Day 1
Located inside The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, and inspired by Berthold Kempinski, who ran a delicatessen in his native Berlin before turning his focus to the hotel business, Berthold Delikatessen is a handsome breakfast spot. Sit indoors or alfresco and order from a range of German breads and pastries.
With your stomach sated, it’s time to feed the mind. Drop by the nearby National Gallery Singapore, home to the world’s largest collection of Southeast Asian modern art. The 10-month exhibition “Lim Cheng Hoe: Painting Singapore” ends in early June, so this is one of your last chances to catch the landscape paintings of an artist who is regarded as the country’s pioneering watercolourist.
After browsing Lim’s works, head over to Gallery & Co. The shop offers more than your traditional museum store, with a restaurant, bar and design shop contained within a single open space. Among the eclectic offerings here are Cleopatra tote bags, soaps inspired by exhibitions and books on Southeast Asian art.
Grab a cab for the short ride to the business district, where lunch at the new 51 Soho awaits. Expect dishes such as pan-seared chicken breast with baked curry cauliflower or one-bowl protein-and-carb meals in a sleek, sophisticated setting. If you feel like a sweet treat, take a short walk to Naganuma Ice, the Hokkaido soft-serve sensation with novel flavours such as Ebisu pumpkin, Yame matcha and Yubari melon.
Take a stroll around the Tanjong Pagar area, making sure to stop by the Seng Wong Beo temple, which is dedicated to the Chinese City God and was constructed in 1905. Then, depending on how the day is unfolding, head back to your hotel for a break or take a cab straight to ESORA for dinner. Located in a heritage shophouse, this kappo-style (which emphasises interaction between the diner and chef ) modern Japanese restaurant has a white and blond-wood palette and supplies artistically plated fare that mines the riches of Japan’s land and sea.
Round out the day with a taxi ride to IB HQ, a cosy bar along North Bridge Road where you can indulge in a Li Che Ro (raspberry gin, lychee and Perrier) or a Giacomo (cocoa vodka, Campari, sweet vermouth and orange).
Day 2
Have a leisurely breakfast at your hotel as you’ll do plenty of walking today. Accommodation-wise, consider the new Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore in the heart of the business district, which has luxury serviced apartments available for short-term stays.
The highlight of the Buddhist calendar, Vesak Day, occurs on 19 May. The biggest festivities will take place in the Bishan area at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, a large complex with its own Buddhist college. If you’re not here for the holy day, the monastery is still worth a visit, with its imperial Chinese architecture and gleaming gold stupa.
From here, cross the road to enter Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Split into two sections, this slash of green is a verdant oasis with open lawns and a lotus pond that’s bisected by a curling three-kilometre river. It’s also home to GRUB, a family-friendly joint with an outdoor terrace and a menu that features finger food, soups and seafood that’s ideal for lunch. The real draw is the burger selection, which includes a tongue-tingling Sichuan-inspired version and a vegetarian option made with grilled portobello mushrooms.
Take a post-prandial walk among the greenery before getting a well-deserved treatment at Aramsa, a spa located within the park where the menu includes anti-stress and detox therapies.
Pleasantly decompressed, grab a taxi back to your hotel to freshen up before dinner. Tonight’s treat is the five-or eight-course tasting menu at table65 in ResortsWorld Sentosa. Opened by Dutch star chefs Richard van Oostenbrugge and Thomas Groot, it approaches fine-dining, modern European-inspired dishes through a casual lens, evident from the counter-style seating that allows guests to interact with the chefs. Go for the apple dessert, which is encased in a picture-perfect sugar bubble.
After the gustatory interlude, you have a couple of options. For a relaxed evening, head to RPM, which couples shochu-inspired cocktails with music from vinyl records. Alternatively, at Marina Bay Sands, strap on your dancing boots for the new Marquee Singapore, which is now the largest club in the Lion City and even has an indoor Ferris wheel.
Day 3
Created by delivery food service The Local Box, Hideout by The Local Box is a brick-and-mortar outlet in Orchard Road’s The Heeren shopping centre. Its white walls and patterned marble floors give it an easy ambience, while the menu features choices such as fried bee hoon (rice vermicelli), chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) and the Great Hideout Breakfast (loaded with eggs, hash browns, greens and sausages).
Then take a short stroll to Istana Park, a slender parkway teeming with flowers and anchored by the Festival Arch, a 26-metre-long landmark that sits atop a reflecting pool.
Since you’re near some major traffic arteries, it will be easy to catch a taxi to Olivia Restaurant & Lounge on the edge of Chinatown. With honeycomb terracotta tile floors and rough brick walls, the place has a rustic feel, which complements the Mediterranean-centric dishes that use ingredients such as ham, truffles and seafood.
Hop back into a cab and head to Taylor B Design, a huge furniture store with scores of home décor items small enough to squeeze into your luggage. Among the highlights are blue-and-white lidded porcelain jars and ornate Shanghai lanterns.
From here it’s a quick ride to HortPark, a wellspring of information and resources on gardening, with its manicured plots showcasing everything from vegetable patches to floral walks. Wander the roads near the park with Anglo-inspired names (Berkshire, Cornwall and Canterbury) to see some of the lovely black- and-white houses – former homes of rich businessmen, government officials and British Army officers.
Dinner lands you at the nearby habitat by honestbee, a cashless, tech-forward supermarket that also features multiple food stalls serving items such as bento boxes, barbecued meats and local comfort food. Wash down your meal with a freshly squeezed juice at Lucky Peach or a craft beer at White Moustache.
SEE ALSO: 3 cozy sake bars to visit in Singapore
This article was originally published in the May 2019 issue of SilverKris magazine
