PLACES TO VISIT IN SINGAPORE

Any tourist guide to Singapore will list a number of popular tourist attractions. The aim of this page is bring to your attention some of the less high profile ones, which you might otherwise miss. I will assume that you already have a list of the most popular places to visit.

As well as China town, Malay Village and Little India you might consider visiting "Little Thailand". Officially there is no such place, but Golden Mile Complex on Beach Road houses numerous Thai restaurants, cafes, bars, CD shops selling Thai music and a Thai supermarket. Lucky Plaza, which is on Orchard Road, caters to the Philippine community, particularly on Sundays, when many of the island's Philippine maids congregate there for their day off. When shopping in Lucky Plaza take care if you are purchasing high value items such as electronics and cameras. You can get a bargain, but if you don't know the correct price and configuration of what you are buying, you can also get ripped off. I had one joker try to sell me something for 6 X normal price. Sometimes what seems like a bargain won't be, when you realise that the standard package offered an extra battery and a one year warranty, but the one you thought you got cheap, didn't. There are some Burmese (Myanmar) shops and cafes in Peninsula Plaza and Vietnamese tend to inhabit the Joo Chiat area.

At 145 Killiney is the Mitre Hotel. This is a large colonial building in a prime location. Unfortunately it is very run down, although if you are courageous enough you might be able to persuade the bar person to sell you a can or bottle of Tiger beer. When you approach you will walk up a long drive and get the impression that the place is deserted. You will need to go to the iron grill at the front door, and then if you still see no one inside, call out. Dogs may bark at you and at night everything is dark and very spooky. The existence of this place is about as likely in today's Singapore, as finding a bottle of Californian wine on a Frenchman's dining table. In May 2007 a court settled a dispute, which had been preventing the Mitre from being sold. It is therefore likely that it will shortly close forever.

Right at the other end of the spectrum is the Divine Society. Housed at the ground floor level of Parkview Square (known to locals as Gotham City Tower, or The Batman Building), this opulent wine lounge (calling it a wine bar does not do it justice) boasts a wine angel, who will fly up on a wire to the wine cabinet, to collect the bottles you order. Dress well if you want to enter.

Suntec City is a series of office towers above an extensive shopping mall. In the centre of the towers at basement level is a circle of restaurants which front onto the Fountain of Wealth.

If you appreciate good beer, then a tour of the micro breweries in Singapore will suit you. At the time of writing this there are five such establishments in Singapore. Archipelago is part of Asia Pacific Breweries, but unlike the mass produced beers normally produced by APB, Archipelago produces craft beers, some of which are flavoured with Asian spices and fruits. They have an outlet in Circular Road and a good selection of their beers are served at the Queen and Mangosteen pub at VivoCity. Brewerkz have outlets at Riverside Point, Bukit Timah Road, and at the Indoor Stadium. The Riverside point outlet contains a brewery. Other micro breweries in Singapore are the Pump Room at Clarke Quay, Paulaner Brauhaus at SunTec City and RedDot at Dempsey Road. Behind RedDot is Tawandang based on the Thai concept which can be found in Bangkok. This contains a brewery which serves German beers of similar styles to those at Paulaner. It is also possible to organise group tours of the Tiger Brewery at Tuas. These tend to end in APB's own on-site pub, The Tavern. The Archipelago micro brewery is also located on the same site.

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