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 40,000-square-foot campus contains a restaurant, cooking school, and R&D space, with a big lawn for picnics and garden events. The dishes on the menu rely on local produce, like the yellowfin tuna tataki with charred Sarawak eggplant; and lemongrass-glazed chicken with chunky herb chimichurri. Book in advance.
After a shopping trip on Orchard Road but before dinner at Fysh, head to the Artyzen Singapore hotel for a sunset cocktail in the rooftop garden. With uninterrupted views of Singapore and a scattering of tables and lounges, this is an excellent spot to watch the sun melt with a frosty G&T. Unlike most rooftop bars in Singapore, this one still feels like a bit of a secret. Go now. The 2023 opening of the Singapore Edition really put this side of Orchard Road on the map. Inside the hotel, the celebrated Australian fish specialist Josh Niland, known for his sustainable fin-to-tail approach to seafood, has opened his first international restaurant, Fysh. The high ceilings, dark timber, and green banquettes give it a classic steakhouse vibe—appropriate, given it’s Niland’s first restaurant to serve meat. But stick to seafood to really experience the chef’s wizardry. Expect riffs on local classics like swordfish curry puffs, trout-roe egg tarts, and lobster noodles made partially from fish bones. Go on a Sunday for Niland’s take on a roast, with dishes like grilled cod and swordfish served on the bone, plus plenty of sides.
This article appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
