Singapore/Chinatown

Singapore's Chinatown is the traditional Chinese quarters of town, and while the entire city is largely Chinese these days the area does retain some of its own charm. The area is also known as Niu Che Shui (???) in Chinese and Kreta Ayer in Malay, both names meaning "bullock cart water".

The area between Pagoda Street and Smith Street has been tarted up considerably for tourists, but workaday Chinatown continues south and east, merging seamlessly into the CBD. Tanjong Pagar is the unofficial home of Singapore's gay community with many watering holes in restored shophouses, while Club Street caters more to the expat crowd with small, intimate eateries offering excellent (if pricy) Western fare.

Get in

Exit A (Pagoda Street) of North-East MRT line's Chinatown station will deposit you right in the heart of the action. Outram Park, Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place are also all within walking distance, as is Clarke Quay and the Singapore River to the north.

See

Chinatown's primary attraction is the town itself, composed as it is of restored shophouses full of strange little shops selling everything from plastic Buddhas to dried seahorses. Wander at random and see what you can find!

Chinatown Heritage Centre, 48 Pagoda St, =>. An excellent museum chronicling how Chinatown came to be and the privation suffered by early migrants. Admission charges S$8 (adult) S$4.80 (child); the centre is on the left if you walk straight from the Pagoda St MRT exit.

Jamae Mosque, 18 South Bridge Rd. One of Singapore's oldest mosques, built in the 1830s by Tamil Muslims in an Indian style. Note the stepped minarets outside. Free admission.

Sri Mariamman Temple, 244 South Bridge Rd. Singapore's oldest and most important Hindu temple and worth a visit for the intricately carved gopuram (statuary above the entrance). Entrance is free, just take off your shoes and don't disturb the worshippers.

Do

Probably the most strenuous activity in Chinatown is avoiding touting tailors — which, incidentally, is illegal and can be reported to the police.

Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble, =>. A theater group that constantly pushes the limits of free expression in Singapore. Performances at the Attic (21 Tanjong Pagar Rd, 4F) and the Theatrette (17A Smith St).

Buy

The central streets of Chinatown are packed with stalls selling all sorts of Chinese trinkets. There is also a cluster of (expensive) antique shops on South Bridge Rd.

Bee Cheng Hiang, 69-71 Pagoda St (Chinatown MRT exit A), =>. Among the Chinese, the obligatory souvenir is some sweet red bak kwa (barbequed pork), available both fresh off the grill and in convenient vacuum packs. Bee Cheng Hiang is the most famous brand, with 28 outlets throughout Singapore. Expect massive queues around Chinese New Year in February.

Tea Chapter, 9 Neil Rd, =>. Covered under Drink, this store also retails a wide variety of not only Chinese tea itself, but all the paraphernalia needed to brew it.

Eat

In Chinatown there is, needless to say, plenty of Chinese food to go around! But if you hanker for something different, Tanjong Pagar is also Singapore's unofficial Korean district and there are a large number of very good Korean restaurants too.

Budget

Two good hunting grounds for cheap eats are Smith Street, a single row of fancy stalls with the nicest ambiance of the lot and quite decent food too, and Maxwell Centre at 2 Murray St, just across road and a few minutes walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT. Most dishes in either location are less than $5, although seafood can get considerably more expensive. Note that most of Smith Street's stalls are open for dinner only, while Maxwell Centre is open 24 hours.

Ah Balling Peanut Soup, Smith St. Top off your meal with a bowl of Chinese peanut soup and rice balls (filled with your choice of peanut, sesame, yam or red bean paste). S$1.50.

Akbar Restaurant, 2 Lim Teck Kim Rd. Open 24 hours. At the southernmost tip of Tanjong Pagar, this busy but friendly 24-hour coffeeshop (don't be fooled by the name) serves up a wide variety of Malay and Muslim Indian food, with the roti prata being the star of the menu. $5 (or less).

Da Dong, 39 Smith St. The dim sum in the restaurant inside are only mediocre, but the best eats here are the steamed buns (bao) from the stall outside. Most bao are 60-80 cents, but the aptly named Big Bao (S$2.50) stuffed with chicken, mushrooms, sausage and more is a meal in itself.

Day & Night Herbal Soup, Maxwell Centre #01-12. This is the place to try out the Chinese herbs sold by medicine shops nearby. If pig brain soup (S$5) is too Fear Factor-y, try the milder six flavour chicken (S$6), good for whatever ails you.

Mei Hong Yuen, 67 Temple St. Specializes in Chinese desserts, notable a whole range of soups and puddings. Try the mango pudding (S$3), which comes with chunks of fresh mango plus sprinkles of pomelo, tapioca and ice.

Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha, 7 Keppel Rd #01-05/07 PSA Tanjong Pagar Complex. Popular bak kut teh specialist serving light, peppery Teochew-style pork rib soup. At the edge of the Port of Singapore, near the KTM railway station. Figure on $10 for two, closed Mondays.

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, Maxwell Centre #01-10. Described by the New York Times as a "chicken rice shrine", this humble stall is considered by many as the best in Singapore and is easily distinguished from its many imitators by the long queue snaking in front. Meltingly soft chicken rice $3, and don't forget to try their trademark chili sauce. Open 11 AM to 8 PM daily except Monday, but often sells out earlier.

Tong Heng, 285 South Bridge Road, =>. Chinese bakery famed for its freshly-baked egg tarts (S$1), best washed down with a bottle of water chestnut juice. Tong Heng now has many other outlets, including one at Changi Airport, but this is the original.

Zhen Zhen Porridge, Maxwell Centre #01-54. Famous not so much for their rice porridge (from S$2.20) as for their raw fish salad (from S$2), served up with spring onion, sesame, ginger, garlic and a drizzle of lime. Prepare to queue. Open 6 AM until it sells out (noon-ish) daily except Tuesday.

Mid-range

Fatty Ox Hong Kong Roast Duck, 10 Murray Terrace. Aside from the obvious roast duck (half/whole $16/32, or dishes with duck $8-10), this restaurant is also known for its claypot dishes and its daily-changing Chinese soups. The $5 lunches are good value, but even at dinner $20 for two is plenty. Open for lunch and dinner daily except Wednesday.

Hometown Restaurant, 9 Smith St, tel. +65-6372-1602. Serves up authentic Sichuanese (Szechwan) food, meaning fearsome quantities of dried chili, pepper, salt and oil. The tea-smoked duck (S$10) and mapo doufu (S$6) are both excellent, while bowls of dan dan noodles go for just S$5. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Mee Doo, 26 Tanjong Pagar Road. Swish-looking two-floor Korean eatery that offers both expensive bulgogi barbeques and more reasonably priced rice and noodle dishes. Try the dolsot bibimbap (rice with toppings in a sizzling stone bowl), S$9/14 lunch/dinner.

OK Yong Tau Foo, 33 Mosque St. Specializes in homemade Hakka-style yong tau foo, basically all sorts of tofu products in broth. Pick your own ingredients, choose a noodle type to go with it, and the staff will do the rest. Sounds simple, and so is the sparse decoration of this overgrown hawker stall (no air con), but the taste is heavenly and the queues at lunchtime formidable. Expect to pay around $10 a bowl (3 times the going price elsewhere).
* Note that the food is not vegetarian (the broth has meat) and many of the ingredients contain fish or mysterious pig parts, so ask if unsure.

Qun Zhong Eating House, 21 Neil Rd. Well-known for its dumplings, above all the Beijing-style jiaozi, but the Shanghai-style xiao long bao aren't bad either. Large servings around $9, closed Wednesdays.

Soup Restaurant, 25 Smith St (franchises in Suntec City, Jurong Point, Changi Airport). Offers not only excellent soup, but plenty of traditional Singaporean Chinese fare as well including their trademark samsui chicken (slow-boiled chicken eaten wrapped in lettuce with garlic sauce). Eat a Chinatown Heritage Course ($50 for two) for lunch and take the leftovers home for dinner.

Splurge

Da Paolo, 80 Club St, tel. 62247081. An authentic and popular Italian restaurant known for its home-made pasta. Open daily for lunch and dinner (reservations recommended on weekends), expect to pay around $50 a head for a full meal.

Korea Garden, 34 Tanjong Pagar Rd, tel. 62217153. The decor is grungy, staff are harried and prices are steep, but the place is often packed with Korean expats hankering for authentic home cooking. Appetizers from S$10, mains from S$15 and throw in a bottle of soju for S$25.

Drink

Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar have a vibrant nightlife. Duxton Road, Club St and Smith St have a large number of intimate pubs and bars, including not a few dodgy karaoke joints. Many of the second-floor bars and clubs in the area cater to Singapore's gay community, so look out for the rainbow flags.

Bars

Beaujolais Wine Bar, 1 Ann Siang Hill, tel. +65-6224-2227. Cozy, romantic yet unpretentious shophouse with friendly staff, a huge wine list and generously sized eats ranging from cheese platters ($10-16) to chilli con carne ($14). Wine by the glass from $10.

Crêperie Ar-Men, 37 Duxton Rd, =>. Offers not only authentic French crêpes and galettes, but a range of imported apple ciders and beers from Brittany ($20 for a 750 ml bottle).

The Sake Bar, 23 Neil Rd, tel. 62212803. Offers smooth jazz, a range of around 60 Japanese sakes and nibbles to go along with them. Fairly pricy with bottles in the $70-200 range, although a few are available in smaller bottles or by the glass. Closed Sundays.

Tea

Tea Chapter, 9 Neil Rd, =>. Try this excellent tea house and shop for a spot of tea drinking Chinese style. A basic pot of tea and an introduction on how to brew it right starts at S$8, although some of the fancier brands (how about some Phoenix's Shrubbery?) cost much more. Plain seats on the open 3rd floor are free, raised and partitioned seats on the 2nd cost an additional S$5 per head.

Sleep

While there are a few ordinary hotels, the most interesting accommodation options in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar are in renovated shophouses.

Budget

A Travellers Rest-Stop, 5 Teck Lim Road. 62254812. =>. No lockout/curfew. Dorms, doubles/twins. A/C. Internet, laundry, left luggage, kitchen.

Mid-range

Keong Saik Road, at the western edge of town, is a former red-light district which still retains more than its fair share of dodgy karaoke lounges — as well as a number of decent midrange shophouse hotels.

The Inn at Temple Street, 36 Temple Street, =>. 1 minute walk from MRT and Chinatown shopping. Feels slightly shabby and uncared for: cramped rooms, peeling wallpaper, antiquated air conditioning. The upside is a great location. S$75 (double).

Hotel 1929, 50 Keong Saik Rd (Outram Park MRT), +6663471929, =>. TIME Asia's Boutique Hotel of the Year in 2004, this renovated super-stylish shophouse is best known for its extraordinary collection of chairs. All mod cons including flat-panel TVs and free broadband internet in every room, but the 'superior' rooms are tiny and steeply priced at S$110+++; you might want to consider splurging S$180 for one of the rooftop suites complete with outdoor hot tub. S$110-180.

Splurge

Amara Hotel, 165 Tanjong Pagar Rd, +65-6879-2555, =>. Classy, modern business hotel with its own large shopping mall. S$190.

M Hotel, 81 Anson Rd (Tanjong Pagar MRT), tel. +65-6421-6120, =>. Stylish business hotel in the commercial heart of Tanjong Pagar. S$200.

The Scarlet, 33 Erskine Rd, +65-65113333, =>. Beyond mere boutiqueness, this "personality hotel" in a stretch of converted shophouses is stuffed with more red plush and gold trim than a Parisian boudoir and does its best to encourage all 7 deadly sins with restaurant Desire, bar Bold, spa Sanctum and gym Flaunt. Rooms are small but comfortable, good location right next to Maxwell Food Centre and the heart of Chinatown. S$145 (and up; Internet discount).