Originally from London, long-term expat BRIAN KENNET is a Global Account Manager for AWS, plus a restaurant owner (The Kapre in Bohol in the Philippines) and the founder of islifearecipe.net. Here, he shares what he loves about his Singapore neighbourhood and his Siglap condo.
About your neighbourhood
What’s the name of your street and neighbourhood?
East Coast Terrace, Siglap.
If it’s in another language, what does it mean?
Siglap probably got its name from the Malay word gelap, which means “the dark one”. By the way, it used to be on the coast back in the “kampong days” – it was a fishing village.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your ’hood?
The most common one is that it’s far from the city centre. But it takes us the same amount of time to get to the city as when we lived on Tanjong Rhu, right near the river and the Singapore Flyer. Let’s just say that it’s far enough away to be a super cool, laid-back local suburb, but close enough if you need the city vibe.
Exact words you tell a taxi driver to get home?
“Taxi, can go to Siglap, ah?! Cepat!”
Closest MRT station?
Siglap (TE28) on the brown Thomson-East Coast Line.
How long have you lived here?
Nearly 12 years now.
Why?
Because East Side is Best Side! We were living in a condo closer to the city, but it felt very “transient” – akin to living in a hotel. We visited a friend in Siglap at his local hawker centre one summer’s evening. The birds were singing. There was a live band (yes, at the hawker centre!). The food was incredible. It was packed with families, and not many of them expats. There was a buzz that was just incredible. We immediately fell in love with the suburb and moved as soon as our existing lease would allow.
We’ve lived in Siglap ever since, and we feel at home. It’s close to everything (beach, airport, city), it’s a foodie paradise, and it’s a close-knit burb where we have made many lifelong friends.
Siglap condo fact file
Name of your Siglap condo: Finland Gardens
Facilities: Two swimming pools, a kids’ playground and a barbecue pit.
Does it have a gym? I have no idea – look at the size of me!
Apartment size: 2,200 square feet; yeah, she’s a monster, and I need that when all five of my kids are with us, or when the Filipino family come to visit.
New or old: It’s a very old three-storey walk up (which is six floors because each unit is a duplex).
Walking distance to supermarket? Five minutes and we have three: FairPrice, Cold Storage and India Deli – spoilt for choice. We also have a butcher five minutes away.
What’s the community vibe? 100 percent family – people get to know you and your kids as they grow up.
Siglap highlights
When you walk out of your place, what’s the first thing you see?
An old derelict HDB block, and two minutes later, the high street, packed full of our foodie goodies. We’re so lucky with the restaurant choices in Siglap, with Mexican, Korean, Spanish, Greek, Japanese, you name it. You can find out more about where to eat in Siglap (and Singapore) on my blog, islifearecipe.net.
What’s the closest store to your front door?
We’re equidistant to 916 Nail Bar, where I get my toes pedicured and nails painted (I kid you not) and Next Door Spanish Café. Awesome food at the latter, by the way. Pop in and say hello to my daughter, Amy, who will likely be serving!
If your street was chosen for a remake of a film, which would it be?
I’d film it in my local pub in Siglap, Jags, where all my mates hang out with the locals and talk complete and utter nonsense all night. It could be called Crazy Not-rich Caucasians.
We’re sure your neighbours are great, but is there anything you wouldn’t mind a little less of?
Yeah, the six flights of stairs to our apartment. I love our condo, but God invented elevators for a reason. I think I do 10,000 steps up and down the flipping stairs each day. It’s official: I am the Stair Master of Siglap!
What’s the unofficial uniform of Siglap?
Hawaiian shirts: my mates at Jags wear this “uniform” with pride and try to outdo each other with overly gaudy attire. We have a WhatsApp group, and we call ourselves the Village Idiots – the village being Siglap.
Things to do in Siglap
What are your three favourite places to eat or drink in the neighbourhood?
- Platypus Cantina is a Mexican-style offering in the village: great happy hours, amazing margaritas, and must-try dishes such as the Elotes, Angry Chicken Wings and Wagyu Beef Cubes.
- Next Door Spanish Café serves totally quality tapas in a wonderful family-vibe restaurant. This is likely our most visited place in Siglap.
- Jags is my local pub, but also a bistro serving super food that’s very affordable. Try the Mac n Cheese and guess the secret ingredient! And don’t forget curry night on Wednesdays.
A couple of others to mention are The Winery – an incredible menu of Spanish and Japanese fusion food – and Jungyi Korean BBQ, quite new to the area but the best Korean barbecue I’ve had in my life.
What are the best places to shop in Singapore?
Shopping for fashion in Singapore is tough for me, with its lack of fat white beardy man sizes on offer. We normally scoot to Jewel if we’re in that frame of mind – 15 minutes door to door! For groceries, Eater’s Market in Siglap itself is an incredible butcher and food market – from Japanese wagyu to pickles from Poland.
For other groceries, I shop online from the likes of Meat Collective, Butcher Box and Tankfully Fresh. My black pepper comes from Cambodia from my Singaporean BFFs at Hong Spices, who have their very own Kampot pepper farm there. Once you try that pepper there is no going back!
What’s a fun thing to do in Siglap?
Head to East Coast Park (2km away) where you can kite surf, wind surf, sail, paddle board, rent bicycles, in-line skate, wake board in the lagoon – or do as I do, and go to East Coast Lagoon Food Village (the best hawker in Singapore, in my humble opinion) and order a bucket of beers and about 20 dishes and totally pig out whilst people watching.
Anything you’d change about your part of Singapore?
I would have bulldozed the aforementioned HBD block in the centre of Siglap ten years ago when they were emptied of people. It could have been used for car-parking to bring more people in, kids’ playgrounds, a new community centre – instead, it’s a total waste of space.
Things to do in Singapore
What are your favourite Singapore spots for taking out-of-town guests?
It’s a long list, but top spots include Satay by the Bay for lunch, Gardens by the Bay in the afternoon, and Marina Bay Sands for dinner up the top. Pulau Ubin is good for a day trip, even if you just go do the boardwalks (no bike really needed) and have lunch by the water at a kampong restaurant.
I’m also loving the new Palawan family area on Sentosa for the golf, go-karting, Splash Tribe pools complex, food trucks, Blu Kouzina (best moussaka ever!), Hydro Dash, and Twelve, the personal pool DJ beach bar.
When you’re in need of a dose of culture, where do you go?
I do miss some cultural things here in Singapore. In the UK, you can visit a pub that was built in 1410. In Singapore that means the building was built at ten past two in the afternoon.
But living so close to everything in Southeast Asia makes this itch easily scratched. It’s a quick drive up to Malacca or a flight to Penang, and hey presto, you can immerse yourself in UNESCO beauty, with smatterings of Michelin food to boot.
In Singapore, there are plenty of temples and museums, but to be honest, our go-to is a hawker centre – that’s Singapore culture on a plate right there, with hand-me-down recipes that are generations old. I just hope the government doesn’t let them all collapse and die as rents soar.
If you’re missing home, what do you do?
Go to my local pub in Siglap to surround myself with friends, or scoot over to my mate’s place, The Little Pig in Katong, for an English Sunday roast or full English brekkie.
As a family, we have been doing Zoom calls every Sunday at 4pm since COVID. We have family join in from the UK, the Philippines, Japan and the US; we get all the goss and family updates every week, which is awesome.
How to have your neighbourhood featured in Street Talk
If you love where you live in Singapore, share it with others! Just email us at contribute@expatliving.sg with “Street Talk” in the subject line. Include your name and street, and we’ll be in touch.
This article on living in Siglap first appeared in the October 2025 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
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