
01.06.2011 / World Bulletin
Arab Street Singapore
Curry, kebab, cous cous and hot pot. The pleasant smell of ethnic food filling the streets epitomizes the colorful nature of Kampong Glam, Singapore’s Muslim neighborhood, which has recently become one of the most vibrant areas of the city.
Also known by the name of its main thoroughfare, Arab Street, the neighborhood still keeps the memory of the time when Muslim merchants came here from all over the world, and yet it’s a slice of modern Singapore at its most contemporary and cosmopolitan: hip restaurants and shops side by side with traditional bazaars, ethnic cafés and mosques in a multiethnic atmosphere where you can bump into robe-clad Arab men as well as into young and trendy people surfing the shops.
Apart from its Nineteenth Century heritage, the food offer – ranging from Far East to Middle East and Mediterranean – is one of the most interesting aspects of Arab Street. As for the shopping, vintage clothes and local handicrafts are the main bargains. Here are a few tips.
NOT TO BE MISSED
The Sultan Mosque
Built in 1928, Singapore’s  largest mosque dominates from above the low Arab-style buildings and fabric bazaars with its magnificent golden dome.
Malay Heritage Centre
Inside the Nineteenth Century residence of Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, heritage centre devoted to Singapore’s large Malay community is currently closed for refurbishment and Will re-open in june 2012 as a proper museum.
SHOPPING
Textiles, carpets, regional handicrafts and spices, as well as vintage fashion and emerging designer shophouses. In Arab Street your shopping experience promises to be quite diverse. One of the best places to hit is Haji Lane, a small street lined with independent fashion boutiques and Middle Eastern cafes and packed with young people. Some sort of Far East Meatpacking district.
Know It Nothing
A stylish industrial space that stocks tailored dresses by Japanese label Garni.
Pluck
An unusual shop where you can buy new and vintage furnishings and addresses as well as homemade ice creams.
Salad Shop
Inside its immaculate white walls, this shop sells fashion and home accessories.
RESTAURANTS & CO.
Café Le Caire
Falafel, shawarma, tahina, hummus… The right address for an authentic Middle Eastern lunch.
Sufi Turkish Restaurant
Authentic Turkish cuisine along with some of the best kebabs in town.
Le Pont de Vie
Near the Sultan Mosque, this relaxing retro styled restaurants serves contemporary European cuisine with a French touch and good wines.
El Sheikh
Occupying a traditional old shophouse in Kampong Glam, this restaurant serves Lebanese food. You can opt for the “Lebanese divan”, where cushions are scattered on a carpeted floor around low tables, or you can seat at ordinary tables downstairs.
Tepak Sireh
Housed at the historic grounds of the Malay Heritage Centre, this restaurant offers a standard buffet to help you become familiar with Malay traditional cuisine




