Chinatown is a good place to come to get a sense of old Singapore. The protected historical buildings provide a colourful backdrop to the shops and eating places. And because most of it is shaded, it’s not too bad a place to come around midday and try some local favourites for lunch including very good Ipoh hor fun, Hainanese chicken rice and flaky egg tarts.

With the heat in Singapore, I’d recommend visitors to do most of any planned outdoor activities in the morning. High on my list would be a visit to Gardens by the Bay (see related blog) before 10 am. I’d probably arrange to have lunch in Chinatown followed by a walk around. Because much of the place is shaded, the heat is less of a factor here.

Start with Lunch at Lee Tong Kee or Maxwell Market’s Tian Tian

For more comfort (air conditioned) and a good local lunch, I recommend Lee Tong Kee (278, South Bridge Road) which is my go to for Ipoh hor fun and crispy fried wonton in Singapore. I also go for a separate plate of poached chicken, which they do a great job in making sure the chicken is still moist and served in a light oyster sauce based gravy.

 

Ipoh hor fun is a rice flour noodle served traditionally in a chicken and seafood based broth. Chicken and prawn slices accompany the noodles. There is the option to have this “dry” which means it’s served in a light gravy but I much prefer the traditional soup version. The other plus for Lee Tong Kee is that the restaurant is clean and food comes quickly.

Lee Tong Kee also serves Ipoh coffee which is a local coffee where the coffee beans are fried in butter (not roasted). This gives the coffee more of a nutty and buttery aroma. It’s traditionally sweetened with condensed milk.

Or if you’re early enough (before 12 noon), Tian Tian in Maxwell Market (across South Bridge Road from the Chinese temple) is one of the best places to get chicken rice in Singapore. Hainanese chicken rice is a local favourite and Tian Tian’s chicken is tender and smooth while the rice is very fragrant (cooked in the chicken stock). However, past noon the line at Tian Tian (self service) can get really long although the wait isn’t too bad.

Since this is a hawker stall – everything is self service, it won’t be as comfortable as being in a restaurant or cafe. Drinks will have to be purchased separately at the beverage stalls. But there should be enough tables around and the place is clean while overhead fans and shading mean that it the heat shouldn’t be that much of an issue.

There are other eating places in Chinatown including numerous coffeeshops (local cafes). However, for price and quality I’d stick with either Lee Tong Kee or Tian Tian.

Walk around and try some local snacks

On the Sago St side of Chinatown (next to the Chinese temple) are a number of tea shops and traditional pastry stores. You can find some decent Cantonese pastries such as egg tarts and wife’s biscuits (literal translation). The most famous store for pastries, however, is Tong Heng (not pictured) which is located on 285, South Bridge Road, opposite Lee Tong Kee. Tong Heng also has seasonal specialties besides the standard pastries.

There is also the pressed barbecued pork or chicken meat that you can try. These are lacquered and grilled with a sweet sauce – almost like a barbecued pork taste (char siew).

Also popular are the traditional Chinese medicinal oil stores. There are also lantern and lacquer ware stores but these goods are from Vietnam so if you’re going there as well, you may want to wait.

There are also opportunities to find out more about Chinese tea or to buy tea cups and tea pots and other ceramic ware.

Or if you just want to buy some fresh fruits for a snack, this lady has been at her little stall for around 15 years. There’s not much choice but I usually buy something from her anyway – I find her energy inspiring. At the moment it’s bananas but she’ll have more exotic fruit if it’s in season. There are bigger fruit as well as juice stalls in the area.

Sago St turns into Trengganu St and if you are into cigars, there’s a cigar bar and shop on the second floor of the building above the Chinatown Seafood eatery. So you’ll be able to buy cuban cigars here. I think you’ll find the entrance to The Olde Cuban inside Chinatown Seafood.

Among the more unique stores in Chinatown is the Tin Tin store (on Pagoda St). If you like Tin Tin, it’s fun just to browse even if you’re not looking for anything specific.

Or else there are the usual stores selling souvenirs or in this case cheaply priced knick knacks.

For more culture – there are the temples

While it is Chinatown, the best known temple here is Singapore’s oldest hindu temple – Sri Mariamman, which dates back to 1827. You can’t miss this temple given its colourful carvings. The entrance is on South Bridge Road, near the corner of Pagoda St.

The big multi level temple near Sago St and South Bridge Rd is the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. I’d not been too keen to visit this temple partly because I know that it’s very new (2002) but it is open to visitors and especially to those who want to find out more about buddhism. Regardless, the multitude of lanterns around the temple and the bright red doors make for some very colourful photos.

Chinatown extends further

My suggested jaunt around Chinatown only covers half of the official area. The part located between South Bridge Rd and the buildings in the financial district – namely Ann Siang Hill and Telok Ayer St – is also an interesting area to wander around (albeit mainly in the evening) although the restaurants are more European (some really good bistros and bars) and shops are less local.  I’ll cover this area in a separate post.

Some Useful Links:

Chinatown Singapore website: http://www.chinatown.sg/index.php

Lee Tong Kee website: http://www.ipohhorfun.com

Tong Heng egg tarts facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tongheng.sg

The Olde Cuban cigar bar website: http://www.oldecuban.com/index.html

Tin Tin store website: http://tintin.sgstore.com.sg