The ultimate guide to Serangoon

It doesn’t matter if you’re perking up for the morning or having a late-night craving, this bustling 24-hour restaurant will sort you out with prata (from $1.50) accompanied with an extensive range of curries and hot teh tarik ($1.60). Besides its specialty South and North Indian comfort food, it also serves local favourites like mee goreng ($6.60), satay ($11 for 10 sticks) and roti John (from $4.40).

This all-day brunch spot scores big on its menu, which was recently updated with items like Peruvian chicken skewers ($14.50), house blend cold brew ($6.50), spinach scrambled egg atop a black charcoal sourdough ($13.50) and pesto pasta with 63-degree egg ($16.50). The café's chic and spacious interior is done up in industrial cool tones with slate grey floors and hanging bulbs, making it the perfect spot to chill if you're in the Serangoon 'hood. 

Add Apollo Coffe Bar to your café-hopping list the next time you’re visiting the hipster food enclave of Serangoon Gardens. It is opened by the same people behind Atlas Coffeehouse, Columbus Coffee Co, and Lunar Coffee Brewers, so you can expect good grub and brews. The space, like most cafés, is simple, modern, and clean. Grab a seat surrounding the central coffee bar, or head out to the well-lit backyard.

But it's in the food where things get different. Try the special tofu hummus ($12.50) served with honeyed fried beancurd skin, or share the honey butter-coasted tatter tots ($12.50). For mains, switch out your usual order of avocado toast with Apollo Coffee Bar’s umami-packed version, which comes with seaweed jam and topped with crispy kale ($18.50). Other unique items include the farro risotto ($22) with miso bacon and oyster mushroom, pork and pear tartine ($19.50), and the cereal prawn pasta ($20).

After a long day, kick back and relax – Aussie style – with wine and tapas at this bistro and bar. Guzzle down pasta and gourmet pizza but not without ordering up its original Australian chicken parmigiana ($23). And if you’re there on the weekend, have brekkie your way by building your own plate.

Serangoon Gardens Food Centre (colloquially known as Chomp Chomp) was built in 1972 to congregate street hawkers that used to sell their creations across the street on Kensington Park Road in the 1960s. Today, Chomp Chomp packs a modest 36 stalls serving a mix of hawker staples. You can’t go wrong with any of the offerings here, but for maximum pleasure, try crowd favourites like family-owned Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodle (#01-27, $3/$4/$5), the orh luah (oyster omelette) at Ang Sa Lee Fried Oyster (#01-33, $4/$5/$8) and the carrot cake from the nameless Stall 36 (#01-36, $3/$4/$5) wins our vote for its crispy egg and strident prawn flavours.

Dining at Chu and Co feels like entering someone’s private backyard. Potted plants and random tchotchkes are strewn across the adjacent outdoor patio, guests are happily sitting on the pavement sipping coffee, munching on fresh bakes and in deep conversation. 

Orders are made at the counter which has a hole-in-the-wall vibe. Grab a coffee or beverage to go – there's dirty chai and even tepache on the menu if you want something different from your usual latte or cold brew – but the highlight is the warm bakes (both sweet and savoury) that are made fresh daily. If you love surprises, there's always something new when you return. We tried a whole range of sourdough buns – from cauliflower, cheese and pepper to the classic cinnamon buns, and even a black garlic and chocolate piece they were experimenting on – and that $5 to $6 price tag on the buns is well justified. It had a great crust on the outside, fluffy and soft on the outside and versatile to accommodate the most intense of fillings and toppings, like spam and cheese even.

If being out in the sun gets too intense, head to the sister concept Chulato (it's on the same stretch) for some creamy scoops of gelato. Or just order another cold brew and head back out to your makeshift picnic spot on the patio – wear sunnies or a hat if you're thinking of dining here. 

Any good neighbourhood deserves a local pub – and Grapevine is Serangoon's version of one. Head out with friends after work or near the weekend for a couple of pints and bevs – but don't skip on the pub grub. The pulled pork burger is a hit with the regulars. 

This homegrown brand is ace for a wardrobe update of beachwear and activewear for women, men and children. Uniquely designed in Singapore, its fashion-forward pieces are not only stylish but functional and comfortable. The label also stocks a variety of lifestyle products ranging from body care and pool accessories to travel and outdoor additions, perfect for getting your fitness or beach gear sorted under one roof.

The influx of French expats in the Serangoon neighbourhood – their international school, the Lycee Français de Singapour, has a campus in the area – comes with benefits, like this deli in Serangoon Gardens. French transplants Morgane Freyermuth and Jean-Baptiste Couty fill the narrow La Petit Boutique flanked by the local lottery shop with enough wine, cheese and home-cooking provisions from back home to soothe a homesick expat.

Aficionados of cured curds of all stripes will certainly appreciate the reasonable prices for the priced-by-weight cheeses on offer, like the 36-month-old Gouda and truffle brie that Couty flavours in a back kitchen, as well as the many little nubs of goat's cheese housed in a tumble in fridge cases. And if you're hankering to bite into a croissant, kouign amann or baguette, La Petite's got you covered with a selection of pastries delivered from Tiong Bahru Bakery daily.