Keong Saik Road, located on the southern edge of Singapore’s Chinatown, has seen many changes. Originally constructed in the early 20th century as a residential area, by the 1960s it was famous as the red-light district of this sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia, with many of its three-story Art Deco shop-houses doubling as brothels. Of late, the road has become one of the city’s trendiest places, especially humming between Kreta Ayer Road and Neil Road. The stretch is full of au courant bars, stores, hotels and restaurants but hints of yesteryear remain, including a few discreet brothels identified only by bold red street numbers next to their doorways.
Neon Pigeon
Now two years old, this industrial-chic space with its exposed pipes, marbled concrete floors, and giant murals of pigeons, is perpetually packed and serves contemporary izakaya-style (tapas) dishes.
1 Keong Saik Road; 65-6222-3623; neonpigeonsg.com
The Library
A speakeasy-style cocktail bar with no sign or number, you’ll need a password to enter through the secret door, in order to get at the excellent food. (Tip: The password, which changes monthly, is available on the bar’s Facebook and Instagram pages).
47 Keong Saik Road; 65-6221-8338; thelibrary.sg
Meta Restaurant & Bar
Run by South Korean chef, Sun Kim, who has worked at Singapore’s venerated Waku Ghin, Meta debuted in late 2015 with an Asian-infused French menu. Get a front-row view of the kitchen fireworks at the 16-seat granite bar.
9 Keong Saik Road; 65-6513-0898; metarestaurant.sg
Hotel 1929
Built in 1929, this hotel brings together five well-preserved shop-houses. This stylish property has 32 individually decorated rooms and mixes contemporary technology (smartphones with free data and free international calls to a number of countries) with vintage furnishings including Eames and Arne Jacobsen chairs, and old barber seats for a bit of whimsy. The two Terrace Suites have decks with outdoor bathtubs.
50 Keong Saik Road; 65-6347-1929; hotel1929.com
Cure
Opened in July 2015, Cure is a 1,400-square-foot, dimly lit shophouse. It makes for an intimate setting for chef-owner Andrew Walsh’s lunch- and dinner-tasting menus. These focus on seasonal ingredients, procured near and far, presented in dishes like scallop ceviche and Irish beef cooked and raw.
21 Keong Saik Road; 65-6221-2189; curesingapore.com
Title Image Credit: Jnzl's Photos (Image Cropped)