Tiong Bahru Walkabout

Lazy, dazey and hungry Sunday mornings need never be the same again. If you are pent-up with work and had not the time to re-discover the little old charms and great makan (eating) spots in and around Tiong Bahru and Chinatown area, or, if you are a blur (no idea what to do or eat) visitor, well, just sit back, relax, enjoy this video clip (a little over 5 minutes, I think) and then, get off your bottom and quickly jump in on the action …D.I.Y.

We start this Jalan Jalan (walkabout) tour with a hot morning cuppa and kaya (coconut and egg custard) toast amidst hundreds of chirping birds at the Tiong Bahru Bird Area coffee shop (about a kilometre's walk from the Outram MRT station). Then, we'll meander through the local wet market just behind and rediscover Singapore's first public housing development in the 1930's build by the now defunct housing authority ,Singapore Improvement Trust. This Tiong Bahru estate was designed with British post-war housing concepts as seen in Harlow and Stevenage. The localised architectural touches include air wells, back lanes and spiral staircases. Some of these blocks are designed with blast proof and air raid shelters. A quaint half to one hour walk through the front and especially the back lanes will leave you with a little appetite for some of the best local street food in the adjoining wet market.

The food, you just gotta see it to drool. From noodles to rice cakes to peanut desserts, the choice around is fabulous, especailly in Chinatown.

Chinatown was already established as a residential and commercial enclave with double storied housing and town planning as far back as the 1800s, a legacy of Sir Stamford Raffles, modern Singapore's founder. Then, he had the foresight of separating the various Chinese immigrants, largely from Canton and Fuzhou provinces in China. He allocated different streets to specific groups like the Cantonese in Pagoda and Mosque St. and the Hokkiens in Amoy, China and Hokkien St. At Sago Street, interestingly, was a lane of "death" shops. The old, sickly and dying whiled their time away in these death bed shops till it was time to go. Today, curio shops and cafes fill these restored pre-war dwellings.

The Chinatown Food Centre is one of the biggest in Singapore. The range of foods, not just Chinese, is enormous. Some, like the pork jelly on ice, are rarely found elsewhere. Atmosphere there is loud and fast, but some friendly old folks living in the area are seen there practically everyday oblivious to the noise and din. Surrounded with such good food and drinks, it is not diificult to spend a whole day there just yakking, eating, drinking and people watching all day long.

This little Jalan Jalan tour should take up at least half a day of your leisurely weekend morning. I enclose a personalised map of the area we are taking you through.

Enjoy.