Singapore is changing fast. Every time I visit this island, a new project is underway. This time round it was the National Art Gallery and the MCE tunnel (Marina Coastal Expressway).
The latest wave of change in Singapore includes a host of artisan eateries and coffee shops. Located in Jalan Besar, an industrial part of Singapore, Chye Seng Huat Hardware store is an unassuming shop front that hides a cool industrial cafe. Sipping on the gourmet coffees, one would think that coffee is a new introduction to the Singapore scene.
However, Singapore's coffee and tea culture goes way back.
Local coffee can be enjoyed around the island at an affordable price. Coffee is still being brewed in pots with what locals popularly call the 'sock filter'. Muslin filter sieves out the ground coffee.
Chin Mee Chin Coffee Shop
204 East Coast Road
And every time I return to this island nation, I am drawn to the old Peranakan neighborhood of Katong where I grew up. I suppose beyond the confectionary colored shophouses and the food, I love Katong because there are still bastions that have stood the test of time...like Chin Mee Chin confectionary.
With its 1950s decor still intact, Chin Mee Chin has stood the test of time. The confectionary is loved for it's 1950s style cakes and kaya toast.
Prior to Starbucks, Singapore's take-away cups were in the form of these simple plastic bags. I remember drinking fanta and sprite on these at my school's tuck shop at recess.
Another nostalgic takeaway cup with the takeaway tin.
204 East Coast Road
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