S$22).
There's plenty else on offer, including a smattering of
veggie dishes. Daily 10.30am-10.30pm.
★

Chye Seng Huat Hardware (CSHH) 150 Tyrwhitt
Rd; map p.683. Set in a former metal and hardware store,
this little gem of a café is a coffee lover's paradise: the
island bar has a 360-degree view of baristas brewing
coffee (S$5), a wall displaying coffee products and a little
shop selling quirky accessories and equipment. There are
“tummy fillers” too, from scrambled eggs (S$11) to tuna
melts (S$12). Tues-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-10pm.
★

ORCHARD ROAD
Din Tai Fung The Paragon, Orchard Rd; map pp.684-685.
Watch the chefs at work in the glass-panelled kitchen as
they skilfully wrap juicy meat dumplings (S$7.30) in soft,
thin dough and steam them on bamboo racks. Mon-Fri
11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 10am-10pm.
Killiney Curry Puff 93 Killiney Rd; map pp.684-685.
A simple place to refuel with a curry puff (S$1.40) or two.
Different fillings include potato and beef. Mon-Fri
7am-7.30pm, Sat & Sun 7am-6pm.
Killiney Kopitiam 67 Killiney Rd; map pp.684-685. It
doesn't get any cheaper than this at this well-established

Jaggi's 34-36 Race Course Rd; map p.683. The
wonderful smell of mouth-watering curry reaches you
as soon as you open the doors of this superb Punjabi
restaurant. Line up, point at what tickles your fancy and
enjoy (dishes from S$2.70). Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm &
5.30-10.30pm; Sat & Sun 11-3.30pm & 5.30-10.30pm.
Lavender Food Square 195 Lavender St; map p.683.
This popular food court serves inexpensive dishes -the
Kok Kee Wanton stall rustles up particularly good noodles
(S$4). Open 24hr.

WHERE TO EAT
The city's chain coffee shops , serving lattes and bagels, are the cheapest choice for a Western
breakfast. The classic Chinese breakfast is congee, a watery rice porridge augmented with
strips of meat, though dim sum is available to those with less exotic tastes. As for good chains ,
you'll spot Bread Talk (delicious cakes and other baked goodies) and Mr Bean , a soymilk drink
outlet all over Singapore, which also serves coffee, mu ns and wa es.
Hawker centres are by far the best places for an inexpensive lunch or dinner; they are open
either from lunchtime through to dinner or from around 5pm until late. Also, pretty much
every mall has its own food court (generally open from noon to 10pm) featuring numerous
cuisines. Don't know what to get at a hawker centre? Look for the stalls with the long queues
and join them; the locals know what's good. Avoid the peak lunch (12.30-1.30pm) and dining
(6-7pm) periods, and watch for reserved seats, often indicated by something as easy to miss as
a packet of tissues.