070 OUT AND ABOUT

ARAB STREET
1. Pluck
31/33 Haji Lane | 1pm-8pm (Mon-Thu), 1pm-11pm
(Fri-Sat) | (65) 6396 4048 | www.pluck.com.sg

Conceptualised like a fashion magazine, which explains

the bewildering variety of furniture, clothes, accessories,
books and jewellery on show. Within Pluck is an ice-
cream parlour offering Daily Scoops’s hand-churned
specialty ice cream from Clementi.

2. Golden Mile Complex

5001 Beach Rd

The building’s modernist architecture,

designed by DP architects in 1973, has
impressed architects like Rem Koolhaas. st
ia
Inside is a “Little Bangkok”, with its many tor
vic
Thai restaurants, karaoke pubs and curly
script on all signages. For a Bangkokian
nightlife, head to the Thai Disco [#02- d
er
85/92; 8pm-3am (Mon-Fri), 6pm-3am dg
h bri
(Sun), 8am-4pm (Sat); (65) 6295 1611; nort
www.thaidisco.com.sg], a long-running
favourite with overseas Thais.
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3. Golden Mile Food Centre

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505 Beach Rd
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Apart from the usual hawker fare, you’ll

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find a treasure trove of premium eats

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– Italian pasta (Pasta Planet, Stall 82); Bugis rd

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ach
04
Belgium desserts (The Sweet Stone be
01
Parad’ice, Stall 67); Japanese rice-bowls
(Mansaku, Stall 93) – at rock-bottom ro
ch
prices. The Army Market on the second or y
floor sells all sorts of cheap and good rd wa
igh
camping gear, perfect for those pesky o ll h
nic
National Service call-ups.
 OUT AND ABOUT 071

4. Straits Records
22 Bali Lane | 3pm-10pm (Daily) | (65) 9385 3211 |
www.straitsrecords.com

The ragged red and white shop décor and extensive

collection of local and regional ‘indie’ music backs
up Ridwan’s iconoclastic approach to music,
“Whatever the genre, music should be honest. It
should have soul and feel. That’s why we only offer
independent music – because the major labels
suck.” That’s the gospel.
cra
wf
ord

5. Studio Privé
st

2A Haji Lane | by appt only |

(65) 6392 5380

A fashion showroom/mentoring pro-

gramme conceived by Jonathan Seow
(Woods & Woods). The entire setup is
aimed at connecting students picked for
the programme with the fashion industry.
d
03 hr Expect funky, fresh and new fashion
ac
be 02 designs that you won’t find elsewhere.

Samar Café
ALSO AROUND THE AREA

60 Kandahar St | 24 hrs | (65) 6398 0530

A lovely 24/7 café where night owls can roost, smoke Shisha and binge on Arabian cuisine.
Grandfather’s Collection
42 Bussorah St | 11am-10pm (daily) | (65) 6299 4530 | eveyeng@singnet.com.sg
A quaint antique shop cum museum. Don’t miss the cute secret garden at the back or Mr Ting’s
kampong toys demonstration.
Pitch Black Café
63 Haji Lane | 5pm-11pm (Mon-Thu), 12pm-2pm, 5pm-1am (Fri), 12pm-1am (Sat), 12pm-11pm
(Sun) | (65) 6392 3457 | www.pitchblack.com.sg
A two-storey movie café where the film selection is as eclectic as the décor, with a weekly focus
on different film-makers and concepts.
072 OUT AND ABOUT
SELEGIE
2. Emily Hill
11 Upper Wilkie Rd |
www.emilyhill.org
Beautifully restored house
that once served as a NAFA
campus but now home to a
glass-making studio Solideas
[(65) 6883 1091], an art gal-
lery Monsoon Asia Gallery
[3pm-9pm (Tue-Sun); (65)
6225 2236; www.monsoona-
sia.com], a theatre training
school Theatre Training &
Research Programme
[(65) 6338 5133; www.ttrp.
edu.sg], and a sculptor Sun
Yu-li Sculptures [(65) 6336
7188; www.sunyuli.com].
The entire setup is a bridge
between the arts and busi-
ness by helping each side
feed off each other without
undermining either; an enter-
prising philosophy that fits in
well with drinks at Wild Oats
[6pm–12mn (Tue-Sun); (65)
6336 5413; www.wildrocket.
com.sg] under the sunset.
1. Night & Day – bar+gallery+friends
139 A/C Selegie Rd | Bar 6pm-12mn (Daily) | Gallery 12pm-12mn
(by appt) | (65) 6884 5523 | nightandday.sg
Gallery, bar and architecture studio rolled into a 1950s Art Deco building.
Strong drinks and avant-garde art exhibitions dominate the space
interspersed by many relics from the 1950s, from the grate-covered
elevator shaft in the bar to the antediluvian wooden frames in the gallery.
3. AIR Flagship Store
28 Wilkie Rd, #01-01 Sophia Flat | 12pm-10pm
(Mon-Fri), 10am-10pm (Sat-Sun) | (65) 6336 0662 |
www.weloveair.com
Air Division’s flagship store showcases the very best
of lifestyle furniture – Plankliving, Royce and Funktion
– as well as high-end imports like Tacchini and Pedrali
in a breezy, open and minimalist interior.
4. LASALLE College of The
Arts
1 McNally St | (65) 6496 5000 |
www.lasalle.edu.sg
It resembles a big black box
from far. On closer inspection, it
looks like a coal cracked-open
to reveal a diamond. This rather
ingenious art school designed
by RSP Architects also houses
a number of art and gallery
spaces: Institute of Contempo-
rary Arts Singapore, Earl Lu
Gallery and McNally Gallery.
 upp wilk
OUT AND ABOUT 073

Little India

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sophia rd

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Dhoby Ghaut
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bukit
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5. Singapore Art Museum victoria st

71 Bras Basah Rd | 10am–7pm (Sat-Thu), 10am–9pm (Fri) | (65) 6332 3222

What is there to like about SAM? Extensive 20th-century SEA art collection; set in a
beautifully restored historical building – old St Joseph’s Institution (est. 1855) – and
surroundings; free admissions after 6pm (Fri) and between 12pm to 2pm (weekdays)!

Rochor Beancurd
ALSO AROUND THE AREA

2 Short St | 12nn-12mn (Daily)

Long queues into the night for its silky soya beancurd milk and jelly.
Roomful of Blues
72 Prinsep St | 6pm- 2am (Tue-Sun) | (65) 6837 0882
Long-running institution for good, soulful blues music.
Old School
11B Mt Sophia Rd | (65) 6338 7682 | www.oldschool.sg
Primarily offices and studios for creative types, although a contemporary Asian art gallery
Osage Gallery [Blk 11, #01-12; 12pm– 8pm (Tue-Sun); (65) 63376 9909;
www.osagegallery.com] resides here.
 074 OUT AND ABOUT
1. Tuckshop
21 Tanjong Pagar Rd, #01-05 | 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-12mn (Mon-Fri),
5.30pm-1am (Sat) | (65) 6534 9287 | www.tuckshop.com.sg

Popular with the working crowd for their affordable and good food, their
humongous steak and Portobello mushroom sandwiches are best-sellers.
After hours, the talented Dance & Soul (Dean on the decks, Kaye on the
TANJONG PAGAR/ sax) will get you grooving with their unique brand of jazz-funk house music.
CHINATOWN
2. Books Actually
125A Telok Ayer St | 11am-9pm (Mon-Sat) |
(65) 6221 1170 | www.booksactually.com

Fun concept bookstore specialising in literature and

fiction titles amidst a tasteful arrangement of
Remington typewriters, tin toys and Polaroid cameras.
The friendly booksellers – Kenny and Karen – will be
more than happy to recommend cool reads for you.

3. New Majestic Hotel

31-37 Bukit Pasoh Rd | (65) 6511 4700 |
www.newmajestichotel.com

A hotel for design buffs with 30

individually designed rooms. Topping
the room (and cost) scale are five rooms
personalised by some of Singapore’s
most influential creative talents, ranging
from WyKidd Song to Theseus Chan. Of
note are The New Majestic Restaurant
(11.45am-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm (daily);
(65) 6511 4718) where Chef Yong’s
creations give new life to Cantonese
cuisine and New Majestic Bar (5pm-1am
(Mon-Thu), 5pm-3am (Fri-Sat); (65) 6534
8800), which features installation work by
local artist, Donna Ong.
4. The Asylum
22 Ann Siang Rd | 12pm-9pm (Mon-Fri), 12pm-7pm
(Sat) | (65) 6324 2289 | www.theasylum.com.sg
The delightfully eclectic front of design studio Asylum
stocks – amongst the racks and pseudo-freezers –
experimental music records, limited edition sneakers,
bags and clothes from international labels, and hip
books on culture, fashion, architecture and design.

5. Style:Nordic
39 Ann Siang Rd | 12pm-8pm (Mon-Sat), 12pm-5pm (Sun) | (65) 6423 9114 |
www.stylenordic.com

This spacious two-storey building at the top of Ann Siang Road imports the
very best of Scandinavian products. Avoid the fashion-police with Fillipa K,
Nudie Jeans and Rodebjer labels. If you’re in need of a home makeover,
check out trendy furnishings by Iittala, OFFECCT and Nola.
 OUT AND ABOUT 075

Outram Park

6. MAAD at red dot traffic

28 Maxwell Rd, red dot traffic | 1-2 Dec |
cantonment rd 03 11am-7pm (also: first weekend of every
d month) | (65) 6534 7209 | www.maad.sg |
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it p a cash only
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The Market for Artists and Designers or
MAAD is popular with creative and artsy
ne professionals looking to test-sell their
il r
d works. Come here for original acces-
sories, clothes, shoes, handmade toys
and artworks that you probably can’t find
elsewhere. Are you soft?, MAAD’s very
own plushie exhbition, will be showcased
duxton rd on 1 Dec-2 Dec. Take time to check out the
red dot design museum [11am-6pm (Mon,
tanjong pagar Tue, Fri), 11am-8pm (Sat-Sun); (65) 6327
rd
01 8027], which showcases past winners of
tras st the red dot award.

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Front Row
5 Ann Siang Rd | 12pm-8pm (Mon-Sat) | (65) 6224 5501 | www.frontrowsingapore.com
ALSO AROUND THE AREA

Housing a café, a mini-gallery, and a boutique with exclusive labels such as Woods & Woods,
APC, and Eley Kishimoto.
Ozzo Collection
18 Cross St, #02-20 China Square Central | 12pm-8pm (Mon-Sat), 11am-6pm (Sun) |
(65) 6536 2384
Offering a wide selection of urban vinyl toys from the USA.
Ex-tracx
15 Yan Kit Rd | 1pm-11pm (Mon-Fri), 1pm-8pm (Sat) | (65) 6224 4600 | www.e-tracx.com
Get quality hip-hop and dance vinyls as well as learn the tricks of DJ-ing here.
Whatever
20 Keong Saik Rd | 9am-10pm (daily) | (65) 6224 0300 | www.whatever.com.sg
Vegetarian café in a quirky and kooky shop selling holistic-living products like tarots and healing
crystals.
Fred Perry
19 Ann Siang Rd | 12pm-8.30pm (Mon-Sat), 12nn-6.30pm (Sun) | (65) 6325 3018
British streetwear known for its limited edition collaborations with eccentric designers and artists.