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The menu carries Indian fare commonly eaten in Singapore such as samosas and co-owner Ivy Singh-Lim’s creations, such as otah (fish paste with spices) omelets and banana curry, which you will not be able to find anywhere else.
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Lunch at Poison Ivy, a bistro at farming collective and organic growing education center Bollywood Veggies’. The farms here champion farm-to-table practices and educate city-dwellers about where their food comes from. Next, travel about 14 miles from the city center to the nearby Kranji Countryside, Singapore’s rustic corner that few visitors know exists. Look out for Singapore’s monitor lizards, which can grow up to 6 feet long. Today, forests of mangroves can only be found on offshore islands and nature reserves.
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In the 19th century, mangroves were found all along the coastline of Singapore, but were cleared for industry and housing. Stroll along the 1,640-foot long Mangrove Boardwalk, which winds its way through the mangrove trees. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, in the Northwest, is a jewel of an ecosystem where you can spot exotic migratory birds like whimbrels and plovers and resident herons and sunbirds. The traditional morning dish is served with hot kopi or teh (tea) and soft-boiled eggs seasoned with soy sauce. For some sustenance, order kaya toast, a slice of bread or a roll smeared with pandan-flavored coconut custard and topped with thick slabs of cold butter. Kopitiams are where people from the neighborhood gather to slow down and appreciate the beauty and rhythm of the community. Some seven hundred kopitiams dot the island and they can be often found on the ground floor of Singapore’s public housing estates. Kopi means “coffee” in Malay and tiam means “shop” in Hokkien.
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Day 1īegin the day at Tong Ah Eating House on Keong Saik Road, one of the city’s many kopitiams, or old school coffee shops. From February’s Chingay, a “We <3 SG”-themed street parade, to the October opening of National Gallery Singapore, which will house the world’s largest collection of Southeast Asian art, no matter when you visit, there will be cause for celebration. Singapore is celebrating its Jubilee year, or its 50th year of independence, throughout 2015 and commemorative events line the calendar. And when you’re on the streets, fitting in like a local, attempt to converse in Singlish, an English-based language comprised of English, Malay, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Tamil vocabulary, which are all languages and dialects spoken by the majority of Singaporeans. Contemplate the modern and postmodern office towers that punctuate the skyline. Lose yourself among the colonial-era Palladian, Renaissance and Neoclassical civic buildings. Admire the temples, churches and mosques. For centuries, immigrants from China, India and Europe have made the 276 square miles of Singapore home, creating a cultural mix of 5.4 million people unique to this part of the world.īypass Singapore’s famed zoo, its casino complexes and Sentosa-the theme park-esque island resort off its southern coast-and spend your holiday sampling Singapore’s lesser-known culinary delights or exploring its overlooked parks and nature preserves. Singapore, a multiethnic, multilingual and multicultural Southeast Asian island nation off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is more than just a quick stop en route to the region’s more talked-about destinations like Bali or Bangkok.