Tiong Bahru
While Little India provides visitors with a
hit of traditional culture, Tiong Bahru
delivers everything about Singapore that is
slick and cool. The area has emerged as the
expat enclave of choice thanks to its village
feel and unique architecture. The low-rise
pre-Second World War buildings here are
representative of a style of art deco known
as ‘streamline moderne’, with heavy design
accents such as port-shaped windows,
inluenced by the aeroplanes and cruise
ships in service at the time.
“Since this was the city’s irst public
housing neighbourhood, the buildings aren’t
tall and imposing,” says artist and children’s
book author Joanna Wong, who operates a
private gallery in Tiong Bahru. For the better
part of a decade, Joanna has painted the
shopfronts of businesses who have set up
— and shut up — shop in a district where
high rents see big turnover.
Still, a number of small, independent
retailers and shopkeepers manage to operate
and thrive here, free from the chain-store
formula that dominates most of Singapore’s
retail areas. Along with record stores,
cupcake bakeries and quirky boutiques,
this includes BooksActually. Complete with
mystery book vending machines located
out front (where tomes are shrouded in
repurposed pages from a jotter book, their
serial number your only way of identifying
your purchase), this iconic bookstore comes
complete with a sister shop focusing on
children’s books; Tiann’s, a gluten-free
bakery known for its hand-crated but
pricey savoury wales; and Nimble/Knead,
a day-spa ofering treatments in shipping
containers. While it’s awash with hipsters,
expats and even soon-to-be-married couples
posing for their bridal portraits, Tiong Bahru
also has a traditional authenticity thanks to
the local restaurants and hawker stalls.
“It mostly attracts foodies, heritage lovers
and yuppies, as the eateries there are of a
pretty good standard,” says Wong. “Some are
handed down from generation to generation”.
Case in point is Jian Bo Shui Kueh stall, on
the second loor of the Tiong Bahru market.
Here, locals line up for paper squares of
small rice cakes served with pickled radish
and chilli for as little as S$2.50 (£1.39). It’s a
similar story at landmark restaurants like
Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice, a Singapore
institution — like the stall, they’ve all got a
long queue of people waiting to order, just as
they have for decades.MORE INFO
visitsingapore.com
Thian Hock Keng Temple.
thianhockkeng.com.sg
My Awesome Cafe.
myawesomecafe.com
YC Mural Gallery. yipyc.com
Chinatown Heritage Centre.
chinatownheritagecentre.com.sg
Ananda Bhavan Vegetarian.
anandabhavan.com
Mustafa Centre. mustafa.com.sg
Indian Heritage Centre.
indianheritage.org.sg/en
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.
srivkt.org
Joanna Wong Gallery.
jowonggallery.com
Books Actually. booksactuallyshop.com
Tiong Bahru Market. tiongbahru.marketExpedia offers lights and hotel
packages including a four-night stay at
Oasia Hotel Downtown in a superior
room, plus lights from Heathrow with
Qantas from £948 per person.
expedia.co.ukPlain Vanilla Bakery in Tiong Bahru,
the city’s hipster enclave
64 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
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