What To See In Chinatown, Singapore

Chinatown
The simplest way to see Singapore's Chinatown is to take the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) underground railway to Chinatown station.


Telok Ayer MRT station exterior. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Telok Ayer
An alternative is Telok Ayer. We had the benefit of being shown the way by a British expat relative who has lived in Singapore on and off for more than 20 year. He looked up online the location of a particular Chinese temple which he wanted us to see. He took us along a from Telok Ayer MRT on a route which passed 1) Lau Pa Sat, 2) Sculptures and 3) The mural showing the life style of the old days 4) The Chinese temple.

MRT Station Map
Failing all else, photograph the MRT station map of the locality and use the picture to guide yourself around.

We took a circular route ending back at Telok Ayer MRT station. I suggest you use the free toilets at the MT station before starting your walk.

Our walk was on New Year's Day, January 1st 2020, in the afternoon when most of the bars and restaurants were closed. The owners, staff and customers having been up late partying the night before, we presumed, judging by the traces of gleaming streamers on the ground outside the front doors.

Lau Pa Sat Food Court
We started at Lau Pa Sat, a giant cast iron Victorian market hall, reminiscent of London's Victorian architecture. A handy book called Street Names of Singapore by Peter Dunlop answers all my queries about street names, the history of the area and names of MRT stations. this book told me that La Pau Sat was moved to make way for the MRT station. I am glad it's still there.

If you want to see all the different styles of food available at reasonable prices, or you want to give friends with different diets a chance to buy from different outlets and then sit together, this venue would be a good choice.

However, start together from some other place. Lau Pa Sat is so big that it's hard to find your friends if you start from different directions. You need to set a place to meet and time to meet, or to be sure you all have working phones and distinctive clothing. Make an agreement that whoever arrives first will call the others, no offence taken.

Otherwise, one person arrives fifteen minutes early, not wanting to chivvy those who are ten or fifteen minutes or more late by calling and asking,
'Where are you?'
The response would be the agitated reply, "Sorry, sorry, so sorry, still on the way."
 The result is waiting half a hour, wandering around in circles looking for the others.

I have done this three times and hate it. You are surrounded by food but cannot order, unless you go for a juice whilst you are waiting and text others to say where you are seated. Even if you remain standing, it is hard to find anybody.

Which exit from Lau Pa Sat and which direction? Take a big map for each person and mark your intended route. Also pinpoint any photo stops so you can label your photos later..

Chinese Language
We were happy to be together and went there after lunch so without buying food or drink. We just walked through Lau Pa Sat and off into Chinatown. Lau Pa Sat is Chinese.

You know you are in Chinatown. Stand on a corner and look back. You will see that you have left a main street with a signpost in English only. The street you are about to enter has a sign in both English and Chinese.

Sandals Or Walking Shoes
The streets are cobbled. Wear suitable flat footwear. Alternatively, carry a shoe bag and spare sandals so you can change shoes.

Umbrella / Parasol
Take an umbrella. You might need it in case of rain. If you are lucky enough to have bright sunshine, sue your umbrella for its original purpose in sunny climates, as a sunshade.

The covered walkways in front of the shophouses shelter you from the sun.

The Staircase

Chinatown Staircase. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The staircase was not as bad as I feared. What you see is what you get.

Mural
the mural

Sculpture

The Chinese Temple

Mural

Getting There
Telok Ayer MRT on the blue Downtown line. (Or take a bus.)

Meaning of Ayer
Ayer means water in Malay.

Meaning of Telok
Telok means bay in Malay language.

Chinatown MRT

Toilets

An alterntive or next top or next trip to Chinatown would be via Chinatown MRT station, with a stop at the Cat Cafe (check opening hours).

Useful Websites


About the author

Christophe's restaurant Lerouy in Singapore Is Perfect

Singapore Flag

A modern French restaurant in Singapore, my treat after weeks of DIY lettuce lunches. The place is Lerouy, the chef is Christophe Lerouy and it's near Telok Ayer MRT station on the blue Downtown line.

Flag of France

One of the staff wears a Relais and Chateau black tee-shirt which is a good sign and evocative reminder.

This restaurant was the highlight of the week, the highlight of the year. Perfect for me, at least, and lots of others, French and English speaking.

We were greeted as we walked in the door which is always a good start. Christophe regnized my husband who was paying a return visit.

The man by the door on the front desk immediately knew we were the people who had phoned to say we were arriving late after being delayed by a thunderstorm - their website warns that seats are kept for only 15 minutes - and addressed us by name.

Christophe seemed delighted that I spoke French.

The boss is behind the bar, moving to and fro, surrounded by half a dozen assistants, all with their own speciality. The s-shape bar gives you a view of the food preparation.

Everything is designed for the customer's convenience.
A hook under the counter takes your handbag or umbrella or both.

A hook for your handbag or brolly. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


You can see other diners in the distance across the room. Yet the curved countertop means you away from other groups alongside so you feel as if you are in a private space.

High stools but backed and comfortably padded. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

Seating
Although you are seated on a bar stool, the stools are soft to sit on and have high backs. They are not too high but easy to get on and off.

Cutlery at Christophe's  Lerouy restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Novelty Cutlery Stand
Service and water and then cutlery and finally food appear with unhurried speed. We ignored the offer or sparkling or still wine and went for tap water which came offered in a topped carafe which was taken away but brought back with no need to ask to replenish our glass.

Wines By The Glass
I discovered a delicious off-dry, almost sweet wine, just what I like. I recall a gourmet restaurant in London which charged high prices but could not provide a glass of wine to my liking.

My choice, advised by my husband who is a wine educator, still educating me, was Chateau de la Roulerie. It must be sweet because it has only 11.5% vol alcohol, a sign of a sweet wine, which pleases me because it won't send me to sleep before I reach the coffee which wakes you up.

Wine bottle at Lerouy. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The wine was so good that we ordered a second glass of the same, instead of trying something new.

It's handy to take a picture. Reading the label again from my photo, I notice that the wine is vegan. (No egg white added to cling to impurities such as fragments of grape skin which are then more easily removed.)

We had warned the restaurant that I am allergic to shellfish. They all seemed to know about that. Very good. The food is all prepared in advance. My husband had scallops whilst I was served another fish.

Choices
Once you have selected your meal, no more decisions to be made, except the wine. We chose the three course set lunch, cheaper than the gourmet meal.

But plenty of food because all sorts of tiny bites keep appearing.

Main Courses
Our main course was kobe beef - slices of soft beef.

Last week a member of my family had lamb.


Desserts
Desserts were strawberry, fresh and compote. And two teeny flowers.

And the best chocolate biscuit I have ever had - what chocolate do they use - it is French or flown in or local? In Singapore I am frequently given chocolates or chocolate cake which is chocolate cake but although it has a brown colour has no chocolate flavour. Not here.

I might try to copy some of these ideas but a meal made by me is not the same. Firstly, you go out so that somebody else does the shopping, cooking, serving and clearing up. Secondly, a friend of mine said his mother tried to teach him to cook. But even with the same recipe, the same ingredients, the same oven, the results were not the same. I found that happened when we used to do rotating dinner parties. Every one of the four couples had a recipe to follow. Yet the results were all different.

If you ever wondered how to dole out the last of the ice cream to two or four or more people here's an idea for you. Make it into a shape like a tapered ends cocktail sausage and surround it with fresh fruit or tiny cubes of tinned fruit or home made jam and chocolate biscuit.

But that's not the end of what you get at this restaurant. The petits fours would be a dessert in itself at some restaurants.


Petits Fours at restaurant Lerouy. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Petits Fours
Do not desert the restaurant after dessert because up comes four tiny petits fours per person. We had a green pistachio macaroon, a tiny cream filled circular pastry tart which made us ooh and ah.The cube of what looks like jelly - but unlike those brightly coloured jellies you see everywhere, this has a strong, sharp flavour. Yum!

Coffee

Coffee at restaurant Lerouy. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Coffee was not extraordinary but the presentation was the expected surprise, a double sided see-through cup is a novelty. I had never seen one before. It insulates the coffee from going cold and also insulates your finger tips from being burned by hot coffee.

Price
The price for the cheaper set lunch at lunch time is much below the higher priced of the two set meals at dinner time. they make up for it on the drinks.

Want a photo of yourself with the chef? No problem.

Angela Lansbury and Christophe Lerouy in the doorway of restaurant Lerouy. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Restaurant Lerouy
3 Stanley Street
01-01S Singapore 068722
Tel:(65) 6221 3639
Website:
https://www.lerouy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RestaurantLerouy/
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/04/lovely-lunch-at-lerouy-in-singapore.html

Travel
singaporeair.com
visitsingapore.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.