Kylie Wong

Can't find gluten-free bread or premium cuts of wagyu at your neighbourhood supermarket? Fret not and turn to these gourmet grocery stores instead. They're all well stocked with fine foods and niche products so that you can whip up a restaurant-worthy meal at home. Alternatively, you might want to try these local wet markets and wholesalers for fresh produce that are replenished on the daily. RECOMMENDED: Plastic-free grocery shopping in Singapore and the best grocery stores, supermarkets and markets in Singapore

Pink is everywhere. It's on clothing racks, book covers, phone accessories – and now the colour is catching on in interior décor trends. Think pink walls, pink tiles, pink upholstery. There's no escaping this shade that has been in vogue for several seasons now, and you know what they say – if you can't beat them, join them. From snazzy shophouse locales to heartland cafés, here is a list of pink-themed joints to get the perfect shot for your 'gram.  RECOMMENDED: The most Instagrammable cafes in Singapore and the best floral cafés and restaurants in Singapore

Afternoon tea is a quintessentially British tradition. Call it a colonial hangover, but it makes for the perfect occasional splurge and a great way to spend the afternoon catching up with old friends. After all, what’s not to love about hitting pause and nibbling on delectable sweets and savouries on a plush, comfortable sofa? Here's where to go to raise your pinkies and clink glasses. RECOMMENDED: The most Instagrammable cafés in Singapore and the best cafés in Singapore for dessert

Quality and quantity don’t typically go hand in hand, especially when it comes to buffets. But we found the places in Singapore that come close to perfecting the formula. From free-flow boozy brunch buffets, to classic international spreads and premium dinner curations, we’ve got just the spot for you that is guaranteed to impress your friends and family. RECOMMENDED: The best steamboat and hot pot restaurants in Singapore and The best brunch buffets in Singapore

There are several factors that make a café Instagrammable: its food, its interior decor, and its surroundings. Out of the hundreds of cafés around the island, we've picked out the most photogenic ones to help you rack up those likes. After all, we come for the food but stick around for the photos. RECOMMENDED: The most Instagram-worthy places in Singapore and the most Instagram-worthy HDB blocks in Singapore

Singapore's lagging behind in terms of its friendliness towards pets. It's difficult to bring your fur kids out unless it's to the park or the beach, and in this weather, it might seem more like a chore than a day of fun. Fortunately, there are still some places you can go to catch some respite, have a cup of coffee, enjoy some breakfast – all while hanging out with your best friend.  RECOMMENDED: The best animal shelters to adopt a pet in Singapore and where to volunteer at in Singapore

In a city filled with spinning signs and numerous hawker centres, there’s a certain value to keeping secrets. Like speakeasy bars, these hidden restaurants and cafes have a certain air of mystique. Tucked away in nooks and crannies and behind hidden entrances, these eateries serve up a little mystery with their tasty grub. If you wish to have something different from your usual brunch hotspots or popular food joint, we have rounded out some of the most enigmatic eateries. Follow us on a gastronomical food hunt as we sniff out these hidden gems. RECOMMENDED: The best secret bars in Singapore and The best hidden trails in Singapore to explore

Who says the heartlands aren't as cool as the bustling city? Tucked into cosy corners of charming residential areas, these spots provide quality brews and hearty meals – all at the comfort of your doorstep. RECOMMENDED: The best cafés with free wi-fi and the best coffee roasters in Singapore

Pancakes have always been a breakfast staple, but let's face it – it's too delicious to only have it in the mornings. Ever since Singaporeans caught wind of how strikingly 'grammable pancakes can be, renditions have been popping up in restaurants and cafés everywhere. Here's a list of the most Instagrammable pancakes in town, from inch-thick hotcakes and eight-layer stacks to cartoonishly fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes. Cue the wobbling.   RECOMMENDED: The best brunch spots in Singapore and the best cafés in Singapore for dessert

Perfect for rainy days, reunion dinners or just because, a bubbling hot pot meal always satisfies. From the flavourful broth and an extensive range of ingredients to a host of side dishes and customisable sauces, the hot pot experience offers an irreplicable sense of communion between friends and loved ones. So if it's time for another catch-up session with your makan kakis, here's where to go.  RECOMMENDED: The best supper spots in Singapore and The best healthy restaurants in Singapore    

It's hard to say when the bubble tea craze in Singapore started. Some chains have been around since our school days (hello, Each-A-Cup), but the fervour seems to have continued throughout the last few years. In fact, Southeast Asian countries including Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand have spent more than a hefty $5 billion in 2021 – simply to appease our BBT cravings. These are the top 14 bubble tea brands in Singapore worth trying.  RECOMMENDED: The best local tea brands to stock up on and the best coffee roasters in Singapore

Wake up and smell the coffee – quite literally. As tastes get more discerning and the interest in drinking good coffee and knowing where it comes from has increased, so has the number of independent coffee roasters and specialty cafés in Singapore. We're not complaining of course – because caffeine is a good thing for us, especially in the mornings. RECOMMENDED The best cafés with free Wi-Fi and the best cafés for dessert

Vietnamese coffee is having its moment right now in the States, with Vietnamese cafés and roasteries popping up all over the coast. It was also one of Vietnam’s largest export destinations for coffee beans in 2018. The trend hasn’t yet cottoned on in Singapore, but there’s no doubt it’ll get its due, which owner and founder of La Saigon, Ly Bui, is confident about. “There are many Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore, but most of them focus on the food. There are very few Vietnamese coffee houses here, even though Vietnam is the second-largest exporter of coffee in the world (after Brazil),” the soft-spoken owner shares. Ly is one of the few café owners in Singapore certified in Q grading, an internationally-recognised way of grading coffee beans. The route to gaining certification is an intensive one, with 22 tests to be passed. But why bother with the certification at all, when a barista course would do? “You can make good coffee from barista training,” Ly acknowledges, “but if your beans are not good, there is no point.” The certification is just one facet of Ly’s dedication to quality. She also works directly with farmers in Vietnam to ensure she gets her preferred pick of beans and roasts them in small batches locally every other week to ensure they produce the freshest brew possible. Fine Robusta beans (a grade higher than normal Robusta) are hand-picked and sun-dried to be used in La Saigon’s drip coffee ($4.50 for black, $5.50 for white), while Arabica beans are used i

Wild Blooms' co-owner Jasmin Tan is no stranger to the demands of the F&B industry, having grown up in a family of chefs and been a part of the industry for 13 years. While she previously helped build up brands like Symmetry, Xiao Ya Tou and Level Up, her current efforts are focused on Wild Blooms – a floral-themed fusion café tucked away in the sleepy neighbourhood of Hougang.  The entire project, from the joint's impressive flower wall and picturesque tinted windows to its food and drink items, is the brainchild of Tan herself, who had to put in countless sleepless nights to decorate the café and perfect the taste of its many dishes. It seems the hard work has paid off, because the café enjoys a steady stream of regulars who readily rave about its value-for-money fare when asked.  The biggest hit at Wild Blooms is undoubtedly its ultra-Instagrammable flower tea jelly cake ($12.90), developed in collaboration with The Utopian Botanist (T.U.B). The jelly cakes take two days to make, and Tan starts by cold brewing the tea used to form most of the jelly, before hand-piping its floral blooms when the jelly solidifies. Due to its labour-intensive nature, only 15 jelly cakes are available each week.  Other equally tasty and aesthetically-pleasing desserts include the flower in a pot ($9.90) – a moist, light sponge cake layered with white chocolate ganache; the rose apple pie ($5.90), a freshly-baked puff filled with apple slices slathered in apricot jam; and the ice-cream waffles

Nico Cafe (formerly known as Café de Nicole) has many things going for it. Not only is the Instagrammable joint a floral shop and café, it's pet-friendly to boot, and its resident pet is an adorable, docile British shorthair named Laoban ('boss' in Mandarin). The multi-faceted locale is photoworthy even from the outside, with its floral arch and glass shopfront. Indoors, twinkling chandeliers and hanging flower baskets provide a classy yet laidback vibe. The dishes served at the café are aesthetically pleasing, with flowers picked fresh from the florist corner to accompany its gorgeous silverware. We tried the afternoon tea set for two, and it comes with a photogenic three-tiered stand ($59) and pot of tea, but the price of the afternoon tea set is steep for its standard fare of finger sandwiches, mini muffins and tea cakes. We did, however, enjoy the unique popcorn tea from Japanese-inspired brand Roji – an offshoot of local tea brand Gryphon tea company. The café also has other more affordable offerings like the picture-perfect rose latte ($7.90), soufflé pancakes (from $15.90) and cheese filling ravioli ($13.90).   There aren't enough pet-friendly cafés in Singapore where you can bring your furry friends indoors, so this makes for a great brunch spot if you're looking to enjoy a day out with your beloved fur baby. 

Unlike many of the commercial, imported products you find in supermarkets, Miss Kefir uses live kefir grains and brews its products in small batches, carefully controlling the temperature of the brew during the fermentation process. Their best-selling flavours include the plain milk kefir ($5.50) and Acai berry milk kefir ($6.50). While milk kefir can be enjoyed on its own, it is often used as a milk substitute for those who are lactose-intolerant, and tastes just as delicious added to cereal or granola. Miss Kefir even roasts and retails its own crunchy granola ($8), a low-sugar, fibre-rich mix that is drizzled with organic extra virgin coconut oil. For those who are completely allergic to dairy or dislike the tart, slightly sour taste of fermented milk, Miss Kefir also has several blends of water kefir ($4) that are lightly flavoured with fruits. At their store in Telok Kurau, they offer freshly-made kefir parfaits, kefir smoothies, and a kefir soft serve cone sweetened with cane sugar - a healthy, guilt-free dessert which quickly proves to be addictive. While Miss Kefir's specialty is, as its name suggests, kefir, they also brew their own kombucha, with each bottle retailing for $8. Purchase Miss Kefir's products on their website or in-store.

Teapulse holds the honour of being the only tea bar in Singapore that offers kombucha and fermented drinks. Customers can pick their tea base from three options: pure tea ($3.20), kombucha, or fermented lemonade ($4.80 each), before customizing the flavour, sugar level and toppings ($0.80 each) – much like at your regular bubble tea joints.  The tea bar's wide range of tea flavours include interesting choices like french rose and hibiscus hawthorn. You could therefore end up ordering a french rose kombucha with white pearls, or a hibiscus hawthorn fermented lemonade with aloe vera - the possibilities are numerous.  Notable milk-based drinks are the purple potato smoothie ($5.80) and genmaicha latte ($4.20), with options between fresh, skimmed ($0.50) and oat milk ($0.80).  Some drinks are available warm, all the better to soothe your gut.     

Yocha's founder Amanda Tan is a seasoned kombucha brewer, having started her brewing journey five years ago. Since then, her love for kombucha and belief in its health benefits prompted her to develop her own line of kombucha tea blends, and business has been doing so well that her husband decided to leave his private banking role earlier this year to help grow the business. Yocha currently has a range of six different flavours, from the refreshingly delightful lemongrass and mint to the floral-scented earl grey and lavender. Each bottle retails for $8.80. An item unique to Yocha is their kombucha jelly ($15), which Tan was inspired to create after customers asked for a kid-friendly version of kombucha that children would enjoy. The jelly is made to order, flavoured with fresh fruits and chia seeds, and sweetened with organic cane sugar. Currently, Yocha's production kitchen doubles up as a physical store for customers to pick-up their orders. An appointment has to be made in advance before dropping by. Purchase Yocha's kombucha and jelly at their website, or visit their Instagram for a list of stockists. 

Fizzicle founder Melissa Mak is well-known on the local kombucha brewing scene for being one of the first few prolific brewers who kickstarted the fermentation frenzy in Singapore. She is also the creator of SG Fermentation Friends, which was started in 2015 as an interest group for budding home-fermenters of kombucha and kefir.  Fast forward four years, and Mak now spends most of her time working on Fizzicle, her own kombucha brand that specializes in brewing and bottling junboocha. Junboocha is essentially the sister beverage of kombucha, the difference being that junboocha is made with raw honey instead of refined sugar.  Fizzicle offers a range of seven flavours, including ginger and pink guava. One of their best-selling products is the aptly named Number 1 ($7.50), a fruity-tasting green and black tea blended with over 10 ingredients.  Most kombucha retain some caffeine from the tea base it is made with, but Fizzicle has created a non-caffeinated version for those looking for a good night's rest. Named Calmboocha ($8), the blend is made with green rooibos, lavender, rose, cinnamon and blueberries.  Their physical store is only open to those who make appointments at the moment, but will soon be open for walk-ins every Thursday afternoon.  Fizzicle's products are available for purchase on their website.

With rumours flying that popular burger joint from Virginia Five Guys is about to open in Singapore late this year, the local food scene has been set abuzz. If confirmed, this will only be the chain's second outlet in Asia. The first was opened in Hong Kong last year to much fanfare and snaking queues. We can expect more of the same in Singapore if the waiting times for Shake Shack are any indication. The cult-favourite American brand is renowned for its huge and messy signature double beef patty burgers wrapped in foil, fresh cut crispy fries drenched in peanut oil and milkshakes so thick you can eat them with a spoon. Toppings for burgers are free (a magic word for most Singaporeans), with options like grilled onions, jalapeño peppers, relish and more – anyone can appreciate a burger with all the works. Vegetarians also have options like the veggie sandwiches, which come without a patty. Instead, they include grilled mushrooms and any other toppings you desire.  Shake Shack, Burger & Lobster, and now Five Guys? We wait patiently with extra serviettes.