Singapore
after hours:
Five late-night
supper spots

Above this supper spot, there used to be a neon sign for “Rolex Mee Master Tan Kue Kim.” Mee is a term that locals use to refer to noodles, and Master Tan, the late patron of Kim’s Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, was often seen at night frying up wok-fried delights for his customers. Tan, who died this year, was known for dishing plate after plate of fried noodles in the Chinese Hokkien style. His capable assistants have since taken over the kitchen. 

While one may question the wisdom of donning a luxury timepiece worth thousands of dollars in a greasy kitchen, the charismatic Tan made it his calling card, as you can see in the articles about the restaurant plastered proudly across the walls. 

The noodles are a calorie-laden adventure, coated in a savory prawn-infused seafood stock, with shredded egg, squid, shrimp, deep-fried cubes of pork lard and sambal (chili paste), accompanied by sliced lime on the side. The way to do it is to mix the noodles with the paste and squeeze out all the juice from the lime. For foodies looking for a late-night meal with some heat, this is a fine spot. Those not in the mood for noodles will find plenty of alternatives, from fried mussels to steamed fish head and crabs cooked a variety of ways.

Orchard Road, the city-state’s main shopping street, is usually on the list of places to visit in Singapore. Cafe de Muse, situated on two floors of the Shaw House mall, is a useful pit stop for those on a nighttime buying spree. Shops typically close around 9 p.m., but this place remains open round-the-clock.

The cafe offers Korean-inspired Asian fusion food, with dishes such as bulgogi pasta -- spaghetti cooked with slices of beef in a tangy-sweet sauce — and kimchi fried rice. Western fare is also available, from duck confit to chicken roulade, as well as lighter dishes such as Caesar salad and a range of teas and coffees. 

This cafe occupies a strategic location at the intersection of busy streets in Singapore’s Muslim quarter. It has some alfresco seating, which makes for a pleasant supper on a clear balmy night.

Kampong Glam Cafe specializes in Singaporean Malay comfort food such as nasi goreng pattaya daging, or fried rice with beef, hidden under a thin egg omelet drizzled with sweet chili sauce, and nasi lemak — coconut-flavored rice paired with fried chicken, egg, cucumber, deep-fried crispy fingernail-length anchovies and a glob of sambal.

Try a cup of hot or iced teh cino, which is an extremely sweet tea and milk drink loosely based on cappuccino. For something more refreshing, go for teh o limau, sugary black tea infused with chunks of lime.

If you pick the right seat, you can have a fabulous view of the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque, the centerpiece of the Muslim quarter. This is a popular tourist spot, so it is maybe not the place for a relaxed meal.

Those with a passion for motoring will probably find this supper spot right up their street. The Fujiwara Tofu Concept Shop is modeled after the Japanese street-racing manga series Initial D, which has an avid following and was made into an Asian action flick in 2005.

Its facade looks as if it has come straight out of the comic, bearing the same name as the tofu store operated by Bunta Fujiwara, the father of Takumi Fujiwara, who is the main protagonist of the series. 

No visit is complete without ordering a side of the titular Fujiwara tofu, deep-fried and topped with mildly spicy chili. The store mainly serves finger food, from Japanese scallop sashimi to skewers of barbecue-glazed yakitori chicken thigh -- ideally paired with a pint of Sapporo beer, or rounds of soju and sake.

Fans of Japanese-style izakaya (pub) dining are likely to feel at home here. But the real attraction is the cars that pull up to this eatery on a regular basis -- the type of exotic motors often seen in posters on young petrolheads’ bedroom walls. Their drivers like to live out their Initial D fantasies by using the cafe as a backdrop for photos, although ironically parking spaces are limited.

Simpang Bedok is a legendary location for late-night food in eastern Singapore. It is not one restaurant, but a collection of places concentrated in one area offering a range of different cuisines.

Here you will find the Bedok Market Place, sited above a supermarket, where a variety of stalls serve up quick eats showcasing Singapore’s street-food culture. These are fine for dinner, but the market largely closes after 9 p.m. Surrounding the supermarket is a cluster of eateries where locals head for real supper food. These close later, after midnight, while some are open around the clock. One of the latter is the Indian-Muslim New Mahamoodiya Restaurant, located across the street from the Bedok Market complex. It has a seemingly endless menu of roti prata -- Indian-style pancakes, prepared in a variety of ways. Roti prata paired with curry is a favorite supper dish with locals, and you can choose between sweet or savory, stuffed with anything from egg to cheese to mushroom, or just on their own with the curry.

Roti prata is a crispier version of naan flatbread, and New Mahamoodiya’s creations are known to pack a crunch. One of the crunchiest is “tissue prata,” thin fried dough twisted into a shape resembling a wizard’s hat, and coated in sauces from caramel to honey and condensed milk.

Wash it all down with “Milo dino,” a cloyingly sweet chocolate-based drink topped with cocoa powder and sprinkles. Food at Simpang Bedok is greasy, sugary, spicy heaven.