Celebrating All Things Singapore

Just like the colourful origins of Singapore’s melting pot culture, shopping local is never dull. The With Love, SG concept store has been lovingly curated to showcase some of the unique items from local brands that the country has to offer. To bring a touch of the little red dot home, here’s our pick of the most interesting Singapore-inspired products to treat yourself – or a loved one – this month.

Have fun with friends and family with this fast-paced card game inspired by the practice of using tissue paper packets to “chope” (reserve) seats at a hawker centre. Suitable for three to six players, the game requires players to snap up cards depicting hawker food and tables while avoiding cards depicting mynah birds. In this game of fastest fingers first, the one with the quickest reflexes wins.

This unique curry leaf blend tea pays homage to Singapore’s multi-ethnic culinary influences. Made with ingredients including green tea, lemon peel, candied mango, lemongrass, basil and of course, curry leaves, the herbal and fruity notes of this beverage evokes the exotic flavours of local cuisine.

For an interesting twist on kueh kosui, a traditional Nyonya dessert made with gula melaka (palm sugar), pandan, coconut, tapioca and coconut shavings, check out the cookie version of this popular sweet treat. Created by chef Daniel Tay of confectionary brand Old Seng Choong, the cookies, which have fragrant flavours of coconut and gula melaka, are a crispy interpretation of the original chewy soft snack. Take a bite and savour this iconic treat in a different way.

Looking for some new art for your walls? This cool map of Singapore is made with woven strips of old cassette tapes and video tapes, which would otherwise have been discarded. This map is by Rehyphen, a brand with a sustainability-driven ethos to reduce and eliminate e-waste by upcycling unwanted tapes. Both nostalgic and one-of-a-kind, this handmade poster will add a touch of individuality to your home.

Quench your thirst with this set of best selling beers by Singapore’s longest running craft brewery. Brewerkz, which started in 1997 as a pub, has since successfully expanded into a chain of restaurants and also has its own craft beer brewery. This mixed case of Brewerkz’s most popular beers, including Bohemian pilsner, golden ale, India pale ale and oatmeal stout (voted Best Beer in Singapore), is a good introduction to the brewery’s greatest hits.

The next time a snack attack hits, instead of reaching for potato chips, why not indulge in the savoury flavours of local favourites – prawn crackers and bitternut crackers instead. This party set also includes a jar of Cilicuka original, a spicy chilli dip based on a Peranakan recipe of blending sun-ripened chilli and vinegar as well as sambal hijau which is made with green chillies and dried shrimp, that pair perfectly with the crispy crackers. Created by chef Shermay Lee, a food consultant and Peranakan food authority, these recipes are derived from her grandmother’s original heritage recipes.

To add a subtle and stylish touch of local design to your outfits, check out the scarves by Binary Style. This cotton Shophouses of Singapore scarf features images of Singapore’s much loved historic shophouses, which reflect the country’s diverse architectural influences and multi-cultural heritage.

As Singapore’s first producer of Asian-inspired marmalades made with ingredients including tropical fruit and local spices, Straits Preserves has a collection of one-of-a-kind spreads to savour. The Singapore Sling Marmalade takes flavour cues from the iconic cocktail of the same name that was created at Raffles Hotel Singapore and contains tropical and citrus fruits with a hint of cherry. Now, you can enjoy this quintessentially Singaporean drink on a toast.

For a collectors’ worthy memento, check out this limited edition leather bound sketchbook made with full-grain natural vegetable-tanned buffalo leather that features an otter. The image is inspired by a drawing in the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, which were commissioned by Farquhar, the first Resident and Commandant of colonial Singapore from 1819 to 1823.

Give your morning cuppa a Singaporean spin with this Yaya Kakaya coffee blend by Hook Coffee. The coffee shotpods, which are compatible with Nespresso machines, are infused with the natural flavours of pandan and coconut, reminiscent of local specialties such as kaya (coconut jam) or desserts like ondeh ondeh (chewy kuehs flavoured with coconut, pandan and gula melaka). This coffee can be drunk neat or mixed with milk and sugar to enhance the dessert-like flavours of the drink.