If in case you have simply three days to spend in Singapore this October, make the Deepavali celebrations and Little India the cornerstone of your itinerary. The yearly competition – which falls on 24 October in 2022 – sees the neighbourhood mild up with dazzling lights, serving as a backdrop in your jaunts by means of vibrant shophouses and bustling marketplaces. Past Little India, there are additionally loads of alternatives to discover town’s different sights, together with river safaris and temple visits. Right here’s how you can get essentially the most of your three days within the Little Pink Dot.
Day 1: Foodie hotspots
Given Singapore’s humid local weather, it’s vital for guests to remain well-fed and hydrated. Begin your morning at one of many island’s most beloved hawker centres, Maxwell Meals Centre, which is situated between Chinatown and the monetary district.
Begin the day like a neighborhood and order a spicy teh halia (black tea with evaporated milk and ginger) or a thirst-quenching cup of freshly squeezed sugarcane juice from the drink stalls. With such a packed itinerary, you’re going to wish to gasoline up with one thing substantial so go for a piping sizzling and fiery purple plate of mee goreng (fried noodles) from Maxwell Meals Centre’s line of Indian-Muslim stalls. After a hearty breakfast, take a brief stroll down Maxwell Street to the Singapore Metropolis Gallery on the URA Centre. A spotlight of the not too long ago upgraded gallery is the big mannequin displaying previous, present and future developments on the island. You may as well see the progress of the Little India enclave because it grew through the years.
To work up an urge for food for lunch, take a stroll to the close by Duxton Hill neighbourhood the place you’ll come throughout Duxton Reserve. Housed inside unified former Nineteenth-century heritage shophouses, the lodge celebrates its Chinatown location by means of dramatic gold followers, Oriental screens and calligraphy wallpaper set in opposition to daring hues of black and gold. Virtually subsequent door, the delightfully kitschy Xiao Ya Tou provides a novel mod-Sin menu which highlights up to date takes on basic Singaporean dishes like Hokkien mee and beef kway teow.
After lunch, pay a go to to the close by Thian Hock Keng, the oldest Chinese language temple in Singapore. Inbuilt 1839 to honour a sea goddess, its location was as soon as on the waterfront earlier than land reclamation left it additional inland. The temple is thought for its conventional structure and pavilions organized round a central courtyard. Discover its inside earlier than taking a brief stroll to Yixing Xuan Teahouse to pattern and purchase premium Chinese language and Taiwanese teas.
When you’ve explored the temple, it’s only a quick stroll to the charming Keong Saik Street the place you’ll discover Thevar, a contemporary Indian restaurant helmed by Penang-born chef Mano Thevar that clinched two Michelin stars in 2022. Whereas the menu right here stays anchored on conventional Indian flavours from the Malay Peninsula, the presentation is undeniably trendy. For the complete expertise, spring for the chef’s tasting menu that begins at $288. Lastly, spherical off the day with an evening cap at Elephant Room which provides a spread of intriguing cocktails impressed by India’s varied states.
Day 2: Cultural immersion
The Hindu competition of Deepavali celebrates the triumph of excellent over evil. Right here, the kaleidoscopic occasion is marked by a public vacation (24 October 2022) and sees elements of town festooned in fairly lights. After a leisurely breakfast at your lodge, head to Tekka Centre on the backside finish of Little India. This pastel constructing with outlets and a hawker centre additionally homes one of many metropolis’s greatest moist markets and provides a blinding array of Indian meals at outstanding costs.
After this, head up Serangoon Street to Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, identified for its vibrant entrance gopuram (tower). The temple is devoted to the goddess Kali, the destroyer of evil, chosen by early Indian settlers to assist them really feel secure of their new homeland.
Have lunch on the close by Ananda Bhavan – additionally open 24 hours – which specialises in South Indian idli, dosa and appam. Alternatively, head to Mustard at Race Course Street the place you will get a style of genuine Bengali meals. The restaurant additionally claims to be the primary in Singapore specialising within the delicacies.
Stroll off all that meals on the Indian Heritage Centre. The angular four-storey glass and concrete construction examines the heritage of the Indian diaspora, tracing its origins and influences by means of a collection of thematic galleries. Little India’s sole cinema displaying Indian movies – Rex Cinema – sadly closed a number of years in the past, however if you wish to catch the most recent Bollywood and South Indian blockbusters, you’ll be able to take a fast cab experience to Carnival Cinemas in Shaw Tower or Golden Mile Tower.
After your flick, get a taxi again to Serangoon Street after darkish to benefit from the festive lights strung above the 1.5km stretch of street (the lights will stay till 13 November 2022). For those who go to on or earlier than 24 October, browse the festive markets at Campbell Lane and Hastings Street and on Serangoon Street.
For dinner, take one other quick cab experience to ADDA, a contemporary Indian restaurant in Singapore with a menu that places up to date renditions of basic road meals on the forefront. Standout dishes embody the Bombay-vada pav sliders, potli samosas and the Singapore-Indian fusion dish charred laksa salmon.
Day 3: On the water
On this island nation, seas and rivers are inescapable, providing novel methods to absorb the sights of town. The morning presents you with two choices, relying on the form of journey that floats your boat. Your first selection is to get up leisurely and take a taxi to the River Safari, a wildlife park that focuses on river habitats and fauna and is dwelling to 11,000 animals together with 40 threatened species.
Alternatively, gasoline up with espresso, pandan pancakes and extra on the informal Tolido’s Espresso Nook. Suitably charged, head over to the Singapore Sports activities Hub water sports activities centre to lease a kayak and paddle across the Kallang Basin; licensed kayakers can enterprise additional down alongside Gardens by the Bay, affording views of the gardens’ glass domes and otherworldly Supertrees, with Marina Bay Sands and the enterprise district past (everybody should deliver photograph identification for registration).
As a reward in your exertion (or exhaustion) hop on a cab and make for Yantra at Tanglin Mall. This up to date Indian restaurant is led by chef Pinaki Ray in addition to culinary historian Pritha Sen and boasts a menu that showcases area of interest substances from throughout Southeast Asia. Along with well-executed classics just like the Kerala barbeque and the murg ka sula (charcoal barbecued rooster), you’ll additionally discover trendy creations just like the butter rooster kulcha (delicate rooster curry stuffed in puffed tandoori bread).
After a hearty meal, make a return to Little India to do some procuring and choose up some souvenirs. The stretch of Serangoon Street closest to Little India MRT is replete with saree and tailor outlets that supply ready-to-wear gadgets in addition to custom-made Western-Indian fits. For those who’re flummoxed by the choices, Dakshaini Silks is a good place to start out due to their useful and educated workers.
After all, no procuring journey within the neighbourhood is full and not using a go to to its most well-known 24-hour procuring vacation spot: Mustafa Centre. For those who’ve been impressed by the Indian delicacies you’ve tried to date, the division retailer’s spice part is likely one of the greatest locations to replenish for culinary experimentation at dwelling. As well as, you’ll discover all kinds of merchandise together with watches, fountain pens, electronics and sports activities gear.
Finish your three-day journey with dinner and drinks at Firangi Famous person, one of many metropolis’s buzziest new restaurant openings (reservations are important). Step in and it’s instantly obvious that it takes a maximalist strategy to its cinematic portrayal of India. The restaurant options 4 themed areas that invoke completely different aspects of the nation’s historical past.
The menu provides elevated takes on Indian classics like tandoori lamb, grilled snapper and even a vegetarian rogan josh made with jackfruit. After dinner, sink into the plush chairs on the “Officer’s Lounge” and sip on distinctive Indian-inflected cocktails just like the Fenugreek Manhattan which is crafted with a spiced vermouth and ghee-infused cognac.
Characteristic picture: Pete Burana/ Shutterstock.com
This text was initially printed within the November 2018 problem of SilverKris journal
