10 TAKE MY MONEY Cafes and Restaurants 2015

I'm the kind of guy who eats to live but once in awhile you've got to indulge, and sometimes sharing a good meal is the best thing to do with people you love.

After a year of eating out so much cos I've moved out, I've spent more than I dare to admit, and gone to more places than I care to mention. Some dining spots were pretty but served crappy food, which was sad. Then there were others that made me go - TAKE MY MONEY!

I'm not some major food critic but here are my taste bud biases for 2015:

ONE: 320 Below

11 Tanjong Katong Road, #01-K1 One KM, Singapore 437157

Ever since I interviewed Aillyn, Director of 320 Below for shiok.sg and got to try their amazing creations, I was hooked! The coconut ice cream and lava cake is epic. You can even request for a mash-up of their ice cream flavours, one of which is lychee earl grey. They prepare the puree in front of you, freeze it with nitrogen at -320 Fahrenheit, and voila, ice cream that's fresh, delicious and with real fruit! Pretty outstanding IMO.

TWO: Curious Palette

64 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188667

Opened by the brilliant Ryan who has more barista awards than I can mention, the good coffee is a given but it's the food and desserts that are quite brainspoil. I've dragged friends there for ice cream waffles after dinner around PS and it never disappoints. Love that it comes with poached pears and other fruit. I've got to go back to try the rest. Visually satisfying, gastronomically tantalising. Nom nom nom.

THREE: Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

401 Havelock Road #01-01, Hotel Miramir, Singapore 169631

Tucked away in Hotel Miramir, the place looks simple but the sashimi is the bomb. Who knew this place would serve up Jap food buffet like it does? Love it! And this boat - just ordered tonnes of sashimi so I could see it plated like this. IM ON A BOAT

FOUR: Itacho Sushi

2 Ion Orchard, #03-20

From one Jap restaurant to the next, this is my go-to Jap food place forever. Relatively consistent, great selection and dishes that throw some surprises my way... I've pretty often, I guiltily admit. Love the sushi - put it in my mouth, take a moment, inhale and then go OMG!

FIVE: Legendary Hong Kong

63 Jurong West Central 3, #03-80 Provisional Unit Jurong Point 2 Shopping Centre, Singapore 648831

When it first opened, I was still working in the west so we went crazy when we had gatherings there. Haven't really explored many options for HK food in Singapore but Legendary Hong Kong really takes me back (to Hong Kong). Would love to hear from you if you have more recommendations but this, other than Tim Ho Wan, is at the top of my mind when I have a craving for bo luo bao and his friends.

SIX: Mad About Sucre

27 Teo Hong Rd, Singapore 088334

It's not just on the list cos the BFF works there now. Mad About Sucre delivers! Prettiest cakes I've ever seen and their servers come up to tell you a bit more about the story behind the desserts on your plate. Quite an experience. If you're feeling fancy, you could even have one of their customised teas (blends they came up with themselves and you can't get anywhere else) paired with your dessert. Rumour has it that a lady who used to get her stuff from Grand Hyatt came here instead for her Christmas Party and spent... well, probably my monthly pay check!

SEVEN: Muchachos

22 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089129

Went once before it closed for renovations and then a couple of times more after that. Loving the bad-ass skull outside and the slightly greasy Mexican food they serve. Instantly memorable, huge portions and now with a roomier seating area (but enclosed and everyone's voice echoes like crazy), this is where I want to be when I need to sink my teeth into a burrito or tortilla. Gah. This is making my stomach rumble right now.

EIGHT: The Populus Coffee & Food Co.

146 Neil Road, Singapore 088875

Yes, yes and yes. This is what happens when you combine the sensibilities of what makes a good cafe and put it into a modern, edgy outfit - you get Populus. New kid on the block and it clearly knows what I want. Gorgeous, insta-worthy food that's prepared with a twist. Loved the stuff I had there. Refreshing compared to most cafes I've been, and although I seem to remember it being slightly pricier than most places, it really got me saying - TAKE MY MONEH!

NINE: Ronin Cafe

17 Hong Kong Street, Singapore 059660

It's like the best well-kept secret. There isn't even any sign of it at the door! The green tea latte was awesome and food was genius, combining sweet with meat... WOW. It's not a place for instagram - it's dark, it's chill, low-key, a place for you to find seek solace, solitude, a place away from the outside world.

TEN: Sunday Folks

44 Jalan Merah Saga, #01-52 Chip Bee Gardens, Singapore 278116

There's a pattern here - I have a bit of a weakness for ice cream waffles. Opened this year, I believe. There's a queue no matter the time of day and I only managed to get it when it was the very last order for this. On par with Creamier but cuter and for some reason, tastier. I need to go back.


I'm always on the hunt for places with reasonable prices. Leave a comment and let me know if you've got any recommendations, especially those serving wicked Jap food and sinful ice cream waffles!

5 Reasons to Run Downtown Singapore

Keith and I with SG50 graffiti at one of the underpasses

Surprised myself by taking up a tour of around Singapore, but not just any tour - a Running tour!

Keith, our guide for the one hour, 5km adventure, took us through Clarke Quay, Chinatown, Marina Bay, City Hall and more. The man had impressive stamina. We ran at a comfortable pace for conversation but surely, it must have been a challenge to spout history on the move, and perhaps even harder explaining places to fellow locals like ourselves!

Here are 5 Reasons why you should run around Downtown Singapore:

1. Rediscovering beauty of urban development

The Fullerton Hotel on the right, with a bridge that used to be raised to allow boats to pass under

I love parks, but there's only so many times I can run in Punggol! It was refreshing to pound the pavements of the CBD area with the (hot) office folks who have just finished work.

Our urban landscape is constantly changing too, so there's always something new to discover.

2. Learning and re-learning history

Another thing that got jogged was my memory. All that history of Singapore came to life, with an emphasis on our multicultural background and the lasting impact of WWII.

Doing the Raffles outside Victoria Theatre, which was used as a hospital during WWII

Sri Mariamman Temple, built in 1827, is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple

Civilian War Memorial, with four pillars representing the four races of Sg.

Had a solemn moment walking through the War Memorial when I was told that the remains of war victims were buried beneath it. Reminded me of a war monument in Sense 8, where the characters were reflecting on loss, terror and choices.

3. Touring with the tourists

Merlion Park, overlooking the bay area with a view of the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands

Singapore is packed with tourists in town on a weekday and nowhere is this more evident than the Merlion Park. It was crazy - every single person was trying to capture an Insta-worthy shot at the bay area, of the MBS and the Merlion. I did not expect that our local icons could rouse that kind of excitement in tourists!

Loved the feeling of being tourist for a day. I took a touristy pic there, and at the Jubilee Walk which is a new walkway linking the Esplanade to this area.

4. Getting your fitness on

It was a running tour after all and Keith is pretty serious about running! We went on without taking many breaks in between, stopping only to snap some photos so you've got to be really active to take on this tour. The upside to it is definitely working on your fitness when you're travelling, and covering as many places as possible in the short span time. You'd be surprised at how much more you can see when you speed things up a bit!

We worked up a pretty good appetite for delicious local fare as well, and with the hawkers at Chinatown nearby, we were not short of choices.

Also, my last last minute training before my 10km one at Standard Chartered Marathon this Sunday.

5. Taking postcard-worthy pictures

I think they speak for themselves:

Taking a pit stop to capture the magnificent, newly-opened National Gallery Singapore

Favourite pic of the day - sunset over Clarke Quay

We got the best of both worlds - a good work out and a tour about Singapore. The great part about it is you could get more running if you wanted. Prove that you are up to it, turn up the pace, and you could probably go a longer route and see more. If you wanted a more relaxing one, you could ask more questions, learn more history and stop to take more photos. It's pretty much up to you.

Thanks to Keith for bringing us around. He was youthful (probably a couple years younger than myself), energetic and raring to go. The muscles on his calves were testament to his passion for this tour, which sometimes requires him to do a morning session followed by an evening one. One thing I thought he could've done better was to tell us more in-depth history, but I'm probably just nitpicking! Kudos to him.

View this post as a photojournal without my crappy writing here.


This post is courtesy of the good people at BeMyGuest. It seems like a popular way of exploring the city. Keith sometimes does up to three of these a week. Interested? Check out the Historical 5km Run here.