The key attractions in Singapore when time is of the essence

A cultural and culinary hop around Singapore’s Downtown Core

1 Singapore Philatelic Museum

Opened on August 19, 1995, the Singapore Philatelic Museum is the custodian and curator of Singapore’s philatelic materials – in other words, the country’s stamp collection. The museum’s collections range from stamps and archival philatelic material of Singapore from the 1830s to 2019, and stamps from member countries of the Universal Postal Union. The museum is housed in a century-old, double-storey colonial building that was designed by Tomlinson and Lermit Architects. Don’t miss the Straits Settlement Collection, which documents Singapore’s early philatelic history and heritage. spm.org.sg

2 MINT Museum of Toys

Located within walking distance of the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach and established in 2007 by avid toy collector Chang Yang Fa, the MINT Museum of Toys houses a world-class collection of vintage toys and collectable items. The museum has amassed more than 50,000 items, 8,000 of which are on display. MINT actually stands for Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys. The collection ranges from Batman and Dan Dare, all the way to Japanese characters and space-related toys and collectables. In addition to toys, the museum houses a collection of vintage confectionery tin boxes, Mobo horses and pedal cars, as well as original enamel advertising signs. emint.com

3 The Clifford Pier

Stop by this all-day dining restaurant at The Fullerton Bay Hotel for a spot of afternoon tea. The restaurant offers novel teatime treats that are spun off from familiar Singapore dishes with distinctively local flavours. Each afternoon tea set, called Singapore Heritage Afternoon Tea, comes with traditional local kopi, teh tarik or air bandung. Among the food items to savour are bak gwa jam sandwiches, “cruffin” with masala potato and curry leaves, and chilli crab bao. The afternoon tea menu also offers traditional English scones with a twist: tropical fruit scones studded with dried pineapple, mango, lychee and coconut. fullertonhotels.com

4 BeGin bar

Tucked upstairs above Singapore’s oldest traditional English pub – The Penny Black – BeGin is an “illusive industrial gin wonderland” with a collection of over 50 gins from different countries. The rustic interior alludes to the time period during Britain’s Industrial Revolution and the Gin Craze from the late 1760s to the 1850s, when elixirs were produced in run-down workshops to evade the impending ban on the then newly derived “medicine of choice”. The bar offers a tasting flight of four gins at S$28 (US$20). While sipping on your gin, you can nibble on some contemporary British-Indian small plates. begin.com.sg

5 Lime restaurant

Located within the impressively designed Parkroyal on Pickering Hotel on Upper Pickering Street, Lime has recently launched a meatless menu. The restaurant has scoured the markets to find not only beef, but pork and seafood guilt-free, plantbased proteins for its new menu. There are a total of seven vegan dishes to try, from appetisers to desserts. For those wanting to indulge in a burger guilt free, the restaurant offers the popular plant-based Beyond Burger that is known for its uncanny similarity to meat both in look and taste. There is even a fishless fish & chips that’s guaranteed to keep you hooked and coming back for more. parkroyalhotels.com/lime

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