Arteastiq Cafe

Chilling out with friends on a rainy weekend at Arteastiq.

The cafe, housed in a furniture store serves a selection of gourmet tea.

I was impressed by their fusion of asian teas (e.g. oolong, ginger) with modern tastes. Think, sour plum tea served with choya in a martini glass; oolong tea with lychee martini gelato; and ginger tea with a dash of whisky.

I would have prefer a more extensive menu to include cupcakes, scones, and tea biscuits, but well, the cafe is rather new, so it'll probably take a while before it settles in.

Address:
4th floor, Mandarin Gallery
Orchard Road

Gift Shop at the National Museum

It was not too long ago when I was cracking my head to find a souvenir that's reflective of Singapore. Not those tacky key-chains with the cable-cars hanging off them, nor those chocs in the shape of the Merlion. Does anyone buy them, really?

So I was pleasantly surprised with the items in the gift shop of the National Museum. There were Ang Ku Kueh and Kueh Tu Tu magnets, stories of the samsui women who toiled. I even saw a humorous comic detailing the pantang side of Singaporeans. Great place to buy gifts for your foreign friends!

*Ang Ku Kueh: Hokkien term for "Red Tortoise Cake". It is shaped like the shell of a tortoise through the use of a wooden mould. Its skin is made of glutinous rice with fillings of grounded peanuts, or green bean paste.

*Kueh Tu Tu: Steamed rice flour cake, with fillings of grounded peanuts or shredded coconuts.

*Pantang: Malay word for superstitious.

*Samsui Women: A group of great women who immigrated to Singapore in the 1920s in search of a better life. They often took on construction jobs in those days. They are often seen with their red headscarves. designed to shield them from the sun.


Address:
National Museum of Singapore

Highlander Coffee

Nested amongst sleazy karaoke bars along Kampong Bahru was Highlander, a cafe serving gourmet coffee brewed with beans from Sumatra, Costa Rica, Kenya etc.

The smell of coffee hits as you step into the cafe. "We roast our own beans here", say the lady serving us. The coffee I had was aromatic, but not too bitter. I had 2 cups of flat white, beyond my usual a-cup-per-day habit.

But it was the homely atmosphere I was drawn to. I was happily settled reading from my Kindle and many customers were also enjoying their cuppa whilst flipping through the papers. And I was pleasantly pleased with the lady server who offered to warm up the cookie to go with my drink.

A delightful way to spend the afternoon.

Address:
Highlander Coffee
49 Kampong Bahru Road
+65 62261686

The Journey of Re-discovery

The inspiration for this project came from my year as a graduate student in Sydney.

I spent more time exploring Sydney than I did studying. I never ran out of things to do on weekdays and weekends. Days were spent exploring new neighborhoods, or checking out cafes, second-hand bookstores etc with the aim of spending as little money as possible. Not much money on hand does call for creativity.

I think the push of wanting to experience everything that Sydney had to offer was to do with the fact that I knew I only had a year to do it all.

When I came back to Singapore, I kept hearing the same refrain, "But Singapore is boring, there's absolutely nothing to do." "The malls are full of people. I'm not sure where to go." And I settled back into that familiar, comforting groove.

But it wasn't until I met Mr. M, an American student in Singapore who told me about the hawker stall selling great fried tau pok (and only fried tau pok) that was just a street away from my house that I realised that he, like me in Sydney, was trying to discover as much of Singapore given the limited time he had.

So, I decided to re-look at Singapore, my home, the place where I grew up, with fresh eyes. This blog is about discoveries, of unearthing hidden gems in Singapore, whether it be a old-style cafe-bakery, a funky new designer, or a slice of heritage.

The areas that I'll be attempting to re-discover:

• Near the Valley: River Valley/Kim Seng/Tiong Bahru
• Heritage District & the Quay(s): Boat Quay/Clarke Quay/Fort Canning/Heritage District/Hill Street/Robertson Quay/Mohamad Sultan Area
• South of the Bridge: Chinatown/Outram/Telok Ayer/Amoy/Club Street/Ann Siang Hill/Tanjong Pagar
• Arts Belt: Bencoolen/Middle Road/Selegie/Bugis
• Little India
• Around the Mosque: Sultan Mosque/Haji Lane/Arab Street/Beach Road
• Westenders: Alexandra/Portsdown/Pasir Panjang/Buona Vista/Holland/Rochester
• Around the Orchard: Dempsey/Botanic Gardens/Orchard
• Hillside: Bukit Timah/Farrer
• Central Catchment: Newton/Novena/Thomson
• Red Alert: Geylang/MountBatten/Lavender/Balestier/Bendemeer
• Eastenders: Tanjong Katong/Joo Chiat/Siglap

I hope you will also enjoy this process of re-discovery as much as I will. I will be happy to hear from you at urbanewalks@gmail.com

Cheers,
Cindy