Very interesting. I didn't realize the tables and chairs out on Smith Street are communal. I figured that they were pretty much the province of the restaurant in front of which they are placed, which is the way it works in Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. The restaurant workers seemed to be proprietary about the tables in front of their stores, though that may be an informal way of dissuading people from drifting down the street and encouraging them to order from a specific place. Hmmmm....

Thanks for the info!

It's actually more complex than that, because not all are... time to resort to ASCII art:

XXX _T_T_ YYY _T_T_ ____ _T_T_ ZZZ

So "XXX" and "ZZZ" are restaurants in the shophouses on the sides of the street, and "YYY" is the row of hawker stalls. The tables ("T") within the shophouses' five foot way (the covered bit) belong to XXX and ZZZ respectively, while the ones in the street next to the YYY stalls are communal. And, just in case you aren't confused yet, in some cases (eg. Da Dong's steamed bun operation at the west entrance) the stall is actually owned and operated by the neighboring restaurant!

But I wouldn't lose any sleep over this. Sit down where you like and move if some sweaty guy in a grease-stained wifebeater bursts from the kitchen to wave a cleaver at you while jabbering furiously in Hokkien :p

Western food - Corduroy and Finch, corner Fifth Avenue & Bukit Timah Road. Its goulash is a must-try.

Hawker - Newton Hawker Centre, or some place starting with 'B', can't remember but it's near where my friend lives and we usually go there when I visit him in SIN.

Food court - Love the one at Takashimaya. The new one at Wisma Atria is sensational too. Used to frequent the one at Cineleisure when I lived there but not sure if its still good anymore.

Haven't tried the alfresco ones at Smith St and the Esplanade yet but I'll do that on my next visit (on Good Friday weekend!!).

Chinese - Crystal Jade Kitchen

That was very helpful. Now I understand. :)

And that was very funny. Now I'm scared. :cool:

QF009, maybe the hawker centre starting with B could be Bedok? Apparently the best minced pork noodle (bak chor mee) is found there.

Maybe, if only I knew where that is. Friend lives on Depot Road. I remember having to take a 5 mins taxi ride the last time, and part of the ride was on the freeway.

I have very little clue of Singapore suburbs. My life revolved around home (near Holland Village), school (United World College on Dover Road) Holland Village coffee shops, and shopping on Orchard. :P

Komala Vilas - South Indian Vegetarian. My all time favourite (for the last 20 years). :) :) :)
Go to the original place on Serangoon Road.

Still very cheap. :) :) :)

Ah, okay now that gets us somewhere. The closest hawker centre that is near to Depot Road that starts with a B is Bukit Merah. It should be that, I think. In between Bukit Merah and Depot Road is Ayer Rajah Expressway. There is a very big MacDonalds there in a cinema that is no longer in use.

At least now u can put a name to that place. :)

Sounds familiar - it's opposite a shopping mall with maccas and a cinema - though last time I went in December 05 the cinema looked newish and was in use.

I will be in SIN in late May (for the first time actually spending time of my own) and have come up with this provisional list of restaurants to try.

Blue Ginger
5 Star Hainanese Rice
My Humble House
Jiang Nan Chun
Tiffin Room
Les Amis or Au Jardin

-Is Equinox worth going to? Perhaps for drinks only?

I arrive Friday afternoon and depart Monday evening, and will be there the weekend the Great Singapore Sale starts. Feedback and additional suggestions are greatly appreciated.

If any other FTers will be in SIN then, will be glad to meet!

Thanks in advance!

You MUST check out Corduroy and Finch - it's got lots of awesomeness if you want great Western food.

When in May are you going to be there? If it is during the last weekend (26th-28th), a lot of FTers will be at Bali DO around that time. Care to join us? :)

As far as the restaurants go, I haven't been to all of the ones on your list, but the ones I know (Jiang Nan Chun, Tiffin Room, Les Amis) are good choices, IMO.

I personally think Equinox has pretty good food, but I've heard others disagree, so can't recommend it unreservedly. However, the view from up there is fantastic, so at least a visit to the New Asia Bar is worth it.

Mr. Megatop and I were underwhelmed by Blue Ginger. Charming location. Bla-bla food. The Peranakan-style dishes on SQ Book the Cook are better. Not kidding.

At least one other FTer agrees with me. We came to that conclusion after a discussion somewhere on FT, perhaps in the BTC thread in the Singapore Airlines forum. A search for MegatopLover and Blue Ginger should turn up the discussion.

Agree with MegatopLover (and I don't think I was the one he's referring to). I'd also pip Halia over Les Amis au Jardin, it's half the price, much more atmospheric with the floodlit jungle setting and IMHO the food is better too. The food in the Tiffin Room is not extraordinary, but there are worse excuses for going to the Raffles Hotel.

I don't like Equinox either, but many disagree and the views are the best in Singapore -- although they don't hold a candle to Dome/Vertigo in Bangkok. There are actually three separate operations here: New Asia Bar is the one people usually go to for drinks, but there's also a quieter jazz lounge kinda place and an expensive fusion restaurant called Jaan.

Thank you for this..... I will be sure to get my fix on SQ BTC!! Off the top of your head do you have any other recommendations other than Blue Ginger? I shall also search the thread you kindly refer to a bit later on..... many thanks!!