Day 2 of a 3-Day Trip in Singapore
For Day 2 in Singapore, we were headed to the Singapore’s Chinatown for the morning and then back to the downtown area for the afternoon. Despite the clouds, it was yet another warm day!
Day 2
Singapore
We were headed to My Awesome Cafe for breakfast, located in Singapore’s Chinatown. My Awesome Cafe is a traditional chinese medicine hospital turned restaurant. The cafe’s decor remains true to its roots with medicine cabinets and wood carvings. We ordered the charcuterie to share.
My Awesome Cafe
After breakfast, we stopped at Thian Hock Keng Temple just around the corner of My Awesome Cafe. The temple was originally built for the worship of Mazu, a Chinese sea goddess, and was often visited by seafarers and immigrants to give thanks to the goddess for their safe sea passage to Singapore.
Thian Hock Keng Temple
We passed by a famous hawker centre, the main Chinatown Food Street. The street gets busier during the day, but restaurants are open as early as 7am for breakfast goers.
We continued on our walk to Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, a Buddhist temple currently housing a tooth relic found in a collapsed stupa believed to belong to Buddha. Note: A stupa is a dome-shaped structure erected as a Buddhist Shrine. It houses sacred relics associated with Buddha.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
We walked past the Sri Mariamman Temple (unfortunately, I did not take any photos) and headed to lunch at Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice. Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple.
On the way to lunch, we passed a Bruce Lee painting in Singapore’s Chinatown. Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice is a Michelin-recommended chicken rice stall and it did not disappoint! We each ordered the popular hainanese chicken rice, which was flavourful and delicious.
After lunch, we headed to Tsujiri near Clarke Quay in downtown Singapore. Tsujiri originated in Japan in 1860. Their focus is matcha desserts and drinks. Now, Tsujiri stores can be found all over the world. I ordered the ice-blended matcha drink. The drink was refreshing and perfect for the heat!
We continued to Clarke Quay and passed by the Old Hill Street Police Station. All 927 windows of the building are painted in bright colours. Nowadays, the building no longer houses the police force, but is used by the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
We wandered Clarke Quay in the afternoon and selected one of the many restaurants for an early dinner. We enjoyed a lovely evening meal at the Pump Room (Note: Pump Room has officially closed). The quay lights up in the evening.
After dinner, we took an evening stroll and passed by a seafood restaurant called Oyster Co. We ordered raw oysters to share. The raw oysters were from British Columbia, but still tasted pretty fresh. How ironic that we travelled around the world, but were still eating oysters from home. Around the corner of Oyster Co was Central Perk, designed to resemble the coffee shop in the hit show, Friends.
Raw Oysters from Oyster Co. 
Central Perk
For our last stop of the day, we headed to Orchard Road. Orchard Road is an upscale shopping area with numerous department stores and coffeehouses. We did not stay long, but enjoyed the evening lights before heading back to the hostel.
Complete Day 2 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary and do not include walking distances to and from train stations. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
9:00am: Head to My Awesome Cafe for breakfast (10 minute bus ride from Opp Blk 149 to Opp GB Bldg if you are staying at or near the Happy Snail Hostel).
10:00am: Explore Singapore’s Chinatown. Visit Thian Hock Keng Temple (1 minute walk from My Awesome Cafe), Chinatown’s Food Street (7 minute walk from Thian Hock Keng Temple), Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (1 minute walk from Food Street), and Sri Mariamman Temple (2 minute walk from Buddha Tooth Relic Temple).
12:00pm: Stop for lunch at Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice (3 minute walk from Sri Mariamman Temple).
1:00pm: Have a coffee or green tea at Tsujiri near Clarke Quay (14 minute walk from Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice).
2:00pm: Walk to Clarke Quay across the Singapore River. Pass the Old Hill Street Police Station (5 minute walk from Tsujiri). Wander Clarke Quay (2 minute walk from Old Hill Street Police Station).
4:00pm: Enjoy an early dinner at one of the many restaurants in Clarke Quay.
5:00pm: Enjoy an evening stroll and head to Oysters Co. for raw oysters (11 minute walk from Clarke Quay).
6:00pm: Head to Orchard Road (9 minute bus from Aft Chinatown Stn Exit D to Winsland Hse). Explore the area.
Travels with Carolyne 