The ultimate guide to City Hall

In need of a little pick-me-up after all that walking? Head to Dough for an afternoon break and grab a coffee. Dough, located in Chijmes, is a Korean-inspired cafe with great coffee, kombucha, pastries, and, if you’re particularly hungry, brunch plates. If you can’t decide on what to order, get a little bit of everything with the Dough platter, which includes roasted vegetables, soft scrambled eggs, and two slabs of maple-glazed pancetta.

If you’re in the mood to splurge, City Hall has no shortage of Michelin-starred fine dining options. You can’t go wrong with Julien Royer's Odette, which has received three Michelin stars each year for the past three years (and two stars in the three consecutive years before that). It’s easy to see why the modern French restaurant, located in the National Gallery, has accumulated so many awards – everything from the excellent food (obviously), to the beautiful pastel interiors, and the warm, accommodating service deserves the recognition it has received.

Don’t quite have the budget for fine dining? You can still enjoy a great meal without going broke at YY Kafei Dian, a local coffee shop famed for its fluffy kaya toast, which comes in a set with soft-boiled eggs and kopi. If you love the kaya toast, look out for the jars of their kaya spread that you can buy and bring home. Craving something more substantial? The coffee shop also offers an extensive and affordable menu of zi char and Hainanese dishes, such as Hainanese chicken rice and claypot e-fu noodles. Don’t forget to try their bestselling sugar doughnuts, light and fragrant treats made fresh every day.

In addition to Odette, the National Gallery is also home to National Kitchen by Violet Oon, a beautiful Peranakan restaurant that provides a great introduction to the cuisine. Go for classics like kueh pie tee ($19), dry laksa ($29), and beef rendang ($28). Be warned, however, that the spice levels of dishes here do pack a punch. National Kitchen also offers a delightful afternoon tea set ($58 for two), which includes a delectable range of sweet and savoury Peranakan bites served with scones, coffee, and tea.

The reservations-only dessert bar offers a range of entremets, cakes, and plated desserts, which you’ll have to pre-select prior to your visit. Interesting picks include J, a black sesame creation shaped like a mini plant pot, and Koide, a lychee and grapefruit cake topped with grapefruit jelly that resembles a koi pond. For the moment, however, their usual menu has been replaced with a range of mille-feuille sandos as part of their collaboration with Yusuke Shimura, which will be available until September 10. Reservations are not required to try the mille-feuille sandos.

As the birthplace of the iconic Singapore Sling, Singapore’s national cocktail, the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel needs no introduction. The storied bar dates back to the 1920s, and the dark, earthy colour palette of the renovated interiors is correspondingly inspired by Malayan plantation life in the 1920s. You can’t leave without trying the Singapore Sling ($38), created in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon for women who wanted to order an alcoholic drink that didn’t look like one.

Located on the rooftop of National Gallery, this stunning bar offers creative cocktails with panoramic views of the Marina Bay area. Order one of their signature cocktails from The Real Art of Drinking section of the menu – in a nod to their surroundings, each cocktail is inspired by a painting in the Gallery. The Sweet Sayang ($26), for instance, is inspired by Batik Workers, a painting by artist Liu Kang.

If you’re looking for a more understated option, head to this secluded, Japanese-inspired watering hole, which focuses on serving up unpretentious but finessed tipples created with Japanese bartending techniques. Try their namesake cocktail, Last Word ($25), which features tart, sweet, and herbaceous flavours.

The first thing you’ll notice about Analogue is its dramatic 3D-printed cerulean countertop, made using 1600kg of recycled plastic. The striking centrepiece tells you all you need to know about the bar – it’s fully plant based and champions sustainability through its food and drinks. Their signature cocktails are inspired by fruits and vegetables, including cactus, spirulina, guava, soursop, adzuki beans, and matcha ($26 each).

Shop ‘til you drop at Raffles City, which has a large selection of specialty stores. In the mall, you’ll find Bynd Artisan, a homegrown leather goods shop that makes personalised leather and paper gifts. If you like cute stationery, make your way towards NBC Stationery and Gifts – you won’t be disappointed by the extensive selection there. For clothes, local labels like Klarra, Sabrina Goh, and Gin Lee have set up shop in the mall and offer stylish womenswear designs. If you’re into contemporary art, try Ode to Art, an art gallery and store that displays and sells artwork from renowned artists like Fernando Botero. For a sweet treat to end the day, indulge in sinful cinnamon rolls from Singapore’s only Cinnabon outlet.

Funan Mall, recently revamped in 2019, boasts several concept stores that cater to a wide range of interests. Fitness enthusiasts will appreciate Brompton Junction, a bicycle store, and Climb Central’s rock-climbing wall. Fun fact: there’s also a bicycle path that runs through the mall. If you’d rather go on a shopping spree, beloved local labels Love, Bonito and Beyond the Vines have spacious outlets in the mall, as does The Green Collective, a store that sells a variety of eco-friendly and sustainable products from local businesses. For an immersive experience that’ll appeal to plane nerds, head to the Flight Experience, where you can experience what it’s like to pilot a commercial plane using a Boeing 737 flight simulator.