The Thomson area is well known for housing some of the best cafes and restaurants in Singapore. From hipster joints serving artisanal coffee to late night eateries, there’s plenty to see and eat in Thomson. We track down the 10 best places to dine at while you’re there.
Off the main road — where only the knowing venture — is this homely hideout serving artisanal pies.
Perennial favourites include the strawberry lemon pie and banana almond brittle pie, but our favourite is the grasshopper, a mint-chocolate and brownie flavoured pie topped with chocolate cookie crumbs.
95 Soo Chow Walk
If the mark of a good Indian restaurant is a good naan, then Spice Sutra is second to naan (get it…?).
Their six different types of naan, from butter to garlic and more, are fluffy and buttery, yet not oily. Use it to scoop up the well-marinated butter chicken or pair it with spicy mutton masala.
Pro tip: the menu is huge (and you’ll want everything), so go with a big group and order several dishes for the table.
#01-03 Thomson Imperial Court, 200 Upper Thomson Road
We wouldn’t know that these sweet treats are dairy-free, vegan and all-natural, made from a base of organic brown rice milk, if weren’t told so — they taste as rich and indulgent as the real thing.
Must-tries include the earl grey and the French chocolate, or flavours like pumpkin coconut for the more adventurous.
#01-03 Sin Ming Centre, 8 Sin Ming Road
This container cafe’s ambience is as fun as its menu, with cheekily named dishes like lett-uce feed you for a salad dish, blur like sotong (squid) for fried calamari and cut the crab for crabcakes.
Wash your food down with the WORD. concoction, an interesting take on an ice-cream soda with lemongrass, sour plum, lemon and mint.
906 Upper Thomson Road
For a casual dining place in a tucked-away industrial estate, New Ubin Seafood has made quite a name for itself amongst the Thomson residents.
This cooked-to-order local fare ranges from the quintessential Singaporean dish, chilli crab, to more westernised dishes like black Angus ribeye steak and mussels in garlic butter and white wine.
#01-174 Block 27 Sin Ming Industrial Estate, Sector A, Sin Ming Road
Many know about this laid-back cafe serving hand-pulled brews from Melbourne’s Axil Coffee Roasters beans, but few know that they share the space with Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar which opens only in the evenings.
Best of both worlds!
215R Upper Thomson Road
This stall in a humble HDB coffee shop serves one of the best prata (Indian fried dough pancakes) in town.
Skip the fancy variations and go for the coin prata, mini nuggets of goodness that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Best eaten dunked in curry!
#01-51, Jin Fa Kopitiam, 24 Sin Ming Road
Japanese foodies flock to this tiny 14-seater sushi bar for one of the cheapest bara chirashi don (marinated sashimi on a bed of rice) in Singapore.
Also, try their aburi (blow-torched) sushi or the glazed duck with onsen egg rice bowl if you’re not a seafood fan.
#01-113F, Thomson Road, 301 Upper Thomson Road
If there was a sequel to Little Part 1 Cafe, we’d be the first to jump on it.
This cafe-bar might be small but their menu is big — European and contemporary picks include the Irsh stews, buffalo wings, crepes and more.
Plus, an extensive beer menu featuring a selection sourced from Belgium, England and Germany and beyond.
15 Jasmine Road
Dishes like crab benedict and duck confit hash stray from the norm and delightfully so; those with a sweet tooth will love the indulgent French toast or sticky date pancakes.
185 Upper Thomson Road
Text: Pinky Chng/The Finder