Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
93
Eating Enclaves
If you're looking for someplace to dine but want to browse around a bit, a few
neighborhoods ar ound Singapor e host clust ers of smaller , and man y times
quite excellent, restaurants and lounges cr eating mini-scenes here and there.
For example ,
CHIJMES,
a charming c olonial orphanage locat ed within the
Historic District, provides a home for some excellent restaurants, ranging from
Cantonese to Mediterranean. In this chapt er, I've reviewed Lei Garden, but if
you stroll about, you might be tempted by one of the other eateries here.
Bo at Quay
and
Clarke Quay,
located along the Singapor e R iver, provide
boatloads of options. I've reviewed Our Village at Boat Quay, but this is just one
of many.
If you want to get away from the tourist traffic, try
Club Street
in Chinatown,
a short hilly lane lined with restored shophouses that became a chic after-work
place for the nearb y ad agencies, graphic designers, and la w firms that make
their offices in this neighborhood. Stroll past the many quaint bistros that serve
everything from Italian to Vietnamese, and you're sure to find something.
Holland Village,
located outside the cit y to the nor thwest, is the c enter of
Singapore's expatriat e c ommunity, so y ou'll find r estaurants, bars, and caf es
that cater to Western residents living ar ound this neighborhood . Start at the
row of r estaurants along
Chip B ee G ardens,
and if y ou still ha ven't f ound
something (I'd be surprised), then cr oss Holland Road t o L orong Liput and
Lorong Mambong. In this chapter, I've reviewed Original Sin, which is an excel-
lent place to start in this neighborhood.
6
TIPPING
Don't. Restaurants always add a gratuity to the bill. S ometimes I just leav e
the small change, but it's not expected.
RESERVATIONS
Some restaurants, especially the mor e fashionable or upscale ones,
may require that r eservations be made up to a couple of days in adv ance. Reservations
are always recommended for Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner, as eating is a favor-
ite national pastime and a lot of families take meals out for w eekend quality time.
ATTIRE
Because Singapore is so hot, “smart casual” (a local term, meaning a shirt and
slacks for men and a dr ess or skir t/slacks and blouse for women) is always a safe bet in
moderate to expensive restaurants. For the very expensive restaurants, “smart elegant” is
required, which in S ingapore means jacket and tie for men and a dr
essier outfit for
women. For the cheap places, come as y ou are, as long as you're decent.
ORDERING WINE WITH DINNER
Singaporeans hav e become mor e wine savvy in
recent years and hav e begun impor ting estate-bottled wines fr om California, A ustralia,
New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, France, and Germany. However, these bottles are heav-
ily taxed. A bottle of wine with dinner star ts at around S$50 (US$34/£23), and a single
glass r uns between S$10 (US$6.70/£4.50) and S$25 (US$17/£11), depending on the
wine and the restaurant. Chinese restaurants usually don't charge corkage fees for bring-
ing your own.
