Mt. Desolation

Rating 4/5
Mt. Desolation / Cooperative Music
Keane’s pianist and second vocalist Tim Rice Oxley and bassist Jesse Quinn take center stage with their new band Mt. Desolation; and they are not alone. The self-titled debut album features a star-studded cast of some of the best names in alternative rock including Ronnie Vannucci from The Killers and Country Winston from Mumford & Sons. Oxley’s raspy vocals and songs endowed with warm spirited play and atmospheric quivers are the finer details that set the band apart from their contemporaries. More than a worthwhile listen if you can detach yourself from the Keane sound and enjoy this for what it is. ZA

Jerry Lee Lewis

Rating 4/5
Mean Old Man / Verve Forecast
Rock ‘n’ roll music legend Jerry Lee Lewis shows he’s still a mean musical force to be reckoned with in his latest collaboration effort Mean Old Man. There’s still a hint of the rockabilly goodness that Lewis was known for during his Sun Records days. The opening title track with Ronnie Wood certainly get things going with its catchy guitar hooks, while other frolicking numbers are with the likes of Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow; Lewis proves that he pretty much still has his groove on. TO

Esperanza Spalding

Rating 4/5
Chamber Music Society / Head Up
One of the latest toasts on the fusion jazz and chamber music scene, Portland native Esperanza Spalding’s debut album is an intoxicating mix of tinkling piano chords, precise bass lines and groovy trumpets, topped with Spalding’s soaring soprano voice. The result: Something that you’d play over and over again at cocktail parties where you can still have a decent conversation along the way. Spalding quotes William Blake’s poems in tracks such as “Little Fly” (go figure), so it’s not just all bubbly here. TO

FACE LIFT

• THE PATIENT: MRS. H., age 55
• The Job: Theeraporn Clinic
• The Cost: B70,000

Why did you choose to get a face lift?
My cheeks and especially my lower eyelids were being attacked by gravity. I did all the moisturizing and facial massaging but nothing really helped. So I stopped fiddling and decided to get it done.
How did you pick your doctor?
I had heard of my particular doctor for a while, and I knew that he had at least 20 years experience doing this. Plus, one of my best friends also had surgery done by him, and she confirmed his skills.
How did your first appointment go?
He looked at my face, told me how he could fix the flaws and I agreed to do what he suggested. The clinic immediately gave me 3-4 pills to swallow before sending me to the operating room. I guess it was a mix of sedative and painkillers.
And the surgery?
I lay on the bed while the doctor kept me occupied with random chit chat. Even though there was no pain, I had this sensation as if ants were biting the area between my ear, and my cheek. The surgery took about an hour to finish.
And afterwards?
I didn’t really feel anything after the operation. They covered the stitches with cotton gauze to stop the bleeding, and also placed a headband across my head to make my face look normal. The doctor told me to go see him again after one week to remove the stitches.
Did it hurt?
I felt a little achey the next day. It was bearable, but I needed to take very good care of the wounds, and wasn’t able to wash my hair for a whole week. The ache disappeared on the second week. It felt great.
How do you like the results?
The excess skin vanished and my face became firmer. Most people can’t tell I had a face lift. Instead, they think I just took very good care of my face, and that I look so much younger than I really am. The surgery was quite expensive, but it gave me a great deal of satisfaction. So I’d say, if you’ve got the money, do it.”

Non-Invasive Alternative

Carboxy instead of Liposuction

THE PATIENT: MISS T., age 32
The Job: Carboxy Therapy, Gaysorn Plaza
The Cost: B500-B1,000 per session
WHY: I’ve always felt that my arms were too big and not very proportionate when compared to other parts of my body.
HOW: They made me lie down on the bed and then used two latex tubes to tighten my arms; one near the shoulder, and the other, next to my elbow. Then they pinned a very small needle attached with a flexible tube into my arm and started pumping in the gas. I told them to stop when I started to feel an unbearable pressure in my arm. They left the needle in for the gas to do its work. After twenty minutes, they pulled the needle out.
WHY: One good thing about Carboxy is that there’s no need for a special care after the procedure, unlike liposuction. There was nothing changed, only my arms swelled for an hour. It felt like I had just done an exhausting arm exercise.
THE PAIN: It was a little sore during the first phase of the process. Then I’d felt an enormous pressure in my arm. I’ve heard from some people that they’d normally be able to take in about 100-gas pressure unit, but for me, I had it at only 10, and couldn’t take anymore. It was not only my arm that hurt, but the pressure spread throughout my whole body.
THE RESULTS: My arms weren’t really smaller. But I think it’s actually because I needed to do it several times to get results. My friends got what they wanted by their third session. But to tell the truth, I couldn’t bear the pain, and I’m not going back—ever!

What the Doc Says

“If you have the money, I’d say, have a try, but in my opinion, liposuction really works.  I’m not saying there isn’t any risk. The surgery can worsen what you’ve already got, but to tell you the truth, I think Carboxy’s a waste of time.” —Dr Chartchai Rattanamahattana

SEX CHANGE (GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY)

• THE PATIENT: Miss V., age 31
• The HOSPITAL: Piyavet Hospital
• The Cost: B200,000

Why did you decide to get the surgery?
All my life I’ve wanted to become a woman, so I decided to go ahead to complete my femininity.
How did you pick the surgeon?
I was lucky that my mother has a doctor friend, who happens to be a great surgeon. She recommended me to a doctor at Piyavet Hospital. The best thing was that they did monthly check ups to follow up on how I was doing.
What came before the operation?
First, they sent me to have a talk with their psychologist and see if I was truly ready to get it done. I also needed to have an HIV test, and blood pressure check. Once I passed all the examinations, the doctor sent me home with a five-day meal timetable. I was only allowed to have liquid food like soups or very plain rice porridge so that my body basically contained nothing but water.
How did the operation go?
Lying on the bed, the doctor told me to relax and then injected the sedative into a vein on the back of my hand. In less than five minutes, I fell into a very deep sleep. The next thing I knew, I was already in the ward. I was told I was in the operating room for about seven hours.
How did you feel?
I woke up feeling very blurry. There were tubes everywhere. The saline drip was inserted into my left hand and the pulse rate meter on the right. There was also a tube attached into the bulging part of my new female sex organ to take the blood out of my body. I was also new to the whole female peeing thing so they had another tube inserted into my urethra to ease me into the process. On the third day after surgery, my body got used to the new organ and I was ready to pee on my own.
Did it hurt?
I have to admit it was extremely painful from the moment I woke up. I couldn’t move much and that part was swollen for almost two months. But after that, the scars started to disappear and the pain had gone completely. I could sit and walk just the way I used to.
How do you feel now?
I have more confidence, and feel more like myself. People keep telling me that my body shape really changed and looks more feminine in every way. I think it’s because there is no longer an organ producing male hormones left in my body. Still, I also have to take the birth control pill every day to help maintain the right hormone balance. In terms of sex I have the same feelings as any women. I just don’t get quite as much lubrication as they might when aroused.

What the Doc Says

“Sexual Reassignment is a big operation and the patients definitely need proper counseling with a psychologist to confirm that they’re making the right decision. Once you’ve done it, there’s no turning back. It’s also perhaps more risky than other surgeries, so the candidate will need to do a lot of research and try not to be induced by commercial ads.” —Dr. Chartchai Rattanamahattana

Blepharoplasty (Double Eyelid Surgery)

The PATIENT: MISS P., age 21
The HOSPITAL: Bangmod Hospital
The Cost: B20,000

Why did you want this operation?
I’m [ethnically] Chinese and so I have small eyes. It would take me a lot of time in the morning to do my makeup, especially my eyes, as I used a special glue that helps double my eyelids. My parents thought it wasn’t very healthy, too. Still they did think that having bigger eyes could help improve my fortune, as per Chinese beliefs.
How did you pick the hospital?
I had a chance to talk to this movie producer who knows a lot of celebrities that had the operation done. He suggested that I do it at Bangmod because they’ve done a lot of great work. Then I did a lot more research on the Internet about the surgery methods, and what I should be expecting if I decided to do it.
What happened next?
After all the research, I made an appointment with the hospital then got to meet the surgeon. I had my eyelids glued so I could show them how I would like it to be. The doctor told me he could make that happen right away and I said, “Yes!” I had no time to prepare. The only thing I could do at that time was to tell myself everything would work out fine.
How did the operation go?
Once I walked into the surgery room, I was a bit paranoid. They told me to lie on the bed, and turned on some relaxing music to calm me down. The doctor injected the anesthetic into the area around my eyes then waited a bit for it to become numb. I was pretty nervous and my mind kept worrying about the result, so I couldn’t sleep. I could feel it when the doctor did something to my eyes and when he was doing the suturing. Luckily, I didn’t feel any pain.
How did you feel after the operation?
I was shocked, and started crying when I saw myself in the mirror after the 30-minute surgery. There were scars, and stitches coated with bloodstains almost everywhere on my face. Seeing the blood, I suddenly felt a massive pain around my eyes.
How long did it hurt?
My eyes were huge because of the swelling for about a week, but this did reduce by the second week. I was told to quit smoking and not to put on eye makeup for two weeks. I also had to clean the stitches with a saline solution everyday before taking a shower. The pain was taken care of by aspirin and my life got back to normal in about two weeks.
Are you happy with the results?
Most of the people who saw my new eyes said I looked prettier. I think I haven’t changed that much though. It’s only the eye feature that’s now sharper. The best thing is that my morning makeup routine is so much easier.

Eye Op Facts

1. The doctor will administer a small amount of anesthetic in the eye area, and create the incision lines by cutting the eyelids with the blade.
2. For patients with fat on the eyelid, the doctor will remove some of the fat and excess skin from the upper eyelid.
3. They use the smallest possible sized needle with removable or absorbable sutures to join together the eyelids, thus reducing the size of the wound and recovery time.
Source: Yanhee Hospital

Essentials

Bangmod Hospital. 59/7, Rama 2 Rd., 02-867-0606. www.bangmodhos.com
Dr. Somsak Khunjak’s Clinic. 410/43, Ratchada Soi 24, 02-541-5301 Gaysorn Plaza. 999, Ploenchit Rd., 02-656-1149. www.gaysorn.com
Piyavate Hospital. 998, Rimklongsamsen Rd., 02-625-6500. www.piyavate.com
Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital. 133, Sukhumvit Soi 49, 02-711-8000. www.samitivejhospitals.com
Theeraporn Clinic. 422, Ta Dindaeng, Klongsan, 02-437-1525
Yanhee Hospital. 454, Charansanitwong Rd., 02-879-0300. www.yanhee.net

Whoa, slow down, tiger. Don't just rush out and get one done, read our Q&A with Dr. Chartchai Rattanamahattana, M.D., Board Certified Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital.

Did you know that there's 18% increase each year of Thais heading to Korea for plastic surgery?

Taksura

334/1 Soi Dharmasaroja, Phayathai Rd., 02-215-8870. Open daily 6pm-1am
Second of the popular pub franchise, the 15-year-old Taksura Hua Chang stays true to its original design (or lack thereof) with its signature wooden house and vintage furniture. We heart its breezy garden area with a faux-colonial style fountain as a centerpiece. To guarantee your seat, head there early as the place gets packed nightly with hoards of uni students getting their fix of cheap drinks and glab gleam. The music sees the usual radio hits, but head here on Wed, Fri and Sat for some live acoustic.

The Tree House

334 Soi Dharmasaroja, Phayathai Rd., 086-326-8275. Open daily 6pm-1am
Situated at the entrance of a charming vintage home turned hostel, The Tree House greets its customers with a large, dimly lit garden and cast-iron gate. Despite the stately guest house, the indoor-patio, complete with mix-and-match furniture, a pool table and an in-house DJ that plays both indie pop and international tunes, blends in easily with the rest of the relaxed crowd on this street. Here, you can grab house wine (B120 per glass) or a fish dish (B250) for a decent price. Otherwise, they offer your typical pub-grub food and local draught beer, available in pitchers and towers.

Hua Chang

Soi Dharmasaroja, Phayathai Rd., 087-539-1012. Open daily 6pm-1am
Don’t bother looking for the sign, this place doesn’t have one. Like The Tree House, Hua Chang sits in a vintage house belonging to some old-time aristocrat. The outdoor area is the most spacious of all the bars so if you’re with a group of friends, it’s a perfect spot. The crowd here are a bit more mature, albeit the laid-back t-shirt and jeans type. Foodwise, try their bestsellers like larb salmon (B100) and grilled pork neck with salt (B80). Like Taksura, Hua Chang has also branched out to the nearby neighborhood with La Moon in Din Daeng and HEAP in Phayathai (both with the suffix “by Hua Chang”).

@Rajdhevee

342/3-4 Soi Dharmasaroja, Phaya Thai Rd. 02-611-1414. Open daily 6pm-midnight
Although we can’t recommend the food, which is primarily Thai and a few clichéd Indian plates—and its owner can be slightly over enthusiastic—the atmosphere itself is an appealing sort of Mughal Empire meets 21st century mass-tourism. The have live folk music on Fri-Sat at 8:30pm, but we suggest making use of their comfy, upstairs pillow-lounge and their quality selection of Belgian beers, perhaps for an after-dinner social. By Carissa Devine, photography Gregoire Glachant

The menu at David Thompson’s Nahm (Metropolitan, Sathorn Rd., 02-625-3333) largely features old-school, slow-cooked recipes seldom found in the streets nowadays. But it’s a lesser-known fact that the desserts there, under the stewardship of dessert chef and long-time collaborator, Tanongsak Yordwai, are equally unusual and unusually paired. Here, Tanongsak talks us through one of the options currently available on their ever-changing menu.

1. Pa grim khem: raw coconut cream slightly salted to bring out the flavor of coconut and jasmine or rose
2. Pa grim waan: cooked coconut cream
3. Sakhu: tapioca balls, for a grainy, chewy texture
4. Rose petal for garnish
5. Fak thong cheuam: jackfruit glaceed in a saffron syrup
6. Maphrao on: strips of young coconut
7. Khai nok kratha: quail eggs deep-fried in a tapioca and taro batter

Get the Classics

Places that do quintessential Thai sweets.

1. Sri (G/F, K Village, Sukhumvit Soi 26, 089-923-5447). A cute little stall in the middle of K Village, this small-scale operation uses all-natural ingredients and no MSG to produce old-fashioned Thai desserts like chor muang, pieangpoon and other snacks from family recipes.
2. Bua Loy (Klong San Plaza Pier, Charoennakhorn Rd., 089-697-5971. Open daily 1-7:30pm). Folks often line up at this bua loy shop which offers seven colors of the little dumplings. Go for the bua loy khai khem or khai wan (both B20) which also come with young coconut, water chestnut and taro root.
3. Khanom Wan Talad Plu (1129 Terdthai Soi 25, Thonburi, 02-466-9332. Open daily 2-7pm). Around for 65 years, this little shop in Plu Market in Thonburi is run by the second generation of owners. They do preservative-free desserts like fak thong sankhaya (B70) and foy thong (B10).
4. Khanom Wan Sala Daeng (Sala Daeng Soi 1, 085-156-2473. Open daily 10am-2pm). On the left, down a busy food alley on Sala Daeng, a sweet lady has a set up of a couple of tables that are mobbed with office workers hankering for her black sticky rice, sankhaya, kluay buad shee and more (B10, B15 for take away).

Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals
By Jamie Oliver ($64.20)
Despite winning a TED grant to revolutionize school lunches and starring in a reality food show set in America’s fattest county, the affable British chef still manages to publish a cookbook almost every year. What’s more, each bubbles with his can-do attitude for even the the most timid would-be chefs. (Although, we’re secretly glad he’s lost The Naked Chef nickname somewhere along the way.) This time, it’s 30-minute meals—not dishes, but entire meals for your whole family—and it’s already the UK’s fastest selling non-fiction book of all time. Recipes come in sets of three or four, with a main, salad or side and dessert. Easy-to-follow instructions rotate from dish to dish, so we hope you’re adept at juggling different activities as you’ll be working on all of them at once.

The Big Book of Noodles
By Vatcharin Bhumichitr ($53.95)
Owner and chef of the Thai Bistro in London, Bhumichitr’s, periodically latest offering is a must for noodle lovers, featuring recipes and how-to guides for all kinds of Asian noodles dishes from countries including Japan, the Philippines and of course, Thailand. The anecdotes are a paragraph long, so there’s little heavy reading aside from the recipes themselves, though there is a preliminary section going over the basics of equipment, noodle types, and more, which is helpful for tackling foreign recipes as well as pretentious conversation (take that you pompous snobs).

The Book of Tapas
By Simone and Ines Ortega ($32.11)
Those new to Phaidon publications will be pleased to discover that their books are part reference, part works of art. You’ll be drooling over these vibrant red and yellow pages, at least as much as the recipes contained therein. The Ortegas are already iconic in the world of Spanish cookbooks for their seminal classic 1080 Recipes. Here they arrange a more manageable 250 tapas recipes by ingredient (veggies, fish, meats and such) and even by temperature (cold and hot). Particularly useful for the uninitiated is the glossary of Spanish ingredients, while the final chapter of tapas recipes by new and famous Spanish chefs is both impressive and refreshingly unique.

Thai Street Food
By David Thompson ($119.95)
Admittedly, it’s unlikely that anyone but the most principled DIY chefs will attempt the recipes in this enormous book. Especially as the dimensions and weight prove a little unwieldy for stove side reading. Size aside, the smaller, more focused number of recipes makes it a lot more accessible than Thompson’s previous encyclopedic publication, Thai Food. Even if you are the type that no amount of food porn can lure into the kitchen, you’ll still love having the Michelin-starred chef and Thai food historian’s new tome on your coffee table, thanks to its gorgeous photos of street scenes shot in picturesque Thailand.

All books are available at Borders (#01-00 Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Rd., 6235-7146).
 

Getting Started
There’s nothing quite like vertigo to get the blood pumping. Once regarded as an extreme sport, rock climbing is now more popular here than ever, thanks to easily accessible climbing facilities as well as events like the Via Ferrata Wall Challenge, which took place back in October this year. It’s also a fantastic form of exercise—climbing a natural rock wall burns about 700 calories an hour (a session can last up to six hours), and builds all major muscle groups. Avid rock climber Eileen Chua says it’s a mental sport as much as it’s about physical training. “It’s not a mind-numbing activity. You have to plan where next to place your hands and what sort of climbing techniques to use when you come across different types of rock surfaces,” she explains.

Want to take up the challenge? Don’t just jump onto the wall and expect to be the next Spiderman. Outward Bound instructor Alvin Neo says rock climbing is a precision sport. “One little mistake could put you in danger, especially when you’re in a volatile outdoor environment,” he says. “If you’re starting out, be sure to have professional training and supervision first, and practice on indoor walls to build up your confidence and skill. These centers all provide indoor facilities, on-site training and all the necessary equipment you need to learn the ropes:

Singapore Mountaineering Federation (SMF)
This specialist center caters to all levels but more ambitious climbers will be in their element. The SMF offers a comprehensive mountaineering program that is suitable for less advanced climbers but you will need to possess relevant outdoor camping and hiking experience. It’s pretty costly at $2,500 for approximately 25 hours of training (both classroom and outdoor practical sessions) but you will be awarded the Singapore National Certificate in Mountaineering upon completion. There is also a program for ice climbing here (inclusive of on-site training in China, price upon application).
#03-641 Blk. 2 Balestier Rd., 6250-4613, www.smf.org.sg.

Find out where to get your climbing gear

Climbers Laboratory
Climbing enthusiasts looking to have some fun with family and friends can visit this indoor climbing gym, equipped with an eight-meter high climbing wall built using the Triaxplayground surface testing system. Its coating is highly abrasion resistant and can be tuned to your desired roughness. A one-time membership fee here costs $30 inclusive of one free climb, while walk-ins cost $12 each. Gear rental ranges from $2-6. Non-members pay $60-100 for a certification course, which includes one free climb.
#05-153 Enterprise Hub, 48 Toh Guan Road East, 6515-9363, www.exponentasia.com.sg.

Climb Asia
They have three levels of climbing courses here, from Introduction to Climbing to a Level Two certification course. If you just want to try your hand at it, we recommend the introductory course ($44), which will guide you through the different forms of climbing, important safety skills and movement techniques. The level one course teaches you knot and rope work as well as belaying skills. Successful participants will each receive their Sport Climbing Level one certificate ($68) from SMF. The level two course ($142) is a two-day advanced climbing certification that includes lead climbing, belaying, rope ascending and abseiling. The necessary equipment is provided for all courses. If you just want to practice, a single entry costs $12 while gear rental ranges from $3-5.
Civil Service Club, 60 Tessensohn Rd., 6292-7701,
www.climb-asia.com.

Via Ferrata
Partly run by Climb Asia, the Via Ferrata (iron wall) situated within Orchard Central shopping mall is the tallest in the world, towering about five storeys (30 meters) high. This fixed-protection climbing path enables you to experience the thrills of the mountains without many of the risks. Each trip up costs $30 on a weekday and $35 on weekends. There is also a 12-meter high rock wall for those who want to embark on the tougher Experience Climbing program.
#04-22 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd., 6884-4870, www.borderx.com.sg.

Get your own climbing gear here:

Allsports Equipment
This store is frequented by dedicated climbers because it carries one of the best ranges of climbing equipment (including brands like Peltz and Black Diamond) and shoes in town. #04-44 Frontier, 52 Ubi Ave. 3, 6337-7728, www.allsports.com.sg.

Campers Corner
It’s not just climbing gear that you’ll find here; this store outfits all types of outdoor lovers, from jungle trekkers to city backpackers. Their retail team is made up of outdoor enthusiasts themselves, and they stock renowned brands like Black Diamond, Chaco and Arc’teryx. Find day packs, hydration packs, apparel and accessories like durable phone pouches. #01-01, 51 Waterloo St., 6337-4743, www.camperscorner.com.sg.

prAna
Conveniently located close to where all the Via Ferrata instructors congregate, meaning you can easily ask for advice about what apparel you need. Originally created for climbers and yoga enthusiasts, the range of performance wear here is travel-friendly, lightweight and dries fast. The products are also predominantly made from eco-friendly materials like organic cotton. #04-22 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd., 6884-4870, www.borderx.com.sg. [Top]

Concept stores are huge these days, and why shouldn’t they be? After all, there’s so much more than just fashion at these shops—seriously, the idea of selling seasonal clothing collections is just so last season—and today’s shoppers are certainly more discerning than ever. Following in the footsteps of celebrated lifestyle/concept stores like Blackmarket and Style:Nordic, A Curious Teepee, brainchild of the always clued-in creative consultant Tracy Phillips, opened this week to take our local shopping scene to the next level with its hip and quirky mix of fashion, home décor, accessories and curios sourced from all over the world.

“We wanted to share some ideals for (modern) living and use this as our curatorial process,” says Phillips. “Ideas like having a creative outlet at any age, finding humor and inspiration in the everyday through the things we surround ourselves with and nurturing curiosity, finding new hobbies, having adventures and making things; and the fact that it’s a hang out so beyond shopping. We wanted a whimsical name that worked on the imagination, and picked the word ‘teepee’ because of its inferences to home, travel, craftsmanship and being part of a tribe.”

Indeed, walking into the store is an experience akin to exploring a treasure trove with a cocktail in hand (yes, A Curious Teepee also boasts a mini café-bar where gourmet coffee, juices, cocktails and salads can be had while you’re browsing). Giant snow globes and accessories like magnifying glasses by Maison Martin Margiela are displayed alongside Guggenheim commissioned Flensted Mobiles, nomadic warp dresses by Future Classics, Uslu Airlines nail polishes, Shapemaker wooden toys, plus all sorts of other fashion accessories and furniture from labels Atypik, Chris Habana, Harry Koskinen, Antiatoms and ApostropheS, just to name a few. “The store’s personality comes through the variety and selection of brands, the ongoing in-store programming like talks and presentations, the friendly service and the fact that you can meet up with friends over coffee, cocktails and delicious all day eats,” says Phillips.

The store’s design and layout is also a draw with its fuss free modular display units and built-in shelving, designed by creative firm Takenouchi Webb, who were also responsible for the previous Camp Pong space in which A Curious Teepee is now located. “We went for a playful mix of display elements within a raw building shell and contrasting natural materials of stone, pine and brass, with smoky pastel gloss colors for the right inviting balance of natural and industrial,” explains Phillips.
Curious already? You should be, simply because A Curious Teepee is one of the most engaging lifestyle stores to emerge in the scene in a long while. Phillips has these parting words to share: “Being curious makes life richer in the ways money that can’t.”

A Curious Teepee is located at #02-24 Scape, 2 Orchard Link, 6820-1680. Open daily noon-9pm.

In the first of our exciting new series of quarterly neighborhood guides, we explore Bukit Timah, one of Singapore’s most sought after residential areas and a bustling lifestyle precinct with something for everyone. Multi-million dollar bungalows form a mosaic in the neighborhoods branching off from the main road, alongside some of the best F&B choices in the city. Offering a concise, comprehensive guide to such a long stretch is no easy task, though we’re never ones to shirk hard work (especially when it means taste-testing dozens of establishments).

The heart of the area, between Adam Road and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve can be broken up into six distinct clusters: Adam, Greenwood, Sixth Avenue, Race Course, Clementi and Upper Bukit Timah. Each cluster is known for something different, although it’s safe to say they all have good food. We show you around each of them in the itself (see links below); with recommendations for shops, bars, services and, of course, restaurants. First though, a little introduction.

What’s in a Name?
The peak of Bukit Timah rises above several wannabe “Mounts” to claim the title of Singapore’s highest point. But though it means “Tin Hill” in Malay, Bukit Timah doesn’t actually have any tin reserves. The misleading name comes from a colonial-era stuff-up which butchered the name of a local tree; either the Temak or the Teremal (wild nutmeg).

The hill, in turn, lends its name to the suburb of Bukit Timah, and its main artery, Bukit Timah Road, which is Singapore’s longest non-expressway road. Winding north-south for 25km through Little India, Newton and, predictably Bukit Timah, it becomes Upper Bukit Timah Road which ultimately ends in Choa Chu Kang. Today, the road and the swathe it cuts across the country bring memories of a simple time of one-lane carriageways and single digit postal codes. Back then, the only thing Singaporeans had to worry about was a violent mauling at the paws of a Malayan tiger.

In the 1840s, nutmeg, pepper and gambier plantations flourished here, as those resident tigers were slaughtered by Indian convicts. The area’s cool climate and fresh air made it popular even among people who weren’t interested in planting things.
As Singapore entered the Railway Age in 1903, Bukit Timah flourished as an industrial center. Cold Storage Dairy Farm, Eveready Batteries and Ford Motor Company were among the giants to move in. At the same time, the kampong houses synonymous with Bukit Timah gave way to bungalows and prestigious schools. Bukit Timah was a pivotal battleground during World War II, as the Allied Forces made their last stand before surrendering at the Ford Factory.

Explore Adam Precinct 

Explore Race Course Precinct

Explore Upper Bukit Timah Precinct 

Bukit Timah Today
As a popular resident district, the neighborhood can at times be a driver’s nightmare, but despite the traffic, the serene suburb holds countless charms with a myriad of F&B, shopping and lifestyle options.

Several malls of yesteryear line Bukit Timah Road, and within you can find everything from boutiques and spas to jewelers, salons and enrichment centers along with numerous shops offering quirkier wares. Trina, who runs western food stall Tom Kitchen at Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre, loves the variety. “There’s Bukit Timah Plaza, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Beauty World Centre and more; even if I don’t have time, I know where to go,” she says. It’s a view echoed by Cassandra of French wine specialists Le Bénaton. “There is so much activity here. You can find everything you need in one little stretch,” she says.

“It’s well located,” says Donato Mazzola, the man behind Pizza da Donato on Sixth Avenue and a Bukit Timah resident for the better part of a decade. “It’s not too far from town, but it’s not in town. It’s a nice neighborhood with a good mix of locals and expats.”

It is perhaps food that dominates discussions of Bukit Timah today, and not without reason. There’s seemingly no end to the selection of restaurants, eating houses and bars (though it helps to know which ones are worth your time—that’s where we come in). “There’s just so much food here—from hawker fare to Italian food, and great ice-cream too,” says Zephyr, a polytechnic student who works at ice-cream specialist Island Creamery. “It’s an area that’s also safe and quiet, but I’ll never get bored here.” And with this new neighborhood guide, neither will you.

Explore Clementi

Explore Greenwood 

Explore Sixth Avenue

The arts scene in Singapore has, of late, been making a conscious effort to shatter the misguided notion that art can only be appreciated by the rich and privileged. At the Affordable Art Fair last month, curious amateurs were welcomed with open arms, with all artworks priced below $1,000. New art space Vue Privée aims to develop this burgeoning enthusiasm even further by offering a unique pricing system that will allow all levels of art lovers the opportunity to take home their choice masterpiece.

Founder of Vue Privée and respected photographer Olivier Henry loves two things: Photography and art, but it took him longer than he would have liked to fully embrace his passions despite having studied in the arts and fashion capital, Paris; “I wish I had been a collector at a much younger age but when you’re in your 20s and a student in Paris, all you can afford are the posters and postcards you put on your walls,” he recalls.

That was about the time he realized he needed to come up with a way to make art affordable. “In a very elitist art world, the works usually go for thousands of dollars. What I decided to do was create an art business that would approach artists to create unique and exclusive works for my consumers. That’s what Vue Privée does. We sell these artworks in editions of 100 each at accessible prices,” he explains.
Henry’s dedication towards making quality art accessible to the masses doesn’t stop there. “Democratizing art means making it accessible not only price wise, but also in terms of location. Which explains why Vue Privée is located in the heart of town. Someone can just come in and buy an original piece for as low as $80 or leave with a more unique piece at $8,000. But at least 80 percent of the works we have are below $500,” he says.

One of the more interesting works being exhibited in this promising new space is “Visible Ephemereal. Invisible Eternal” by Yann Chatelin and Alexandre Dupeyron, which is a translation of light graffiti on landscapes. “This duo is a typical example of what we are about. I met these two artists and immediately fell in love with their body of work,” says Henry.

Get your fix of affordable artworks at Vue Privée, 20 Cairnhill Rd., 6738-7225, www.vueprivee.com. Until Dec 31, Vue Privée are offering 10% off all prints and merchandise and free delivery in Singapore.