Singapore

[BZ]

I was hoping some of you who live in Singapore or maybe someone who has visited can help me out. My husband is going to Singapore for business next week. I wanted to have him bring back some things that come from there, but have absolutely no idea what to tell him. Any ideas? Things that are unique (can be food items)?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Harriet]

There is a range of food items -- mixes, etc. -- that is available at the airport. They are vacuumed sealed for the purpose of customs.

 

[Elise]

Date: 6/22/2007 1:38:41 AM
Author:BZ
I was hoping some of you who live in Singapore or maybe someone who has visited can help me out. My husband is going to Singapore for business next week. I wanted to have him bring back some things that come from there, but have absolutely no idea what to tell him. Any ideas? Things that are unique (can be food items)?

Thanks for your help.

hey BZ i suppose these are some of the things you can consider:
1. the food mixes from this brand called Prima. i believe they are sold at most supermarkets. however these are meant to help you recreate the local dishes like hainanese chicken rice, laksa (a kind of thickish rice noodles in spicy coconut based soup). perhaps if your hubby is wiling to put up with the humidity, he could try out these local delights at a hawker centre (great food but terribly hot and humid) and then pick the mixes of the dishes he likes so that you can enjoy them too!
2. this is a little cheesy but cute. if you have a daughter, how about miniature version of the singapore girl uniform?
3. a singapore sling mug from the long bar in raffles hotel, which is where the cocktail was created. if i remember correctly, you can get to take home the mug if you order a singapore sling at the bar. i personally find the drink a tad too sweet but apparently it''s quite popular.

you can suggest to him to check out the huge duty free store along scotts road which is in the shopping district (called DFS Galleria). the first floor has loads of adorable souvenirs and food items, many of which are unique to singapore. or he could check out chinatown which has loads of souvenirs (this is also where you can find cheong sams, the ethnic dress of the chinese) and food items.

hope this helps!

 

[surfgirl]

Elise, those are some good sensible ideas...but this is PS! How about JEWELRY?!? There are some fabulous shops in SNG but I dont know the names. Perhaps someone else has bauble shop recommendations!

 

[Independent Gal]

When I was in Singapore I found the jewelry yummy: bright and creative. But can''t recommend any specific jewelers.

I bought clothes when I was there because there was lots of very, very funky fashion and local design. Also I am small, and it''s sometimes hard to find stuff that fits in the US. But everything fit there! Actually, I''m wearing a top I got there right now! Does your DH know your taste in clothes?

One thing: I couldn''t believe the crazy mark-ups on stuff like laquer boxes and embroidered silk from Viet Nam. The same object that was, say, $14 in Ha Noi was suddenly $200 in Singapore. WOWEE. So maybe stay away from that stuff.

 

[princesss]

Prima Taste Hainanese Chicken Rice!!!

Also, he could stop by Far East Plaza and have any number of interesting pearl necklaces made up. You can mix and match colours and styles, lengths, sizes, etc. for fairly decent prices. For more $$ baubles Takashimaya is a good place to stop.

 

[simplysplendid]

Sandals! Flat ones, high heeled ones, plain ones, embellished ones.. all available from USD20 to USD2000 or more.. (depending on what shops you go to of course!)

Most of my colleagues from overseas that comes here just love to shop for shoes and sandals here. Some go home with 10 pairs! Go into any mall and you will bound to find shoe/sandal shops.

 

[Elise]

Date: 6/22/2007 12:49:02 PM
Author: surfgirl
Elise, those are some good sensible ideas...but this is PS! How about JEWELRY?!? There are some fabulous shops in SNG but I dont know the names. Perhaps someone else has bauble shop recommendations!

haha... we have some very good jewelers here but i thought BZ wanted something more along the lines of a small souvenir. but great point! let me list out some of them...

BZ, if your husband is keen on checking out the jewelry scene, how about taking a look at some shops that sell jade? it's not always easy to tell what is good or authentic jade but you can always rely on the reputable jewelers to show you in the right direction. for jade and more, he can check out the canary diamond company at the building called delfi orchard in the orchard shopping district. they make exquisite pieces and carry top notch quality diamonds and other precious stones and are one of my favourite jewelers for custom work. i especially love their lavendar (or white if you are lucky) bangles with diamond hinges.

for one-of-a-kind intricate absolutely stunning designs, he can always take a look at loang & noi at vivocity (a huge shopping complex close to the city). their website link is here http://www.loang-noi.com.sg/. another alternative is yuli fine jewelry at palais renaissance (which is just a 2 min walk down from delfi orchard).

i believe you can ask for a discount at the jewelers.

singapore is also a good place to shop for luxury watches. remember - DO NOT pay retail price! always ask the watch vendors for a discount (don't worry, it's common practice, but not everywhere!) and always go to a good reputable watch dealer like hour glass, sincere or cortina. then, taking into account that he may be able to claim the VAT he pays (which may be 5% or 7%, depending on whether he is purchasing before or after july 2007), he can decide whether it's a good price.

for less expensive pieces, he can always check out this local brand called chomel (also available at the DFS place and most big dept stores) which carries a vast array of pretty costume jewelry (hope this is ok to say on PS, mods, pls edit as necessary, thanks!) and hair pieces. he can always buy you chinois style clothes at their boutique called madame butterfly in the takashimaya dept store along orchard road.

pls remind him to ask the vendors for the forms to claim VAT (we call it GST here).

he might also want to purchase a luxe city guide http://luxecityguides.com/article.php?article_id=21&category_id=2 which can show him the best of singapore (shopping, etc). also, and most importantly, pls ask him to stay away from tourist traps (there is a shopping centre opposite the famous takashimaya dept store in orchard road that is full of these stores). some guidelines on how to spot them are:
(a) sales people are often pushy;
(b) things are usually of low quality with high mark ups (if something doesn't look like it's worth the price, it probably isn't!)
(c) they are usually congregated in certain areas (e.g. the shopping centre i was looking at)
(d) if the only locals in the shop are the sales people.

what can i say? singapore girls love to shop!

 

[Harriet]

Elise,
I have some loose stones to set. Who would you recommend?

 

[Elise]

Date: 6/23/2007 12:24:34 AM
Author: Harriet
Elise,
I have some loose stones to set. Who would you recommend?

do you already have an idea of how you want to set them? if so, canary at delfi is a good bet. they are great at making classic pieces. since i'm sure you already have a pretty good feel of how much the overseas jewelers would charge for an equivalent setting, perhaps you could use that knowledge to get a good price from them.

if you want something designed for you, how about loang & noi? i find the pieces quite exquisite.

both these shops have ready made pieces on display so perhaps you can visit them to get an idea of which shop's style you are more comfortable with. happy shopping!

oh yes, and pls do call up before you go just in case they are closed. if i remember correctly, canary is only open up till 6pm from mons to sats. not sure about L&N but i think they close pretty early too.

 

[BZ]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. As much as I would love some jewelry, I''m afraid my husbands head might explode if I ask (just got the 10th Anni upgrade less than a year ago). But, his ears did perk up when I mentioned the watches. I think he would love to have a really nice watch.

I was thinking small souvenir items. Things that come from Singapore. I don''t think I will be able to convine DH to do any clothes/shoe shopping. He is much more into experiencing the culture. So, he will probably spend any free time eating.

Any other thoughts?

 

[Corseted]

If you like cosmetics and skincare, Singapore has several excellent Asian brands that may not be available where you are.

SKII Facial Treatment Masks
Shu Uemura make-up brushes, blush
Fancl

You can read reviews on makeupalley.com

We have many British brands here so he can get you a gorgeous outfit from Topshop, French Connection, Warehouse and Karen Millen. They have websites so you can pick an outfit, their size range is also wider than most local brands.

The best thing about Singapore is that all these goodies are available in 2 buildings right next to each other on Orchard Road (main shopping st), Wisma Atria and Takashimaya (Ngee Ann City)

I second the shoe suggestion. Our shoes are cheap and cute, visit Charles and Keith at Wisma Atria. They have a website too.

 

[Harriet]

Elise,
Thanks!

 

[gladyskristen]

Hmm... I personally wun recommend shoes, cos you need to put them on to feel whether they''re comfortable. For myself, jewelry and food (in this order) is always good!

 

[Phoenix]

I think the others have made plenty of good recommendations. The only thing I''d add is that watches and electronic goods are definitely cheaper in S''pore than anywhere else I''ve been. But again, pls ask yr hubby not to buy from tourist traps.