Singapore’s prolific super-slick and shiny shopping malls are often touted as some of the world’s best, making this tiny island a must-shop for retail lovers. However, if high street brands and luxury boutiques aren’t your thing, venture out from the air-conditioned megastores and seek out local bargains and flavours at these Singaporean shopping haunts.
Wet Markets – Fresh Produce Paradises
Daybreak sees things stirring at the fresh food markets, where supply trucks make deliveries while restaurant chefs and home cooks compete for the best ingredients. One of the busiest and most colourful of these wet markets can be found at the basement level of Chinatown Complex – wear closed-toed shoes as the floors here can get, well, wet. The crowds thin by mid-morning, which gives you a little more elbow room to take in the kaleidoscopic displays of fruits, vegetables, and sea creatures stacked in neat rows. Look out for the famous black chickens and ginormous American bullfrogs, both delicacies in this part of the world. For a local treat to take home, visit Anthony the Spice Maker, whose rendang curry blend is legendary.
Chinese Medical Halls – Get Some TLC with TCM
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for over 2000 years and these stores provide a fascinating window into the world of Eastern medicine. Inside, cabinets of jars and walls of tiny drawers hold dried plants and animals that are bound to leave you guessing their origins. Traditionally, customers visit their practitioner at the medical hall, explain their ailments, and have a remedy concocted. Although traditional medical halls are dwindling in Singapore, a few remain around Chinatown. If you’re in the market for some TCM, try the more mainstream Eu Yan Sang – it’s not as authentic, but their practitioners speak English and the medicines are typically labeled and packaged.
HBD Flats – Journey into Singapore’s Heartlands
Towering housing estates are common in Singapore, with over 80% of the population living in state-run Housing Board Development (HBD) flats. Inside, you’ll find local kopitams (coffee shops), hawker stalls, food markets, hardware stores, and a variety of knick-knack shops selling everything from household goods to local sweets. These areas are often referred to as the ‘heartlands’ of Singapore, perfect for wandering the shops and getting a glimpse into local communities. Pop up from the MRT line at Toa Payoh or Pasir Ris and start exploring. One of the city-state’s hippest third-wave coffee shops, Nylon Coffee Roasters, is tucked underneath an Everton Park HDB block; its brew is worth the trip.
Mustafa Centre – Get Lost in Little India
Plan to spend a few hours at this shopping nirvana in Little India. Here, you’ll find everything from the latest electronics to hair accessories, groceries, sporting equipment, gold sellers, and money changers. It is an absolute labyrinth inside, and finding an exit can take considerable time. Bargain hunters will appreciate the cheap prices, but be warned, it’s busy every day and particularly crowded on Sundays. The best time to visit is early in the morning (doors stay open 24 hours), although even at 2 am, you’ll find plenty of customers wandering the aisles doing their grocery shopping.
Antique Treasures
Bypass the touristy paraphernalia in Chinatown’s Pagoda St and head for a three-storey shophouse in Craig Road, home to Tong Mern Sern Antiques Arts & Crafts. The sign out front humorously proclaims, ‘We buy junk and sell antiques, some fools buy and some fools sell’. Inside, you’ll discover a treasure trove of porcelain plates, paintings, Peranakan tiles, lamps, trinkets, and even vintage bicycles hanging from the rafters. Spot something that takes your fancy? Unlike many Singaporean establishments, you are encouraged to gently haggle on the price here.
Durians – Delectable or Disgusting?
You won’t be able to pack the so-called ‘king of fruit’ in your luggage for later, as this green, spiky fruit emits one of the most foul odours in Asia – all the more reason to try it here. Despite being banned from hotels and public transport, you shouldn’t let its reputation scare you. Take a bite, and you may discover that, like many locals, you quite enjoy it. Sellers can be found in Chinatown (you’ll smell them before you see them), but for a full local experience, venture to Durian Culture in Geylang. Expect packed tables of friends and families, plastic gloves on, happily digging into the mellow yellow flesh while seemingly oblivious to the stench. Stallholders will help you choose a fruit, open it, and then you can tuck in – it does taste better than it smells, but how much better varies by individual taste.
Singapore Snacks – Beyond the Average
While you can grab a chocolate bar at any 7/11 store, visiting a traditional Singapore snack shop is far more enjoyable and often tastier. Carnivores flock to Lim Chee Guan, famous for its bak kwa (barbecued preserved pork); during Chinese New Year, the line can wrap around the block. Sweet tooths should not miss Tong Heng, an old-school bakery selling flaky egg tarts. If you prefer a biscuit with your afternoon tea, the selection at Biscuit Shop will satisfy – the brightly coloured iced gems are fun treats, while the pineapple cookies and lemon puffs will make connoisseurs swoon.
Time for Tea
The beautiful tins at famous tea purveyor TWG make a wonderful keepsake. However, if you’d like to learn about the history behind one of the world’s most popular drinks, visit Tea Chapter. Here, you can savour a cup of loose leaf tea prepared expertly, purchase your favourite blend, and grab a stunning tea set as a souvenir.
