AMELIA GUY-MEAKIN uncovers finds ideal for urban explorers and older teens keen to avoid Singapore's clubbing scene.
Socialising in Singapore doesn't have to revolve around the party scene. If meeting for afternoon tea, uncovering unique boutiques, watching an art-house film or rifling through niche bookstores is more your flavour, read on...
Bookworm treasure troves
Chinatown is a hotbed for bookworms. Hangouts hide behind shophouse facades and exude youthful energy from the inside out. In an age dominated by online communities, thumbing tangible literary pages can be a relaxing change from navigating the Internet. BooksActually and Polymath & Crust (86 Club Street, www.booksactually.com) is a quaint bookstore with retro oddities - multicoloured typewriters and miniature pianos - where floor-to-ceiling bookshelves are filled with literary greats from traditional Jane Austen and Vladimir Nabokov works, to newer Nick Hornby and Zadie Smith numbers. Non-fiction, travel tomes and books on natural science, history and politics engulf the upper attic floors. You'll also find vintage knickknacks, postcards and notebooks.
A short walk away, 25 Degrees Celsius (25 Keong Saik Road, #01-01 www.25degreec.com) boasts a selection of speciality cookbooks - Chinese, Japanese, French, Thai and Italian. The mini-sized café churns out comfort food, including home-style carrot cake, and is a magical place to settle down with a favourite read.
Nearby, Casual Poet (273B New Bridge Road, http://casualpoet.com) is a cheery coffee shop tucked in a shophouse nook. You'll find a myriad of sweet treats as well as books, tidbits, magazines, albums and stationery.
For something that traverses both night and day, El-Sheik (18 Pahang Street, www.elsheikhrestaurant.com) serves generous helpings of Lebanese fare and a variety of shisha pipe flavours. Its interior swims with carpets and cushions, reminiscent of Disney's Aladdin. For those above 18 years, the Prince of Wales (101 Dunlop Street, www.pow.com.sg) pub and backpackers' inn is worth a look-in. Check the live music schedule for good local acts. Alternatively, hunt down lifestyle hub, Dempsey House (80 Dempsey Road, www.dempseyhouse.com). Spilling through 35,000 square feet of pre-war barracks, it boasts spa rooms, a beauty emporium and a restaurant-bar area which bears a nonconformist identity. Custom-printed wallpaper lends each room a different theme - some are mod or industrial, while others could be in the home of a tattooed rock star. Feast on the extensive desserts menu at Barracks Café or bust a move at Camp's bar, which attracts specialised and cutting-edge performances.
Escape the heat and chill out with an ice cream at U.d.d.e.r.s (155 Thomson Road or 1 Bukit Batok Central Link, #02-10 West Mall, www.udders.com.sg) liberally laced with whiskey, rum, martini, brandy, baileys and bourbon. This haunt also offers workshops for $35 per person and welcomes groups of friends - create an ice cream flavour and then indulge! Ice Cream Chefs' (520 East Coast Road, #01-06, www.icecreamchefs.com) also makes customised ice cream, prepared with your preferred mix-ins - chocolate assortments, cereals and fruit - on a marble slab.
Tea time
Feast on cutesy cupcakes at Marmalade Pantry (2 Orchard Turn, #03-22 Orchard Ion, www.themarmaladepantry.com) or Toast (391 Orchard Road, #02-11 Ngee Ann City). Sample the Limonata lemon-glazed cupcake or the Strawberries & Cream option. For more cupcake indulgence, OniCupcakes (26 China Street, #01-02 Far East Square, www.onicupcakes.com) thrives in the heart of the business district. Its big appeal is its pick-and-mix philosophy. Pick your favourite cake flavour - cinnamon walnut, devil's chocolate or Nutella, to name a few - and pair it with your favourite buttery icing.
While commercial outfits such as Zara and Topshop remain firm favourites, there are a few underground fashion boutiques worthy of exploration. Front Row (328 North Bridge Road, #02-08/-09 Raffles Hotel Arcade, www.frontrowsingapore.com) showcases an eclectic range of designers - .C., Carry Simone, Cosmic Wonder, Eley Kishimoto and Singapore local Woods & Woods. For fun fashion, discover Tong Tong Friendship Store (100 Beach Road, #01-04/05 Shaw Towers. www.tongtong.sg), a chinois boutique that specialises in cheongsams with an unconventional twist - think polka dots and stripes. If you're shopaholic, bookmark Singapore-based www.sloaneelizabethrobertson.com, this hush-hush secret society, named after famous shopping hotspots, pulls together niche labels from around the world and allows members to celebrate their habit with like-minded fashionistas.
Art-house films
For indie and world cinema check out Cinema Europa at Golden Village (Level 2 VivoCity, www.gv.com.sg), The Picturehouse (2 Handy Road, Levels 5 & 6 The Cathay Cineplex, www.thepicturehouse.com.sg) and The Arts House (1 Old Parliament Lane, www.theartshouse.com.sg). Become a member of the Singapore Film Society (www.sfs.org.sg) and enjoy free screenings and discounted film festival tickets.
Sinema (11B Mount Sophia, #B1-12 Old School, www.sinema.sg) screens independent films regularly, while Objectifs (56A Arab Street, www.objectifs.com.sg) does so quarterly. Both run filmmaking courses should you wish to explore your inner Spielberg.
Book a seat at The Screening Room (12 Ann Siang Road, www.screeningroom.com.sg) where food meets film. Watch a movie while dining on delicious bites. Or hire out the cinema space for a private screening or movie and game-show themed party. You can even gather a group of friends to make your own film and watch it while you dine.
Posted May 2010
