February 2012

RETRO CHARM

From the verdant hilltops overlooking towers of public housing, Hotel Re! is the perfect base for exploring the heartlands

GET TO COLLECT

Look past the brooms, floor mats and gruff service and Teck Ee Provision Shop Happy Family Minimarts has interesting retro kitchenware. Enamel Dutch oven-style pots in all sizes and colours, giant kopitiam (local coffee house) kettles and ceramic kopi cups and saucers make for unique, locally inspired souvenirs. Perfect to complete a vintage kitchen look.

#01-73, Block 52 Chin Swee Rd, tel: +65 6533 5265

GET TO GRAZE

Inside the bustling, fragrant rabbit warren of People's Park Complex, the humble Bunnies stall holds its own. At lunchtime, be prepared for a short queue to sample its freshly baked buns inspired by local ingredients. Flavours include chicken floss, peanut, curry, lotus, red bean and spicy shrimp. Packs of kaya (a favourite Singaporean coconut jam) are also for sale.

#01-66 People's Park Complex, 1 Park Rd (off Eu Tong Sen St)

GET TO SHOP

Unlike most neighbourhood bicycle stores in Singapore, Hup Leong Company is bright, clean and huge. It sells a range of cool mountain, road and hybrid bicycles and accessories from brands such as Jamis Bicycles and SCOTT. Easier to check in on the flight home are the folding bikes and the ultra-cute Louis Garneau children's bicycles in pastel colours suitable for kids from three years old.

#01-107, Block 51 Chin Swee Rd, tel: +65 6532 3700

GET TO EAT

Chicken rice is one of Singapore's national dishes, so sample a truly authentic version at Kampong Chicken Eating House. Here, they only use chickens reared from a kampong (traditional local village) so the birds have a distinctively golden colour.

247 Outram Rd, tel: +65 6221 2522

IN THE 'HOOD

It's a short walk from Hotel Re!, a former primary school building, to the quaint heritage suburbs of Chinatown, Tanjong Pagar and Tiong Bahru. Hotel Re! is a smoke-free hotel.