Last time I left you we were at the Singapore Zoo (day 3). Well after a big day out,  we decided to do a low key dinner in the trendy in the neighbourhood Tanjong Pagar. This is a historic area within the Central Business District. Its name means ‘cape of stakes’ which references the wooden stakes that held up this former fishing village. Today it is a colourful thriving area where you can find great nightlife at Tras Street, best Korean food in Koreatown, great hawker food at Maxwell Food Centre and Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market and amazing views at the Pinnacle@Duxton.

 

By the time we got to Koreatown on Tanjong Pagar Road, it was pouring down rain. The weather on this day had only 25% of rain. However, I came to realise on this trip that the weather forecasts on google meant nothing. I had already planned where we were going for dinner and dessert, so we just had to wait undercover until the restaurant opened.

 

 

For dinner, I chose something that I knew both Marco and Octavia would love, fried chicken. Chicken Up is a Korean restaurant, that offers an array of Korean fried chicken dishes (KFC), fried rice dishes, noodles, loaded fries and more. They have four locations in Singapore and are known to have the best KFC. It is a really funky place, which would be great to eat out at with friends. Especially since many of the dishes are designed to share.

 

 

We asked what was the most popular dish and the waiter recommended the Fried Yangnyun Chicken. We also ordered the Bulgogi fries on the side to complement. To eat the fried chicken we were actually given disposable gloves. This is because the marinade, which is coated on the chicken after its cooked, is so thick and sticky. The Yangnyun marinate is actually quite sweet. At first bite, we both thought it was too sweet, but as we got used to the flavour we found it really complemented the chicken. The chicken itsself was really succulent and not dry in the slightest. The loaded fries were really delicious as well. I had never tried bulgogi flavours and it went really well with the fries, which were nice and crispy. Despite a spike in cholesterol, this was a really tasty meal.

Afterwards, we took a short walk down the road to have dessert at Cake Spade. This dessert cafe offers a huge variety of cakes as well as brownies, crumbles tarts, cupcakes, and hot and cold beverages. This decor of the shop was adorable and the smell was divine. I found the serving staff really knowledgeable about the cakes and their textures and helped us to chose a nice selection to sample.

 

We ordered three cakes to share. They were the Strawberry Tofu Cake, Hummingbird Cake and Double Chocolate Brownie. I was really excited to try the tofu cake, which did not contain tofu but did have the tofu-like texture. It did taste delicious, but I do prefer a denser traditional cheesecake better, which I didn’t think about when I ordered it.  The Hummingbird was probably my favourite and I’m so happy the server convinced us to go with the last piece left in the window. It has a soft sponge and buttercream with tropical ingredients of banana pulp, pineapples and coconut, which gave it an amazing flavour. The brownie, which was Marco’s choice was also really nice and had great texture.

 

After dessert, we made our way to the metro and on the way, we came across The Popolus Coffee and Food Co. I had already heard about this coffee shop when doing my research for the best coffee in Singapore. So I was eager to stop in and have my first coffee on the trip. This cafe also has an amazing all-day brunch and also does grain bowls, donburi rice bowls, burgers and more. The decor is very modern and sleek. If I was in the area again, I definitely would have liked to stop in for brunch.

Since we were already stuffed ducks, we just ordered a couple of coffees. They actually have three speciality coffee blends that you could choose from. I had the Caldera blend (uplifting and refreshing) cappuccino with soy milk. Marco had the Duxton blend (cheeky and adventurous) cappuccino on regular milk. The coffee was amazing and I say that not just because I hadn’t had a coffee in a few days. The flavour was just so well balanced and perfect. If you’re a coffee-loving Aussie, this is definitely a stop you want to make.

 

Before heading home we nearly made one more stop to Pinnacle@Duxton, that I had factored into our itinerary. However, with the rain and a grumpy toddler that needed to be changed, we had to give it a miss. Apparently, the 50th-storey Skybridge gives an amazing view of Singapore’s city and it’s pretty cheap attraction as well. Oh well, maybe next time.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed taking a walk through Tanjong Pagar with me. For more info on some of the best bars and restaurants in the Tanjong Pagar also check out the articles by the Honey Combers.  If your interest in visiting Koreatown, I found a great video by sweetandtastyTV that is worth checking out.