Three new hotspots that draw on Singapore’s sense of local identity
When Singapore went into lockdown in April 2020, businesses not offering essential services closed for two months. While life in Singapore has since returned to some semblance of normality – apart from a recent flare-up in cases and resulting retightening of restrictions – the business environment remains challenging because of social distancing measures and a lack of visitors to the city.
But Singaporeans are a resilient lot, and some opened new ventures during these tough times. The three listed below offer products and services that draw on Singapore’s strong sense of local identity, and offer something new for Hong Kong travellers to check out when the Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble opens on May 26, or later if there is further postponement.
Laut
The owners of this new restaurant in Singapore’s central business district received their operating licence on the second day of Singapore’s lockdown last year. Instead of an opening party, Frank Shen and Leon Tan, both in their early 30s, scrambled to put together an online platform for delivery orders.
A year on, Laut is now well known on the gastrobar scene. And for good reason: the owners use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, with up to 70 per cent coming from Singapore – unusual in a place that imports 90 per cent of its produce.
The menu at Laut (which means “the sea” in Malay) could be described as “seafood with a twist”. Prawn Raja, for example, is Hakka thunder tea rice reinterpreted as a comfort dish of rice cooked in a pesto of Asian herbs topped with grilled king prawns. Diced century egg and petai (known locally as “stink beans”) are stirred in before serving.
Laut runs on a minimum-waste policy. Banana pulp left over from a cocktail made with aged Malaysian molasses, candlenut and palm sugar, for example, is given a second life in the dessert Pisang Laut, which comes with tapioca and sweet potato fritters.
The reliance on local produce drives up Laut’s food costs by 20 per cent but prices are affordable. Five sharing plates and two drinks each cost our party of three S$60 (HK$350) per person.
Laut, 17 Stanley Street
The Clan Hotel
In the 19th century, the streets of Singapore’s Chinatown were home to clan associations, where Chinese migrants exchanged news and helped one another settle in the city.
Today, The Clan Hotel, a 324-room, 30-storey property run by home-grown Far East Hospitality, does a good job of plugging guests into its rich heritage.
My induction began with a welcome tea ceremony: oolong tea served with a salted mung bean pastry. This was how guests would have been welcomed into a Chinese home.
Art installations and artefacts deck the lobby and a menu of experiences has been curated by The Clan Collective – local experts and artists – that will have visitors delving into the craftsmanship and culture for which 19th-century Chinatown was known.
The Clan Daily Special, a selection of hawker fare curated by food blogger ishootieatipost (former doctor Leslie Tay) is served in-room and does not disappoint. The hotel’s Qin Restaurant and Bar, meanwhile, has a menu inspired by a medley of Asian cultures.
The service is what leaves the deepest impression. The staff treat guests as though they are one of their own, embodying the spirit of the clans. The Clan Hotel, 10 Cross Street
Beyond The Vines Design Post
In September 2020, not long after Singapore emerged from a total lockdown and shops had reopened, home-grown label Beyond The Vines (BTV) opened its 2,216 sq ft flagship store on Orchard Road.
For husband-and-wife founders Rebecca Ting and Daniel Chew, the opening of Beyond The Vines Design Store marked a relaunch of their womenswear line into a brand encompassing several product categories. Famous for its Dumpling Bag, BTV now offers a menswear line, bucket hats, masks and even household items such as glass jugs.
This month, BTV is opening its sixth store. At the 200 sq ft Beyond The Vines Design Post – so called because the interiors take inspiration from a post office – shoppers can find the Dumpling Bag and eco-friendly products exclusive to the store, such as Nalgene water bottles and reusable toy cameras.
Later this year, BTV Design Post will carry products from collaborations with other brands. The first partner will be an F&B brand with a newly spawned design arm. While Ting stresses that a common design philosophy will be the main prerequisite for choosing a partner, it appears BTV has also taken on the role of launch platform for budding creatives.
Beyond The Vines Design Store, B1-42/46 Takashimaya Shopping Centre; Beyond The Vines Design Post, B3-11, ION Orchard