Fresh from three months in the Antipodes, we’re back in Singapore for less than a couple of weeks – better make the most of it! I’ve always fancied living in the hip Tiong Bahru district, and so jumped at the chance of staying at our friend Matt Chapman’s gorgeous flat in Eng Hoon Street while he was away. Thanks again, Matt!
Tiong Bahru is the city’s very first public housing estate – built in the 1930s by the Singapore Improvement Trust (predecessor to the HDB, or Housing Development Board). In recent years, this district has become one of Singapore’s trendiest and therefore priciest residential areas.
The Tiong Bahru Road block shown above is typical of this Art Deco estate.
Eng Hoon Street – back in the 1830s, it was Sir Stamford Raffles himself who made these sheltered shophouse pavements – or “five foot ways” – mandatory, to provide shelter from the tropical sun and frequent downpoursJust beyond the Block 55 bus stop in Tiong Bahru Road, here’s another row of typical shophouses, predating the Art Deco ones that the district is so famous for
Just a few doors down from Matt’s place is the famous Tiong Bahru Bakery; it’s hard to find a seat on a weekend morning, but I can smugly “ta pau” (Hokkien for “take away”, both noun and verb) two crusty almond croissants and enjoy them with Nespresso coffee at home with Roy.
The famous Tiong Bahru Bakery from the front…… and from behind. I’m hoping that’s not yesterday’s bread still for sale
A Sense of Place
Tiong Bahru is now home not only to the local eateries it’s always been known for, but also to artisanal beard-trimmers, European bakeries, delis, crocodile-oil merchants and more.
A seafood restaurant like this one opens only at night; eating alfresco during the day would be horrible in the heatRoy at Day & Night in Eng Hoon Street, having polished off the chicken wings
It’s difficult to define the atmosphere of a place: you have to be there to feel it. If you can look beyond the hype, Tiong Bahru still has something of the lovely, laid-back vibe of Katong and the East Coast. I almost feel like going out in shorts, a T-shirt and slippers (Singlish for flip flops), and without makeup. (Almost, I said.)
Some major curb-appeal in Eng Hoon Street…
… and an equally colourful temple a couple of doors down
Plenty of chi-chi businesses have moved into hip Tiong Bahru…
… and for Singapore, a French bookshop is really, really niche
Born and raised in Durban, South African Verne is a writer and editor. She and Roy met in Durban in 1992, got married four years later, and moved briefly to London in 2000 and then to Singapore a year later. After their 15 or 16 years on that amazing island, Roy retired in May 2016 from a long career in shipping.
That's when I started Travels with Verne and Roy (travelswithverneandroy.com). For several summers, we explored the waterways of France on our beautiful new Piper Boats barge, Karanja. The rest of the year was shared between Singapore, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other wonderful places.
After covid restrictions locked us down with family in Perth, Western Australia, we sold our Karanja. That was a bit of a wrench, but it did free us up for different adventures - road trips, ocean cruises and more all over the world.
Now based in the lovely new home that we built here in Burns Beach, WA, we continue to address the joint bucket list while also revisiting our favourite destinations. Do come along for the ride!
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