Matsuura Tongarashi Umeshu

You wouldn’t expect it, but this fragrant chili wine has quite some heat to it. If you’re a fan of the sweet and spicy combo, this is just the ticket. Our suggestion? Have it on the rocks or with soda water; it’s much too sweet to have on its own. $10 per glass, $68 for a 720ml bottle at Ippudo TAO.

Chili-infused Vodka

How to make Buyan’s chili vodka: First, get an entire bottle of Russian Standard vodka. Next, chop up 300 grams of red chilies and add it to the vodka, seeds and all. Then, throw in a generous handful of black peppercorns and raw garlic, and leave to infuse for at least two weeks (the longer the better, of course). The result is a clear, innocent-looking spirit that’s surprisingly potent. $13 per shot, $240 for a 1 liter bottle at Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar.

Vampiro

This concoction of plata (silver) tequila with diced onion, habaneros, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce is really just a vamped and amped up version of an old favorite, the Bloody Mary. Tempered with orange juice, it’s tart and refreshing, with a real kick. $12.50 at Senor Taco.

Sungwan Kaewya is a fishmonger at Siam Paragon’s Gourmet Market. When we meet her, she’s explaining to a customer that species originating from Thailand are located on the right side of the display case, and imported fillets on the left. She goes on to note that the fish that come from our Thai oceans are the best choice, as Gourmet Market has a strict policy not to buy from distributors who are suspected of fishing in protected waters. “More and more customers are asking where their fish comes from, they are showing more concern,” she says. It could be radiation scares due to Japan’s nuclear accident but there’s also growing interest in local—and sustainable—seafood.

“We sometimes tend to look down on our local fish and prefer imported fish like salmon or snow-fish (Chilean sea bass) because, funnily enough, it’s fashionable. Some forget that we have wonderful fish of our own.” says Chef McDaeng, Thai celebrity chef and writer.

Bill Marinelli has plenty of imported fish. But the owner of the popular Sukhumvit seafood venue The Seafood Bar proudly displays a message saying they “will not serve any endangered species or support overfishing,” in large and bold typeface on his constantly changing menu. A marine biologist turned restaurateur, Marinelli still owns fisheries, allowing him to oversee the whole operation from sea to plate. “Anything that gives the fish a fighting chance is sustainable to me,” he says. Most fish are caught by trawling, he explains, a process which catches and kills large amount of sea life that doesn’t end up in anyone’s plate. His menu features sustainable alternatives to popular seafood species of dwindling numbers. The sea bream entrée (preparation varies daily), with its buttery white flesh and firm texture, is a great substitute for a fish like Dover Sole, which also shares the same taste characteristics, but has been placed on Greenpeace’s Red List, denoting that it’s the least sustainable choice diners can make.

Ara Takayuki has taken the trend a step further by not only serving sustainable food, but also organic food (and seafood). He’s the front man of Sustaina, a small Japanese-owned shop and restaurant tucked away on Sukhumvit 39. “Right now few people understand what we’re trying to do, but it will just take time,” he says. Ara has hand-selected fisheries from Rayong, Hua Hin and Phuket to supply sustainable species for both his frozen food line and his restaurant. He rotates between various sashimi and sushi dishes as specials in Sustaina’s second floor eatery. His favorite? Squid sashimi, as he claims that Thailand’s waters are home to the most succulent and tasty squid in Asia.

But while eco savvy chefs and F&B directors are scaling back on black-listed fish, a quick trip to any major supermarket like Tops Fresh Market, Villa or Foodland reveals that these endangered fish are easily available and there’s always a large stock to keep shoppers happy. And while a few hotel chains in North America have banned some over-fished species from their menus, we’re not seeing major hotels show concern for this issue here either. Bangkok played host to the 2010 Global Conference on Aquaculture, which focuses on sustainable aquatic farming techniques; and the Banyan Tree on Sathorn Rd. did vow to stop serving shark fin soup—a huge step in our market. But it’s going to take more than a handful of foreign chefs at standalone restaurants for things to change: hotels and restaurant chains will have to get in on sustainable fish in a much bigger way. And that will only happen if we consumers ask them to do so.

NOVEMBER

Kalaa Utsavam 2011

Nov 4-13. Esplanade, Singapore. Various prices. www.kalaautsavam.com
Started in 2002 as a three-day event during the annual Deepavali [or Diwali; annual festival of lights], Kalaa Utsavam has grown into a 10-day festival with traditional performances and contemporary showcases like Bollywood-style singing.

November Grand Sumo Tournament

Nov 13-27. Fukuoka Kokusai Center, Fukuoka, Japan. Various prices. www.sumo.or.jp/eng
This old sport remains a wildly popular national pastime, and each year there are six grand tournaments. Noc is 2011’s last chance to see the battle of the huge wrestlers. Tickets start at ¥2,000 but get a ringside seat (¥14,300) for that extra bit of excitement.

Macau Grand Prix

Nov 17-20. Macau. Various prices. gp.macau.grandprix.gov.mo
One of the most exciting F1 racing events in Asia is now in its 58th year (no kidding). The three-day Macau Grand Prix means not only some of the world’s fastest cars and the noise of powerful engines, but also modified cars and GT motorcycles—not to mention a chance for some slot machine action afterwards.

CN Blue Blue Storm Asia Tour

Nov 19 in Bangkok, Nov 26 in Jakarta, Jan 7 in Hong Kong. Various prices. www.cnblue.co.kr
They recently opened for Linkin Park in Tokyo, held a series of concerts in Japan and tickets for their Bangkok’s are almost sold out as of press time. Don’t underestimate this alternative-rock band from South Korea who is stealing the spotlight from pop bands Super Junior and Girls’ Generation.

Stereosonic

Noc 26-Dec 3. Australia. Various prices. www.stereosonic.com.au
Dubbed Australia’s largest dance music festival, Stereosonic brings top international artists and DJs to Sydney (Nov 26), Perth (Nov 27), Melbourne (Dec 3), Adelaide (Dec 3) and Brisbane (Dec 4). The 2011 lineup is packed with familiar names like Acid Jack, Afrojack, Crookers and LMFAO. Check out the website for the entire lineup.

Richard III

Noc 17-26. Esplanade, Singapore. Various prices. www.srt.com.sg
Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) reunites with Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey for a stage production of William Shakespeare’s Richard III, which portrays the story of the hobbled tyrant who ruled England with an iron fist. The production and Spacey have earned rave reviews when the play first staged earlier this year in London.

DECEMBER

Chichibu Yomatsuri

Dec 3. Saitama, Japan.
One of Japan’s three largest hikiyama [float] festivals, Chichibu Yomatsuri has been taking place at the Chichibu Shrine in Saitama for more than 2,000 years. Though celebrations starts the night before, the main highlights take place on Dec 3, when six huge hikiyama floats decorated with countless lanterns, from neighboring districts, are paraded around town. The finale comes when they are gathered at the city hall’s plaza and fireworks light up the night sky. Saitama is only 90 minutes from central Tokyo.

Luang Prabang Film Festival

Dec 3-10. Luang Prabang, Laos. www.lpfilmfest.org
It’s a small festival, so while there won’t be celebs, do expect to see a bunch of art and indie flicks that aim to represent the region’s tales. In its second year, the festival will feature 26 movies curated by each country’s film expert (for Thailand, it’s the Bangkok Post’s Kong Rithdee, of course) such as Hexagon from Myanmar, Floating Lives from Vietnam, Lao Wedding from Laos and Panya Reanu from Thailand.

Wicked the Musical

Dec 7-Jan 29. Tickets S$55-250. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. www.wickedthemusical.com.sg
Beloved and award-winning Broadway musical Wicked is coming to Singapore—the only Asian city on its world tour. Wicked retells the story of The Wizard of Oz through the eyes of the wicked witch, Elphaba, and her love-hate relationship with the good witch, Glinda.

ZoukOut 2011

Dec 10. Sentosa, Singapore. Price TBA. www.zoukout.com
How about dancing the night away in boardshorts? Asia’s largest beach party is coming back after its big 10th year blowout last year. This year, ZoukOut puts together a big DJ lineup including Armin Van Buuren from the Netherlands, Bob Sinclair from France, Ladytron from the UK and the AVICII from Sweden.

Clockenflap

Dec 10-11. Cyber Port, Hong Kong. Free entry. www.clockenflap.com
Hong Kong’s annual outdoor music festival is coming back for the fourth time. The final lineup has not yet been unveiled but Bombay Bicycle Club, Luke Vibert, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Free the Birds are promised to rock the stage.

Midwinter Night’s Summer Dream Festival

Dec 31. Nami Island, South Korea. www.namisum.com
Nami Island is not only a place to enjoy autumn’s red maples, but also a great alternative to traditional New Year celebrations. On the New Year’s Eve, they throw a summer party, in the middle of winter, with all the great summertime activities: beachwear fashion shows, live concerts, outdoor BBQ as well as campfires and dance parties­—all when South Korea turns snowy.

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2011

Dec 31. Sydney. Free. www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye
Count down to 2012 at Sydney Harbor with millions of people at one of the first cities to step into the New Year. The celebration starts at 5pm with a series of fireworks, followed by the Harbour of Light Parade, when lit-up vessels sail on a 15km circuit around the harbor and then, finally, of course, the midnight fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge. See the vantage point map on its website for where you should be standing.

JANUARY

Sydney Festival

Jan, dates TBC. Sydney, Australia. www.sydneyfestival.org.au
Australia’s largest cultural event, Sydney Festival kicks off in January, right in the middle of Oceania’s summer, with music, dance, drama, circus and virtual art shows. Now in its 35th year, the festival has always kept a quality line-up, and while the current one isn’t finalized yet, the first international act confirmed to play is English artist PJ Harvey.

China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival

Starts Jan 5 and lasts about a month. Harbin, China. Price TBA. www.isharbin.com
Started in 1963 and now one of the world’s largest winter festivals, Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival brings together ice and snow artists from all over the world to showcase their masterpieces across the ice plateau near Songhua River. More details will be announced through the website (prepare to use Google Translate). Remember that you’ll be facing temperatures of around -16 degrees Celsius.

Australian Open

Jan 16-29. Melbourne, Australia. Tickets A$49.90-1,119.90. www.australianopen.com
Will new threat Novak Djokovic manage to keep the title away from Roger, Rafa and Murray another year? The year’s first Grand Slam tennis tournament serves up excitement, rivalry and upsets at Melbourne Park. Top tennis players compete for the largest-ever prize of A$26 million. FYI, tickets go fast.

Tet Nguyen Dan

Jan 23-26. Throughout Vietnam.
Tat Nguyen Dan, or commonly known as Tet, is the Vietnamese New Year celebration that is falling on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar (similar to the Chinese New Year). See Vietnam’s cities lit up with million of lanterns, traditional festivities, performances and dragon parades. And as the coming year is a dragon year, an auspicious symbol, expect even larger celebrations.

St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival

Jan 28 Feb 10. Various cities in Australia, and Singapore. A$120-140. www.lanewayfestival.com.au
Emerging first in 2004, in Melbourne, indie music festival Laneway has grown rapidly over the years, thanks to its cutting-edge international bands and artists. It now includes several cities and countries. For 2011/12, the line-up includes Active Child, Laura Marling, Feist, Anna Calvi, Pajama Club, Cults and M83, who will rock Brisbane on Jan 28, then go to Auckland on Jan 30 before returning to Australia: Melbourne (Feb 4), Sydney (Feb 5), Adelaide (Feb 10) and Perth (Feb 11). Laneway closes its curtains in Singapore on Feb 12.

Hong Kong Arts Festival

Jan 28-Mar 8. Hong Kong. Various prices. www.hk.artsfestival.org
The region’s foremost art festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary with 166 performances over 45 days and taking place at 17 venues around town. The lineup includes several world stage premieres like Olivia Yan’s Wild Boar, Santayana Li’s Journey to Home and Tang Shu-wing’s remake of Shakespeare’s Titus Adronicus. There are also lots of Asian premieres ranging from musicals like French theater Bouffes du Nord’s Magic Flute, to theatrical shows, like Benjamin Millepied’s This Part in Darkness ballet

Play

This is still one of the hottest spots in town for boys of a certain persuasion. Its weekends are a hoot when girlie dance anthems from the likes of Kylie Minogue, Kelly Clarkson and Kelis are dropped by resident DJ Andrew Tang, and the crowd, mostly trendy young things, sashay their way to the dancefloor and let it rip. It helps that drinks here are affordable—all house pours are $5 and a bottle of Absolut Vodka is only $80—with one-for-one on all housepour jugs every Friday and Saturday before midnight. If you’re into emerging local talents, occasional dance and singing competitions are also held here on weekdays.

Taboo

Set inside a two-story 5,000 sq. ft. space on Neil Road, this is one of the classier gay bars in town. The main floor downstairs is where all the action takes place, replete with an LED-lit dancefloor and 30 ft.-long bar. Upstairs, dubbed the Attic, is where you can chill out over a cocktail or two, glossing over the beautiful crowd. The vibe is heady, with progressive house filling the floor. Come on a Saturday when it’s most fun: KL’s DJ Louis T drops by every third Saturday of the month with his teeming tribal dance tunes, while the themed HOT Party held every fourth Saturday of the month occasionally sees international DJs dropping by (Junior Sanchez, maybe?).

HQ Karaoke & Bar

Previously Toca Me Bar, this “ladies” hangout is not just a place to people watch. As the name suggests, it is also where you can croon a ditty or two. An open Karaoke concept also means that you can easily make new friends here while you work out those vocal chords. Failing that, enjoy its signature cocktails like the Soju Oolong Tea, Mojitos and Apple Shooters while chilling out on plush seats amid distinctively pink-colored décor.

*I-S PICK* Popcorn!

Free, iPhone and Android (coming soon)
Newcomer Popcorn! allows you to search by film or by cinema over a three day period, watch trailers, read reviews, browse what’s coming soon and book your tickets on the spot. It also lists promotions at various cinemas and they’re planning a partnership with Garrett Popcorn.

Showtimezz

Free, iPhone and Android
Search by movie or cinema, watch trailers, check seating charts and book your tickets. It uses GPS to help you find your way to the cinema closest to you. It’s a little slow, but its loading screen says “Patience is the greatest of all virtues,” which is humorous enough to make up for it.

SG Movies

Free, Android
A pretty basic app. There’re no search or booking functions so you just tap posters of currently screening films to see showtimes, reviews, synopses and other info.

iCathay

Free, iPhone
iCathay offers more or less the same content as the first three apps except it’s limited to Cathay cinemas. It does allow you to connect with Cathay on Facebook, but reliability with bookings is an issue.

iGV

Free, iPhone
The Golden Village equivalent of iCathay offers GV-specific content and has a “profile” function but bookings are problematic, and it’s too buggy to be worthwhile.

Club Colaba

Taking its name from the legendary Colaba area of Mumbai (or as we prefer to call it, Bombay), Club Colaba occupies two standalone shophouses. Walking in, you’re greeted by an altar, traditional Indian adornments, the scent of jasmine and a thick haze of incense. Its wide dance floor is ideal for the clubbing crowd who keep the party going till the early hours seven days a week.

Khazana

Decked out in classy wooden carvings and plush lounge chairs, and located above the Archipelago Brewery flagship bar, Khazana offers two levels of comprehensive entertainment. On the second floor, you have a live band accompanied by dancers, not to mention a retro light-up disco floor. On the third floor, you’ve got DJs.

Bollywood Dhoom

A small metal figure in a Namaste pose on the door welcomes you to this cozy little pub promising “live performance by exotic Indian dancers.” Bollywood Dhoom delivers just that, and lets you get up close and personal with your entertainers. The lovely ladies strutting their stuff in traditional garb are mere feet away from the tables. The place also has a more than decent selection of whiskies and other spirits.

The Rupee Room

Well, the only Gandhian thing about this upscale joint is the minimalist décor but it does come in a plump shade of purple that would make any Bollywood starlet purr in delight. The intimate, cozy atmosphere is ideal for friends to meet up over cocktails and scrumptious Indian and fusion accented canapés. And if you are tanked up on liquid courage, bust out moves like Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai as the DJs spin a mix of lounge and Hindi tunes.

1995 Krug Clos d’Ambonnay

Born of pinot noir grapes harvested from a single tiny vineyard (just 0.685 hectares), only 3,000 bottles of this Champagne were made. It’s going to cost you, but what celebration is complete without bubbly?
$6,000 for a bottle at Oyster Bar

1995 Basseterre Rhum Vieux Guadeloupe

This vintage rum, aged in French oak barrels and bottled at a hefty 58.2 percent a.b.v is sweet, spicy, floral and understated all at once.
$295 a bottle (retail) at Fine Spirits by La Maison du Whisky

1995 Lagavulin Sherry Cask (For the Friends of the Classic Malt)

This rare whisky brings two of the most delightful elements of single malt Scotch together, peatiness and the sweet, oaky fruitiness that comes with aging in a sherry cask.
$26 a glass at The Auld Alliance

Trains aren’t always easy to love. Ask someone on a packed BTS carriage what word first springs to mind when you say “railway” and chances are it’ll be anything except “adventure.” But some people appreciate that there’s something rather special about railways; something about their gloriously straight lines and the private path they carve, something that captures the imagination like no other form of transport can.
Asia actually offers some of the world’s most exciting train journeys; whether it’s taking a Shinkansen through the heart of Japan, or peering out from a pressurized cabin as you’re whisked up to Lhasa. Here, though, are three rather more unusual railway adventures, by turns romantic, remote and mysterious. All of them offer a perspective on the final destination that you simply won’t find by any other means.

The Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok

One glimpse of the teakwood-panelled, open-air observation car at the back of the train and you’ll realize there’s still nothing else quite like this. Actually though, it’s not the luxury that impresses (though it certainly helps) or the cozy twin bed cabin (we barely spent any time there), so much as just how darn fun the whole thing is.

Like food? Like making new friends? Th­en you’re in luck. You don’t have to interact with anyone other than your travelling partner, but if you’ve any sense you’ll welcome the opportunity to dine with different people at every meal. And boy, are there a lot of meals­—rich, three or four-course fine dining affairs that fill half the day (and that’s not counting breakfast in bed). The rest of the time is best spent in the observation car, drinking gin and channelling your best Somerset Maugham. At Butterworth, and again at the River Kwai, you disembark for a short tour of the sights, but frankly you’re all too conscious that this is time you’re not spending in the piano lounge with a glass in hand. And the scenery? That’s pretty good, too, especially once you cross the Thai border; if you’re lucky, the train slows down for a better view of the sunset. As you’d imagine, it’s mostly couples on board, and the average age hovers around 50, but younger folk and even solo travellers won’t find themselves short of conversation (or food)—we certainly didn’t. It’s not cheap, but if money’s no issue (or you’re looking to break the bank for a once-in-a-lifetime trip), it’s unforgettable for all the right reasons.

Essentials

Singapore-Bangkok on the Eastern & Oriental Express is a three-day/two-night trip. Prices start at US$2,320 (B72,000) per person (based on sharing a cabin) and include all meals and tours. Doing the journey in reverse takes four days/three nights (same prices). Log on to http://tiny.cc/4a7ag for scheduling info and more.

The 10.10 from Pyongyang to Beijing

Boarding the train in Pyongyang is a rather special moment. For the first time since entering North Korea several days earlier, you’re separated from your escort and reunited with your mobile phone. You can also look forward to the best part of a day taking in the countryside all the way north to the border, with a quick stop at a railway station microbrewery (yes, seriously) along the way. The train rattles through largely undeveloped countryside, criss-crossed by footpaths and ordinary people doing ordinary things in this extraordinary country. All in all, it’s by far the most satisfying part of the trip, since you’re free to just watch the world go by, freed from the tour bus commentary and the need to have every photo you take pre-approved.

It’s pretty comfortable on board, too (though if you come to North Korea expecting fine Egyptian cottons and ensuite showers, you’re either deluded or else good friends with Kim Jong-Il). If you’ve ever travelled hard sleeper in China you’ll know what to expect: Narrow, but comfy bunks and a lively dining car (a good chance to share the dubious grain alcohol you bought on a whim in Pyongyang; the one with a snake carcass coiled at the bottom of the bottle).

It’ll be getting dark by the time you reach the border, and you have the option of getting off and spending a night or two discovering the charms of Dandong, on the Chinese side of the Yalu River. Think Kim Jong-il memorabilia, a Museum to Commemorate Aiding Korea against US Aggression, and a Canadian-run cafe serving “The Best Coffee This Side of the Border.” Or else you can sleep through the night and wake up the following morning in Beijing. Compared to where you’ve just come from, it’ll seem like the most liberal city on Earth.

Essentials

Koryo Tours (www.koryotours.com) can solve all your North Korean needs (there’s no such thing as independent travel there). Their last tour of 2011 runs from Nov 19-23/24 and costs €990 (B41,850)—it’s the cheapest one of the year—including an air ticket from Beijing and the train journey. Stop-overs in Dandong cost extra. Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.com) flies direct to Beijing, where the tour starts, from around B22,205.

The Only* Railway in Laos

The train that’s left is a rusting wreck, but the 7km of abandoned track that runs across the tranquil islets of Don Det and Don Khon in southern Laos’ 4,000 Islands archipelago (yes, it’s just as amazing as it sounds), is still quite an adventure, even if you’re no rail buff. Built by the French in the late nineteenth century and abandoned around the time of WWII, it stands testament to their attempts to transform the Mekhong into a navigable waterway. They were ultimately defeated by the nearby Khone Pha Pheng waterfall (Asia’s largest), a still awe-inspiring sight, all the better appreciated if your plans for imperial expansion don’t hang on it.

Nowadays the erstwhile rail line is a pleasantly sedate place to stroll or cycle (no rails remain) amid rice fields and jungle, with the chance to peer across to Cambodia at the southern end, and the arched viaduct connecting the two islands making for a popular photo spot. “Popular” is a relative term though; this southern section of Laos sees far fewer visitors than Luang Prabang and the like; even if the three-way draw of the railway, the falls and the (unlikely) prospect of catching sight of an Irrawaddy dolphin guarantees a good number of Thai day-trippers mingling with the backpackers.

Essentials

Lao Airlines (www.laoairlines.com) flies direct to and from Pakse for around US$300 (B9,000, including taxes). From Pakse it’s a 2.5-3hr bus ride (B250) to Ban Nakasang, which is a quick boat ride from Don Det.

Once you’re finally there, stay at the Sala Don Khone (www.saladonekone.com), a restored French dispensary building a short walk from the viaduct, offering suites, converted outhouses and even floating bungalows, from US$35 (B1,085) per night. It sure beats slumming it in a fanless, one-room hut like the gap year kids.

* Since 2009, there’s been a short section of track from the Thai border towards Tha Na Laeng in Vientiane. But there’s not a whiff of romance to it; and it’s over before you’ve even begun. So we’re ignoring it. Fun fact: The only other Asian country without a railway is Bhutan.

Essentials

Deesawat. 11 Sukhumvit 24, 02-204-0547.
www.deesawat.com
Hoog. 919/3 Sukhumvit between Soi 49-51, 02-662-5050. www.hoogshop.com
Roi-In. 116/7 Soi Prasanmitr, Sukhumvit 23, 02-662-0132. www.roi-in.co.th
Yarrnakarn. 2/4 Soi Nang Linchi 4, Nang Linchi Rd., 02-678-3877. www.yarnnakarn.com
Yothaka. 3/F, Pong-Amorn Building, 1028/5 Rama 4 Rd., 02-679-8631. www.yothaka.com

Don’t be fooled by the people queuing up for a glimpse of Facebook’s Eduardo Saverin at Filter. They want his fame and fortune, but not, it would seem, to follow in his footsteps. Last week an NTU study revealed that, of 10,000 students surveyed, only eight percent aspired to an entrepreneurial career involving starting a business. Ouch.

So to suggest that the start-up scene here has never been in ruder health might seem like wishful thinking. But talk to some of the people involved and there’s a great deal of excitement about where things might go. And there’s no better hard proof of such optimism than the steady rise of co-operative working spaces.

Three newbies have opened across the city in the last three months alone, bringing the total number to around half a dozen (with several more that aren’t officially licensed). Some of them are higher spec’d than others, some are already close to capacity, but they all speak to a desire for something more stimulating than the traditional office environment. It’s like corporate hot-desking, just on a budget and a whole lot more fun. Perhaps it’s time you thought about signing up.

The appeal is obvious: Cheap rent, short leases, shared resources, the chance to bounce ideas around with like-minded people, and the kind of forced productivity that few of us could ever achieve working from home. The result is busy, stimulating environments, variously home to freelance designers, start-up founders, branding gurus and especially the kind of modern tech types who show up to work in Vibram FiveFingers running shoes, insist on working at standing desks, and do triathlons when they’re not building apps. Says Jeff Paine of the Founder Institute and latterly FounderHQ, many of these people find they simply can’t work at home: “They need structure, they need motivation, they need someone to kick their butts.” He points out that the group is already made of up outliers—he estimates there are no more than 3-400 people in the business of founding tech companies here—meaning, “they’re already very different, they’re a little bit nuts to begin with, so if you put them together they tend to gel fairly quickly.”

The Science of Sharing

The concept of shared working spaces is hardly new, however much it might seem like a natural extension of our twittering online lives. What is new is what can be achieved with them, now that everyone’s connected wherever they are (it’s no coincidence that these spaces are predominantly founded and filled by people in the tech industry).

One of the key figures behind the recent growth of the start-up scene here is Hugh Mason, co-founder of the Joyful Frog Digital Incubator. It was JFDI who helped set up the headline-grabbing Hackerspace. Now based out of Blk71, they’re also the folk behind the Startup Weekend. Mason suggests that “the idea of a co-working space grew out of the science parks of the 1960s. ”But, as he says, the crucial difference is that, in the digital era, “It’s no longer the physical asset of the incubator that’s important. You don’t actually need a special place, you just need to be together.” That’s why JFDI focus on the soft stuff, what Mason calls “the social capital you need to make entrepreneurship thrive.”

Bastian Döhling, Business Development Manager at interesting.org, a platform promoting creativity in business, works out of an unofficial co-working space in the Arab Quarter (and, of course, trains triathletes in his spare time). For him, this kind of environment offers a chance to “get ideas from other people, share my ideas with them, to connect other people.” There’s nothing formal about the process, either. When asked how that sharing works in practice, he says it’s simple: “I tell you about my lunch meeting, you tell me about yours. The only thing that matters is having the right people sitting in there.”

Networking, both formal and informal, is at the heart of the concept. Some of the spots, especially Hackerspace, regularly put on hackathons and other events; though if you go there expecting the kind of cocktail and canapé affair you’d find at a traditional networking event, you’ll be rather disappointed. The focus is squarely on cool new platforms, on banging 100 tech heads together and seeing what falls out, with a few drinks if you’re lucky. Across the board, the people working out of these spaces tend to take what they do very seriously (for many it’s their only source of income, for some their income stream hasn’t even begun yet), and the unbridled passion that’s evident at these events stands in stark contrast to tepid corporate mixers. That said, the really serious folk are often nowhere to be found. As Döhling points out, “You don’t really meet successful people at these events, because they’re the ones building products. The ones at the events are the talkers.”

Rolling with the Top Down

It’s important to note that the scene is not being built entirely from the ground-up by eager young geeks. Among the most promising developments in the start-up sphere was the launch, back in April, of the strategic incubation program known simply as Blk71 (the physical space, which opened only recently is at 71 Ayer Rajah Industrial Estate, part of the Mediapolis sprawl).

A collaboration between the Media Development Authority (MDA; whose building it is), SingTel Innov8 (the corporate venture arm of the SingTel you know and love)—both of whom have committed to investing up to $2m over the next three years—and NUS Enterprise, the Blk 71 program is designed to offer Interactive Digital Media (IDM) start-ups a one-stop shop for everything they might need, from meeting rooms and legal advisory services to seed money (up to $50,000) for those who can successfully pitch their idea. More broadly, it’s about building the kind of environment where such businesses can thrive; what Monica Tsai, Director (Investments) at SingTel Innov8, describes as “catalyzing the start-up ecosystem.” Tan Peck Ying, Executive at NUS Enterprise, hopes that together they can “create a collaborative community to work together in synergy; the goal is to bring institutions, industry experts, private funders and the government body together.”
This isn’t the only such government/academia/tech tie-up—it has much in common, in concept and aspiration, with the NTU Innovation Centre, which also benefits from MDA support in the form of the IDM Jump-start And Mentor (i.JAM) initiative—but it is, for now at least, the slickest. The money that’s been spent on it shows; the common space (known as ‘Plug-In@Blk71’ and described as a place for people looking for “a corner to hack, a room to ideate or a platform to collaborate”) is like the MDA’s own Googleplex (think pool tables, blackboard illustrations and Nespresso machines). And best of all, the hot-desking terminals are currently free and open to the public.

Sync in Progress

For all the positive signs, it’s not yet clear where the start-up scene will go from here. Most people admit there haven’t been many success stories out of Singapore as yet, and comparisons with the Bay Area and Silicon Valley tend to be unflattering—the financial infrastructure just isn’t the same. As Döhling observes, “You have a lot of people with money here, but they don’t necessarily understand technology or internet business models. For them it’s easier to invest in a bricks and mortar business.” There are other problems too, not least our risk-averse culture, and the more immediate rewards of a career in law or finance. The lack of ready funding is one reason Jeff Paine recently set up Cofoundify, an exclusive mailing list for founders to post requests for co-founders in business, design or tech to round out their teams; with the posts selected, curated and heavily reviewed by Paine himself.

For what it’s worth, Paine actually thinks that, for now, there’s probably “enough or close to enough” shared working spaces here. That’s because the growth rates of start-ups is not so high. “They launch, they die, then they start again,” he explains. “It’s the same people again and again, there’s only incremental growth.” But with more opportunities than ever for people with ideas to meet; and, best of all, more places for them to work out of, the future is bright (and probably wearing FiveFingers).

Singapore Co-Working Spaces