Singapore may have traditionally been better known for its relaxing atmosphere than its cutting edge cultural offerings, but things are changing with a new generation of Singapore residents and expatriates making the city ever edgier and more exciting.
Borrowing inspiration from New York and Hong Kong, secret dinner clubs are now taking the city by storm, offering some new experiences for food fans planning on holidays in Singapore.
For example, The Secret Cooks Club, co-founded by expatriates Florian Cornu, 26, and Denisa Kera, 36, bases its dinners on novel technology, food-science concepts and philosophy. One five-course meal offered by the club, labelled ‘You are what you eat, But you can also eat what you are’, requires every dinner guest to send in saliva samples and meals are then created based upon their DNA .
Another resident, Zina Alam, bored with the lack of “personality, history or unique ambiance,” in the city, decided to start her own Bangladeshi-style supper club, Khana Commune. Alam was inspired to start up Khana Commune after visiting Edinburgh’s supper clubs.
“Singapore is changing every day, politically and culturally, people are a lot more open and adventurous now,” Alam told the Guardian.
The music scene is starting to flourish too, at the Crazy Elephant, a popular live music bar on the busy Clarke Quay waterfront, novice musicians are invited to perform on stage in a weekly DIY music night.
“It’s a great way to get the crowd involved,” said the venue’s manager, Anita Lydia to the Guardian. “Most people think Sundays are quiet, but budding artists too afraid to play in a bigger arena, or even well-known bands like Deep Purple, have all come to jam.”
With all this happening, and more exciting ventures starting all the time, Singapore’s appeal as a holiday destination is growing quickly.
