So Generally I
had a great night out with a few girlfriends. As always, meeting up on a worknight means a 'curfew' for those of us who are working the next day. So dinner has to be somewhere accessible (meaning a centralized location) with food that is quick to serve. Fast food is out, leaving us with Arab Street which has enough food options to keep us deliberating for a few days before we come to a mutual agreement. Verdict : Dinner at Kampung Glam Cafe and desserts at Fika.
For those who are familiar with the area, they would know that Arab Street is a great choice for a day or night out with friends and family. Located about 5 mins walk from the Bugis MRT station, the area is hip and happening for diners and shoppers alike.
Arab Street is best known for textile, shawls and basketry items. Many of the shops along Arab St sell similar textile products, with some specializing in the more exclusive silk materials. So the best thing to do when deciding to make a purchase is probably to do some window shopping first. Check out the prices and make some comparison before making a decision. If you are confident enough, try some bargaining. Most shops have a fixed price policy but if you buy a few pieces of fabric at the same shop, they might give some discount.
Do note though that most of the textile and non-food shops in Arab St close early on weeknights, usually around 7pm. Most shops are open from Mondays through Saturdays. On Sundays, many shops are closed as understandably, many of the shops there are family businesses. So the best days to visit Arab St for shopping are weekday afternoons and Saturdays.
When it comes to the dining, it's a different ball game altogether. The food choices are many and varied, focusing mainly on Malay, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. In the last 5 years or so, the Arab Street has seen many changes, with new cafes opening up, serving Western cuisine like Swedish food (Fika), French food (Cafe Rouge). Several bars have also opened..giving the place a mixed buzz in the evenings.
One of the popular cafes serving Malay cuisines is Kampung Glam Cafe. Situated at the junction of Busorrah St, the food joint opens early in the mornings and stays open till the wee hours. In the mornings, it serves the typical Malay breakfast fare like Nasi Lemak, Lontong, Mee Siam and Mee Rebus. If you want to have a lighter meal, go for a cup of coffee or teh tarik (pulled milk tea) with some epok-epok (curry puffs) or pau kacang (red bean steamed buns).
The lunch menu starts early. 11am onwards is a good time to go, as the crowd is much lesser and the dishes are still in abundance. Try nasi padang, i.e. white rice with a variety of dishes so as to get a good taste of the local Malay cuisine. Must-tries are the Ayam Lemak Cili Padi (chicken cooked in a spicy coconut gravy), Sambal Goreng (a side dish of tofu, green beans and tempe) and perhaps the Sambal Tumis Sotong (squid cooked in chilli). In the evenings the menu changes again, and you will see the serving crew handing out laminated menus to patrons before they order. The spread are more varied and includes Thai, Indian and Western options. There are also some desserts to try, e.g. the brownies, pineapple tarts, suji cookies and malay kuihs. This is probably to cater to the more versatile evening crowd, including the tourists. Prices are reasonable at the eatery; drinks starts around SGD$1 and food around SGD$4 upwards.
After dinner we hopped over to Fika on Beach Road, just a street behind Kampung Glam Cafe and had our desserts. Fika is a Swedish cafe, serving authentic Swedish cuisine. A little pricy, but totally worth it. Try their Swedish meatballs and finish the meal with an apple crumble or strawberry cheesecake. Fika is not a big establishment, so do make reservations before you come.
After desserts its another hop over to Cafe Rouge for us (located opposite to Kampung Glam Cafe), simply because Fika closed at 10pm. Cafe Rouge is a french cafe which opened only early this year. Its open, street-side dining offers a relaxed atmosphere, perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. Its French menu is quite extensive and is mixed with some local beverage like teh tarik and other local coffee and tea variations. I tried the Pear Caramel cake..it was delicious. The cafe opens till late as well, but some things on the menu may not be available at such late hours. (note : the food establishments mentioned here are Halal. Btw, no incentive was received for reviewing any of these cafes; I am simply a foodie!).
Kampung Glam Cafe
Teh Tarik (pulled tea) & Teh Cino
Walkway to Swedish restaurant, Fika
French Cafe, Cafe Rouge (above), Teh Tarik and Pear Caramel cake (right), another cafe at Bussorah Street, Bushra Cafe.
Sultan Mosque, the heart of Arab Street
History Trivia : Arab Street has two explanations behind the name. The first one is that the area was owned by an Arab merchant, Syed Ali bin Mohamed Al Junied and that it was the site of an Arab kampong, hence the name Arab Street. The Chinese referred the street as jiau a koi (Javanese street), in the view of the Javanese who used to be the majority inhabitants of the area. In Tamil, Arab Street is known as pukadai sadkku (flower shops street), because of shops selling homegrown flowers, lime and other goods sold by Javanese women in the early years. It is also tied to the pre-existing situation at the time of the nation's founding by Sir Stamford Raffles. When Raffles was planning the outline of areas to be allocated for the government, as opposed to commercial and residential use, a community of Bugis seamen and merchants were already near the Sultan's palace. He therefore allocated the area to them, near where their boats were sheltered in the river, bringing their annual cargo to abarter basis. That is how the name Bugis Street came about. The Arabs and other Muslim traders (Chulias) were also allocated to areas near Kampong Glam. (source of info : Wikipedia)
