Life On The Streets Of Tiong Bahru, Singapore

At the time of its construction, in the 1950s of the last century, the Tiong Bahru neighborhood represented a real renovation for Singapore’s residential buildings. And now, in the 21st century, it has become one of the neighborhoods with the greatest creative effervescence in the city-state. Something that is largely due to its own urban configuration.

Where is Tiong Bahru

Before telling you what awaits you in the Singaporean neighborhood of Tiong Bahru, we are going to tell you where it is. Although it really cannot be missed, since it awaits you between two of the most visited places in the south of the island. It is very close to the colonial Chinatown district and the futuristic and contemporary atmosphere of the financial district.

The appearance of Tiong Bahru

Sometimes we exclusively have the most modern image of Singapore. A place with grandiose steel and glass buildings and the most avant-garde shows. But the truth is that not everything is like that in this city. There are also older-looking neighborhoods, such as Kampong Glam or the streets of Tiong Bahru, which we are going to talk about below.

Tiong Bahru began to be inhabited at the end of the 19th century. However, the aspect that we see today is due more to the growth developed in the middle of the 20th century, when Singapore was already an independent country .

So here it was decided to create a residential area, with low-rise buildings and various apartments. The vast majority of them with a mixture of a  more ornamental art deco style and principles based on the functionality of the international style.

The atmosphere of the neighborhood

The result is friendly-looking constructions with remarkable common characteristics, such as the kind of porches that are created on their facades, so that the sidewalks are shaded, something very welcome in this hot and humid climate. And also on that ground floor there are many ideal spaces for the establishment of commercial premises at street level.

The vitality of Tiong Bahru

The shops, bars and restaurants that we come across provide us with an ideal place to go shopping and have a drink at any time of the day or night. It is like a large street shopping center that has nothing to do with the concept of other gigantic shopping centers around the world.

In Tiong Bahru everything is a little more human, less grandiose, but much more authentic. Don’t look for big chains or well-known brands. In fact, many of these places have become the ideal point of sale for the most enterprising Singaporean designers  and from different creative areas.

But another note that draws attention when touring the neighborhood is the wide range of restaurants on these streets. There are numerous coffee shops offering the best gourmet coffees in the world. It must be remembered that in Singapore there is a true adoration of this drink.

Likewise, you can choose between charming restaurants with all kinds of flavors, from local to international cuisine, passing through the most surprising and unexpected culinary fusions.

Stroll, shop and eat in the neighborhood

For all this we said at the beginning that in this neighborhood life is made on the street. In Tiong Bahru we stroll through streets that are not decorated, we buy authentic Singaporean products and we eat dishes that we cannot taste anywhere else in the city and, sometimes, in any other corner of the world.

So despite its appearance, with an aesthetic far removed from the big skyscrapers or the famous Marina Bay Sands, many consider that the most modern neighborhood in Singapore is actually Tiong Bahru.