Where to stay and eat in Singapre
 

Please give us your input on where to stay in Singapore? We are there in late December for a couple of days and want to be in a hotel that is both central and great. I am considering Fairmont, the Four Seasons and Fullerton or other suggestions.

I would also appreciate one or two of your absolute favorite places to eat in Singapore that are casual and yet amazing.

We stayed at the Four Seasons (on Orchard Blvd) for 6 nights back in July and really enjoyed it. The service is wonderful, and it's very close to the Orchard MRT stop at the ION mall....

I posted a food related trip report on another board... I was actually just about to post a link to it here... so you'll see it come up soon....

Let me know if you have any questions...

Location-wise, I think you can't beat the Fairmont as it is above an MRT station. But the Four Seasons is fairly close to a station, the Fullerton a bit farther. You really can't go wrong with any of these.

Food in Singapore is amazing.

Thank you khtodd and Kathie. I'll make a decision between Fairmont and the Four Seasons.

Kathie: Have you stayed at Raffles? Is it worth the splurge or just high tea?

Ktodd I would love to read your food related trip report. I will look for it.

Thanks.

Ktodd: I will look no further. My God! Your trip report is amazing and exactly what I was looking for.

Was it the Four Seasons that had a Western breakfast? Not crazy about that and may make my decision easier.

I really like the Tipling club near to China Town, ( lunch is great value) great venue , amazing food well worth a visit.
For typical Black pepper crab I think Jumbo at Dempsey Hill is the best.
For Hawker food, I like Lau Pa Sat which is in a great Victorian hawker centre close to the financial district.

I have not stayed at Raffles. It's worth wandering through the Arcade. They have closed my favorite restaurant there - Doc Chengs - and I don't know what has replaced it. If you love historic hotels, it might be worth the splurge, though friends said it was only worth the splurge for a suite.

Yes, the majority of the breakfast buffet at the 4Seasons was western, although very high quality. However, there is also an a la carte menu which had some excellent breakfast options - which wound up being similarly priced to the buffet if you ordered like we did - 2 large entrees, plus coffee, tea and juice.

We were there for quite a long time by SG standards (7 nights), and after a couple days, we wound up going out to a kopitiam for breakfast... I did a bit of reading, and most reviews I found rated the original location of Killiney Kopitiam (on Killiney Road) to be the best and most consistent - although it is usually packed during the week early it the AM - lucky for us, we would usually get there around 9:30 or so, and it was only half full by then as most people are already off to work. It is about a 15-20 minute walk which we did not find unpleasant - but it's also I think 1 stop away on the MRT and right around the corner from the station, so we found that to be the most convenient way to get there - especially since we got a stored value card so we didn't have to stop to get tickets every time we took the train.

BTW - the Food Opera at the ION center is also open for breakfast, and is quite good... we were there a few years ago, and I had a laksa, and a prawn soup and both were very good... the laksa was not as good as Roxy laksa, but then again, few things in this world are....

I loved staying at Raffles, I thought the service excellent and I loved the colonial feel of the hotel, well worth the splurge!

Warm Friday morning greetings to the OP, monsoon, and congrats on future stay in our sweet home of Singapore; love living in SIN for family and work.

As for your request of "your absolute favorite places to eat in Singapore that are casual and yet amazing", will give the highest and ongoing praise to, well, our humble home... (with full credit to the loved one and our housekeeper.) Seriously, you have already received some great suggestions; Tippling Club is fun.

Concerning lodgings, the Four Seasons was my primary and much-appreciated SIN business travel hotel before purchasing a residence in Singapore. Some fine friends, management and staff at that place.

Another lodging option is Raffles, initially experienced as a young lad travelling with my parents and siblings. Most recent "staycation" was ~ 18 months back; if budget allows, can personally vouch for the Palm Court and Personality Suites at the property.

Additional dining, lodging (and even aviation) suggestions, honoured to assist. Early and warm weekend wishes to you and all from SIN and soon, Malaysia,

robert


... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

Hey, Smeagol, it's good to hear that you thought staying in a regular room at Raffles was wonderful. I think it is the only remaining Sarkie Brothers hotel I haven't stayed in.

Lots of great ideas on the great food Singapore offers. We were in Malaysia last year and loved the food there. Assuming it is as good in Singapore.

Thanks everyone for the hotel recommendations too. We love the old colonial hotels and stayed at the other Sarkie Brother's hotel in Penang last year which we loved. I will look into Raffles.

One thing to be aware of with hawker food in SG - to find the really good stuff, you have to know where to go, you can't just "pick anywhere" anymore like in the 'old days'. Unlike what KF Seetoh says, it's not "all good". As the current generation of hawkers ages, their children are not as willing to carry on the business, instead being highly educated and drawn into more lucrative careers like finance, etc.

I had pretty bad results using the Makansutra app - by bad, I mean spotty.... I found more reliable results using the blog ieatishootipost.sg

In general though, one must be wary of what one reads on food blogs in SG since many bloggers are comped and given things to curry favor. There was a whole controvery a few years ago with the blogger Lady Iron Chef who supposedly took bribes and wrote glowing reviews about a few places that were never actually visited.

Most of the hawker places we went to (and described in the blog post) were highly curated and recommended by local foodies who we know... those that we didn't care for, I was not shy about letting people know...

Kathie we had a lovely stay at Raffles ( although it was a few years ago when K wasn't living in SP for a spell) we stayed in a palm court suite and it was great. .

Thanks for that. Staying at Raffles is still on my must-do list.

Good to know khtodd. We have little time in Singapore, so we will limit ourselves to the tried and true recommendation from your report as far as Hawker food. We also have a few local friends from Singapore and here were their recommendations posted verbatim:

Aoki
Japanese restaurants are hugely popular in Singapore, and Aoki has managed to stake its claim as one of the best, through its reputation for outstanding Japanese cuisine. The unassuming street entrance makes way to cozy and authentic Japanese surroundings, complete with kimono-clad waitresses who greet you from behind the sliding door, and a sushi counter from which you can watch the chefs in action. Secluded booths allow for a more intimate space in which to enjoy your fine-dining Japanese fare, from sushi and sashimi to sukiyaki, shabu shabu and tempura. Great value set sushi and sashimi lunches are a hit with the local business and lunching-lady crowds. (6333 8015)

Crystal Jade Golden Palace
Crystal Jade Golden Palace is the flagship restaurant of the Crystal Jade restaurant group, a Singapore success story that now boasts multiple outlets across Asia. Despite its location in a shopping mall, this fine dining Cantonese restaurant provides a sophisticated setting for a high-quality Chinese meal. The red, black and gold décor with sympathetic lighting oozes class, service is attentive and a lengthy wine list accompanies a comprehensive menu. There's always a buzz at Crystal Jade, as it is hugely popular with families for dim sum lunches at the weekends, but is also a great choice for a business dinner or romantic meal at any time. (6734 6866)


Iggy's
Named after its founder, award-winning Sommelier and restaurateur Ignatius Chan, Iggy's is often regarded as one of the very best restaurants in Asia. This intimate 28-seater restaurant dishes up some of the most innovative creations on Singapore's restaurant scene, on its degustation-only menus. Taking his inspirations from his travels, his dishes incorporate ideas from Europe, Asia and Australia and use only the freshest of seasonal produce. Whether you choose the 6-course tasting menu ($195+) or the 8-course Gastronomic Menu ($275++), expect the unexpected with dishes such as Sea Urchin with cauliflower and ponzu, and Cappellini with Sakura ebi, konbu and shellfish oil. (65 6732 2234)


New Ubin Seafood #01-174 Sin Ming Industrial Estate Sector A
27 Sin Ming Rd
Singapore
575680

Think of this as Singapore’s savviest zi char restaurant. Despite its rural Pulau Ubin beginnings in 1986, this out-of-the-way wok shop’s kept up with the times. Blackboards advertise unlikely bestsellers like the US Black Angus ribeye ($12/100g) and Carabinero prawn sashimi ($16.50/prawn), and a cellar room displays wines and whiskies to pair with your meals.
The smoky crisp shell on the mid-rare ribeye trumps most other specialist steakhouses in the CBD, and each serving comes with a side of glistening fried rice, wafting with a wok hei only a master could muster. Sri Lankan crabs ($38/ crab, $76/three) come with the option of 11 sauces that range from the recommended salted egg and chilli, to spicy masala and cream butter. The more traditional Chinese-style steamed fish ($6-$6.50/100g) are still reared and caught off the Ubin coast.
This is the quintessentially modern zi char that packs comfort food for the new generation – book well ahead.

Uma Uma Ramen
583 ORCHARD ROAD
FORUM THE SHOPPING MALL
#01-41/42/43,
SINGAPORE 238884
http://umaumaramen.com/
A famed Japanese ramen chain from Fukuoka, Uma Uma Ramen is done Hakata style with thin al dente noodles, a rich tonkotsu broth with spicy miso and topped with flavourful charsiu slices.


Kaiseki Yoshiyuki
http://kaisekiyoshiyuki.com/
Phone: 6235-1088
Kaiseki Yoshiyuki, Forum The Shopping Mall, 583 Orchard Rd.,, Singapore, 238884 Singapore
Area:Orchard
Nearest Train:Orchard
Website:www.kaisekiyoshiyuki.com
Email:[email protected]

Honored as an Excellent Chef of Diplomatic Missions by the Japanese Foreign Service, Chef Yoshiyuki spent seven years as the personal chef to the ambassadors based in San Francisco and Singapore. His formative years of development as a kaiseki chef were spent at the respected Kyoryori Hosoi in Saitama prefecture, where he joined as a trainee and eventually rose to lead the kitchen team. Joining Iki Concepts as a Director in 2011, Chef Yoshiyuki set upon creating Kaiseki Yoshiyuki to showcase the finest ingredients of each season. His dedication to highlighting the natural flavors of ingredients creates the true experience of Kyoto kaiseki cuisine.

Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant
Paragon, #05-42/45
290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859
[email protected]
Tel: 6732 7838
Well-known for roasting the peking duck to perfection, Imperial Treasure serves only the finest and most authentic iteration of this prized dish. With a solemn dedication to preserving the centuries-old methods of the Emperor’s imperial kitchen, each whole duck is roasted to crisp perfection by our chefs from Beijing and sliced on the platter before your eyes.

I'm partial to the Four Seasons -- good location near Orchard Road, the Botanic Gardens and the MTR. Singapore is relatively small and taxis are reasonable so you won't have trouble getting around. The decor is warm and plush and the service is excellent.

The Cantonese restaurant at the Four Seasons is actually quite good, but then there's plenty of good Chinese food in Singapore.

The Tippling Club and Iggy's are wonderful foodie experiences. On the more casual side I like Burnt Ends. The 2am : dessertbar for sophisticated treats and sweets.

Shangri La Valley Wing - excellent service and the best club facilities or Mandarin Oriental - room with view over marina...also very good club lounge but not as good as the Shang!

Monsoon99: I've stayed at all three of your listed hotels. I'd strike off the Fullerton only since you have 2 days. It's a really nice hotel, but as for location for your short time period, I'd choose another hotel.

As for the Four Seasons, I absolutely loved it, but I'm a BIG Four Seasons fan. I stayed there in Feb 2015. The staff is great, buffet breakfast delicious, other food delicious, and I loved the room that I was upgraded to which was a suite with 2 bathrooms, a living room, dining area, huge bedroom, etc.. although I was only one person. But, the staff was great at offering me an upgrade, at only a little more money, upon check in since I arrived several hours before check-in time and they didn't want me to wait so long for my room to be ready. So, I went from a standard room to a suite for a very reasonable price.

As for the Fairmont, it's one of my favorites and I've stayed there several times and am booked to stay there for a week in Jan/Feb. I wish I could take the Four Seasons and put it in the Fairmont's location and then I'd be one really happy camper. The Fairmont is connected to both a huge mall with a supermarket/food court on the lower level and also connected to the MRT (subway station). It's very easy to take the MRT from and to the airport if one stays at the Fairmont as the MRT station is right below it. Plus, the hotel is a few steps from Raffles Hotel.

It depends on what you want. The Four Seasons is near Orchard Road, not one of my favorite area, but that's where the tourists go. The Fairmont is near the Raffles Hotel and I can also walk to the area where the Peranakan Museum is located and a lot of other areas of my own personal interest.

Now with all of the Four Seasons talk, maybe I should try to spilt my stay at both the Four Seasons and the Fairmont for this upcoming Jan/Feb trip. I've only booked the Fairmont online, but haven't paid it out. I just returned from a quick 3 nights at the Four Seasons in Vegas and am now in a major Four Seasons mood again. LOL!

Happy Travels!



Happy Travels!

After writing the above, I decided to split my stay. LOL! Now, I'll be at the Four Seasons for 4 nights and the Fairmont for 3 nights. I canceled out my original 7-night Fairmont reservation as I hadn't paid for it. I then got a much cheaper 3-night stay on Expedia as there's a 20%-off sale going on now. I also got 1 free night at the Four Seasons. Yippie! Stay 3 nights, get the 4th night free.

Plus, I had forgotten that I have points on Expedia as I've never used them over all of these years. So, I clicked to use them and over $458. was deducted from my 4-night, Four Seasons stay as I had over 32,000 points. So, it was a win win situation and I'm a very happy camper now.

Happy Travels!