Singapore After Hours
After Hours is the Planned vs Rogue series where Katie brings you their favourite things the team did when the cameras weren’t rolling.
Visit a Small Village
The city centre of Singapore itself is jam-packed with things to do. From amazing environmental installations, world-class bars and restaurants, and cutting edge theme parks, it really is a holiday marker’s paradise. But if you can squeeze it in, we recommend hopping on the MRT and venturing a little out of the centre.
Tiong Bahru is just a short ride out of the city, just north west of Chinatown, making it an easily accessible village from the big smoke. It is one of Singapore’s oldest residential estates and is bursting with local businesses, from cafes to boutiques to book shops. There is plenty to explore here, with a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Singapore locals.
The Tiong Bahru Bakery has become a bit of an icon for the area, and having visited on our recent trip, it’s not hard to see why. This French-style pâtissier is adorable, the service is warm, and the pastries are fresh and flaky. Grab a couple of choice and munch them down while exploring the narrow streets and unique architecture of this lovely neighbourhood.
We were staying in Holland Village, so we also had ample opportunity to explore this area. Known more for its large detached houses and high-end condos, it is a different side to Singapore again. The main shopping village (accessible by bus) has plenty of food and beverage options to choose from. If you’ve got a spare couple of hours, check it out!
Go Out for Noodles Specifically
Hot and Sour Noodles in Holland Village.
If there’s one dish Singapore reliably gets right (which is a silly way to start this point since they get so much right) - it’s noodles. We had delicious hand pulled noodles on Benny’s Rogue Day, and of course there is the country’s namesake dish, Singapore Noodles. You can walk into almost any food joint in the country and find delicious noodles.
As we were fighting off jetlag having flown in from London the day before, we wandered through Holland Village looking for a feed. We settled on one of the many heaving establishments based on nothing in particular - you’ll get analysis paralysis if you try too hard here! We both went for the Hot and Sour Beef Noodles (with a side of cucumber salad to cool it down). It certainly lived up to its name and before we knew it, we were sweating out the jetlag like nothing else. Who knew you could hard reset your body clock just by abusing yourself with chilli?
I do recommend this tactic!
Swim
Cooling off and feeling cute.
Obviously, Singapore is BOILING. It is constantly hot and sticky. Thankfully, they’ve largely designed the infrastructure around this. Indoor shopping centres occupy so much of the city, and are often conveniently connected to the public transport stations all indoors, with air con blasting. The trains and buses also have extremely adequate air conditioning, to the point that you may choose to take a ride over a relatively short walk that you would ordinarily do. Th
Between East Coast Beach and Sentosa, there are plenty of stretches of sand and water to dip into. Or, if you’re lucky like us, you’re accommodation has a pool. By whatever means necessary, I believe you’re time in Singapore will ultimately benefit significantly if you can go for a dunk in the drink. Otherwise, you may just get so fed up with the heat that you forget what it’s like to not be sweltering and sticky.
Go to More Hawker Centers
Hawker Centres are easily one of our favourite things about visiting Singapore. Whilst I blew most of our budget on our planned day, I did so knowing that Benny would still be able to put on a good show by leaning on these amazing food centres. They are hot, noisy and bustling, and the food is local, fresh, and cheap. It is a real taste of classic Southeast Asian culture!
Golden Mile Food Centre is one that we made a point to return to on our recent trip after visiting it in 2018. Benny had one particular dish in mind - Sup Tulang, or mutton bones in a rich curry soup. This dish is so messy and bright that it comes with gloves and straw, and a stack of bread for soaking. Seriously, check it out here!
