The ultimate guide to Thomson

For a long time, Thomson was devoid of a decent drinking spot, then came Nickledime Novena and its 19 taps offering freshly-pulled craft beers (from $10 during Happy Hour, selected beers) from boutique breweries (Japan, Denmark, Germany etc…) and suddenly the stretch came alive. The brews though are just one reason Nickledime Novena is a popular en-route home/weekend hangout. The better than your average bar bites menu – snacks from $6, burgers from $16, mains from $14 – make it an affordable no-brainer for weeknight dinners. And if you’ve got a big group together, the platters (from $38) heaving with burgers, buffalo wings and fries will feed a hungry crew.

Seeing as good bagels in Singapore are pretty hard to find, it’s long overdue for Two Man Bagel House to open a second outlet. The dense, chewy bagels (plain, seeded, multi-grain, blueberry, salt from $3.50) are still hand-rolled but the menu at Thomson is a little different, with an emphasis on smoked meats: haddock, brisket, chicken breast. On our radar is the killer sticky barbecue ribs bagel ($14) with roasted pineapple, mayonnaise and red cabbage – a confirmed food coma inducer – and one we’re saving our calorie intake for the next time we finish a loop at MacRitchie.

For serious coffee drinkers, a trek out to Sembawang Hills for a strong flat white ($5) at Yahava Koffeeworks is worth it. One of the better coffee-centric cafes in Singapore, don’t go there hungry because their food menu (simple sandwiches and pastries) is limited. Go, if you’re all about full roasted Arabica goodness in a cup. And because they roast their beans inhouse, you’ll get the full nose-to-cup experience, which you can indulge further with complimentary coffee tastings. While they’re serious about their brews, we love that they’re not above the odd coffee trend: piccolo latte in a cone, nutella and espresso milkshake, making this a place for all levels of coffee lovers.

Vegans get a tough break: no dairy equals no ice-cream, or rather no conventional ice-cream. However the “ice cream ninjas” at Brownice have a magic formula of brown rice milk, cane juice and natural flavours which is more than worthy substitute. With 16 flavours (from gula melaka, Nutella, mint chocolate and PB’and Choc at $3.50 per scoop) and at just 80-140 calories per scoop, it’s hard not to give this creamy, yet less calorie-dense option a try. Bonus: They’re really generous with their scoops and they're launching new items like the Signature Smoochthie Jars and Ice Cream Sandwich.

There’s no shortage of pancake options in Singapore, much less along this stretch, but few outlets serve a healthy flapjack (from $7.90) made with 7 different grains and free of any processed starch, additives or fragrance. While the end result is a (literally) lighter pancake that’s a bit chewy to the bite, the combination with natural wine honey and fruit syrup is a welcome change from the overly sweet straight-from-the packet mix style we’ve become accustomed to. With savoury and sweet options, and other menu items like French toast (from $10.90), salads (from $7.50) and waffles (from $16.90), the signature order of the Matcha and Azuki Pancake ($16.90) is a failsafe order that won’t disappoint.

It’s hard to find fault with Pigsfly. While it’s no anniversary outing, every neighbourhood should have a non-hawker center “local” like this: reliable and affordable with a bit of a vibe to it. Beers and ciders aside (and they’ve got plenty from $8), the six different options: burgers, Thai food, Indian and pizzas etc.. means you can swing by regularly without resorting to eating the same thing twice. Another plus? They’re open till late so you won’t go hungry after pulling yet another OT shift.

A regular haunt for anyone looking to eat healthier, Real Food’s veggie dumplings with 13 different ingredients will make you forget you need pork in dumplings. With a menu full of vegan and gluten-free options (the beet burger is another favourite), they’ve not forgotten the good (read: sweet) stuff. Aside from vegan brownies and cheesecakes, they stock Bakening’s cruchy cookies that are made without any refined sugar, gluten-free and vegan approved. Hotsellers are the Choco Sea Salt and Choco Hazelnut but we personally opt for the seed-based cookies like nut-free Sunflower Crunch and Almond Sesame Crunch.