Singapore's TidbiTs

📍 Northwestern Singapore  |  🕐 Open 7am – 7pm Daily  |  💰 Free Entry Nature Reserve Introduction Where can you find wildlife beyond the zoo in urban Singapore? Tucked away in the quiet northwestern corner of the island, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve offers a rare glimpse into a thriving mangrove ecosystem — complete with crocodiles, migratory birds, and lush boardwalk trails. The name itself tells a story: Sungei means "river" and Buloh (from the Malay buluh ) means "bamboo." So Sungei Buloh literally translates to "Bamboo River," named after the Buloh River that runs through it. While bamboo still grows in the area, the reserve's true stars are its rich mangrove forests, mudflats, and the incredible biodiversity they support. The sprawling mangrove wetlands of Sungei Buloh, viewed from the observation tower. ...

The calories rich but tasty teh tarik (or spelled as teh tarek) or pulled tea is a unique milk tea found in Malaysia and Singapore. It is made of black tea in combination with sweetened condensed milk (or evaporated milk for less sweetness, and tossing or dragging (tarik) the tea from one container to another at a height to create a frothy effect. This tea is usually drank while having roti prata . Well you can drink it with about any snacks or dishes or you can just sip it on its own as the teh tarik is like a dessert beverage by itself, full if sweetness from the condensed milk and sugar. There is also teh masala or the spice tea, but for locals here we tend to stick with the simpler teh tarik. Masala tea may appeal more to Indians. At many local coffee shops, teh-C is a lingo used to mean tea with evaporated milk to differentiate from the concentrated condensed milk. The letter C actually stand for ' cair ', a Malay word for diluted or unsweetened. That applies to kopi-C t...

Cheng teng is a uniquely sweet local dessert or comfort drink that has been around for generations. This icy cold dessert drinks are popular especially given our local weather that are hot and humid. You can also have your cheng teng (also spelled as cheng tng ) warm or hot. Bedok Corner cheng-teng Cheng teng can be served either hot or cold. It is a potpourri of ingredients that include longan , ginko nuts , lily bulbs , white fungus , red dates , lianzi , barley, etc. Cold cheng teng is added with shaved ice. It is a sweet ‘cooling’ tasting dessert, like most desserts here. Cheng teng is believed to be able to get rid of heatiness in the hot and humid Singapore weather due to the tonic effect of some of the ingredients, which are herbal in nature. Some ingredients are used as part of traditional Chinese medicine, which have been used for centuries. But with so many ingredients in a bowl, cheng teng tastes very refreshing and sweet instead of herbal-ish. The hot or warm version is ev...

Public or community libraries can be found in almost housing estates. Some libraries are even housed in shopping malls and arts galleries! How cool is that. You can shop, eat (not in the libraries, of course) then nourish your brain in the libraries. And to sleep, yes to sleep. And it's free. You can read some books or magazines, or the daily newspapers for free or watch some audio-visual materials from one of the computers dotting inside the libraries. There are comfy seats for you to read. Some are too comfy that can make people snooze. You can also surf internet on your laptop, tablet or iPad using the complimentary wireless@sg WiFi. The libaries are air-conditioned so they are good place to escape the heat and humidity outside. Though just like cinemas, many libraries air-conditioning are set at winter temperature, so bring along a light sweater if you plan to stay in libraries for an extended period of time. A public library The central, regional and public or community librar...

The kaya toast set is Singapore's quintessential breakfast: two slices of crisp toast slathered with coconut jam and cold butter, a pair of wobbly half-boiled eggs drizzled with dark soy sauce and white pepper, and a cup of thick, fragrant kopi or teh . It is comfort food at its simplest and best — eaten in kopitiams (local coffee shops) from dawn till dusk, and increasingly recognised around the world. So iconic are these dishes that "kaya toast" and "half-boiled eggs" have both made their way into the Oxford English Dictionary . 📋 Quick Facts What it is Toasted bread + kaya jam + butter + half-boiled eggs + kopi/teh Origin Hainanese kopitiams in colonial Singapore Price (2025–2026) $2.50 (school canteen) – $6.30 (Ya Kun) – $7.40+ (Toast Box, tourist areas) Best time to eat Breakfast, but served all day at most chains Where to find Kopitiams, hawker centres, food courts, and chain cafés islandwide 🥥 What Is Kaya? ...

The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is one of the two largest flowering plant families in the world, the other being the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Orchids are also one of the most widespread and variable families of flowering plants. There are about 30,000 orchid species in the world, making up to 8% of the plant kingdom. They can be found on all continents that support vegetation but are most diverse in the tropics which suits well in Singapore tropical and humid climate. Orchids are generally herbaceous plants as they do to have woody parts like trees or shrubs. Orchid seeds are also the smallest seeds in the world. Many orchids grow on trees called tree orchids or epiphytic orchids, but they do not receive nutrients from the trees and are therefore not parasites. Many other orchids grow on the ground called ground or terrestrial orchids. And orchids that grow on rocks are called lithophytic orchids. Few others are lianas, climbing on small trees such as Vanilla planifolia . Vanilla ...