Orchard Road, Singapore's Iconic Shopping Belt, Is a Foodie's Dream, Too

27.12.2024 - 13:23 / cntraveler.com

The west end of orchard road, the bustling, 1.6-mile shopping belt in the heart of Singapore, has always been a slightly strange case. Sandwiched between high-shine mega-malls and the pricey Tanglin district, it's long felt a bit sleepy, with a smattering of karaoke lounges and red-light massage parlors. But the last year has seen the area clean up its act, with a bumper crop of sleek new hotels rising to transform the landscape. They're joined by a wave of food and drink spots from both celebrated expats and local chefs that hold their own in this global capital of cuisine.

The leafy lawns at the new Air CCCC

A hearty spread of hawker specialties from the Food Opera court at Ion Orchard shopping center

The 43-year-old, Michelin-starred Summer Palace at the Conrad Singapore Orchard has gotten a refresh. Gone are the red carpet and wood-paneled walls in favor of a neutral-toned dining room. But the tables are still filled with loyal families and local dignitaries, and the menu is reassuringly traditional—Peking duck, herbal soups, and seafood cooked every which way. Order a Chinese wine, like a biodynamic Silver Heights Chardonnay from Ningxia, and quiz the sommelier on this growing grape-growing region. Master bartender Dario Knox, whose spots appear regularly on the World's 50 Best Bars list, first made a splash in this city with The Other Room, an acclaimed cocktail bar further down Orchard Road. A key player on the Singaporean cocktail scene, Knox has independently unveiled The Backdrop, a speakeasy inside the newly opened Voco Hotel. A mecca for mixology geeks, it rifles through all the tricks—fat-washed, percolated, smoked. If your budget allows, some cocktails are made with vintage gin from the '70s.

Ion Orchard shopping center

The venerated Food Opera dining court at Ion Orchard shopping center has a trove of the city's best food stalls—including hawkers who have been in business for half a century, like outposts of Sergeant Hainanese Chicken Rice and Thye Hong Fried Prawn Noodles.

Italy has gelato. India has kulfi. Singapore has the ice-cream sandwich. You'll find a couple of the old-school street carts, which have operated for over 30 years, on Orchard Road. (Look for them outside Takashimaya Shopping Centre.) Expect local flavors like durian, red bean, yam, and sweet corn, spooned between wafer biscuits or slices of pillowy pandan bread. Stroll 20 minutes past Tanglin Mall to Dempsey Hill, where a leafy enclave of British colonial buildings now houses some of Singapore's loveliest restaurants and bars, including the new Air CCCC from Will Goldfarb and Matthew Orlando, the innovators behind Bali's sensational Room4Desserts and Amass, along with Potato Head Bali's Ronald Akili. The