Food and Drink

This gourmet’s paradise offers food centres ranging from humble street stalls to 5-star restaurants. Incorporating over 30 different cooking styles, Singapore is renowned for its ability to dish up anything delectable.

National specialities:
Beef rendang (coconut milk beef curry).
Chilli crab (fresh crab with a piquant sauce).
Gado gado (a fruit and vegetable salad in peanut sauce).
Satay (skewers of marinated meat cooked over charcoal) served with spicy peanut sauce, cucumber, onion, rice and coconut.
Char Kway Teow (thick rice noodles stir fried in soy sauce with vegetables, fish or meat).

National drinks:
Singapore Sling (cocktail containing gin, cherry liquor, cointreau, benedictine, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine and angostura bitters). It was invented in the early 20th century for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Teh arak tarik (ginger tea with milk).
Soya bean milk.
Sugar cane juice.
Tiger Beer (ubiquitous local lager brand).

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: Officially discouraged in restaurants, hotels and the airport. A 10% service charge is included in restaurant bills.

Nightlife

The city never sleeps. With a whole range of entertainment, from bars, clubs, discos, karaoke pubs, street opera, night markets, river cruises, multiplex cinemas to theatre productions and international stage shows, it is no wonder tourists and locals alike are spoilt for choice.

Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, two popular riverside landmarks are residences to exclusive restaurants, alfresco dining and lively bars. Bugis Street, Changi Village and Holland Village are also popular areas for food and entertainment. To add to the list, Muhammad Sultan Road features a wide variety of pubs, nightclubs and wine bars.

2009 brings two huge new ‘integrated resort’ complexes into Singapore, one in Marina Bay (website: www.marinabaysands.com), the other in Sentosa (website: www.resortsworldatsentosa.com).

Shopping

Apart from the luxuries found in well-known shopping stretches as such Orchard Road, the Marina and Bugis area, other tourist favourite hangouts include Chinatown and Little India. Featuring exotic purchases such as antiques, carpets and tailored clothing, bargains can be made in some places, though generally only after good research and shrewd negotiation.

A popular place for electronics is at Sungei Road. However, caution is advised as there are many imitation products around. For more information on shopping in Singapore, pick up a Singapore Shopping brochure published by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Shopping hours:
Mon-Fri 1000-2100, Sat 1000-2200.
The Mustafa Centre in Little India is open 24-hours.

Note: A 7% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied on most goods and services purchased from taxable retailers. Tourists whose purchases total S$100 or more from a single retailer participating in the Tourist Refund Scheme are eligible for a refund of the GST paid on goods not consumed in Singapore. Refunds may be received at the airport, prior to departure flights.

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