Strategically situated right in between the bustling Bugis neighbourhood and City Hall area, Purvis Street is pretty much the centre of it all. In the vicinity of places such as the huge National Library and the iconic Raffles Hotel, Purvis Street is visited by both locals and tourists alike.

For us, Purvis Street has it all—both old and new. Filled with swanky European restaurants amidst honest and humble old school eateries serving local cuisines, the eclectic mix of a plethora of different restaurants is something anyone can appreciate.

If you are not familiar, here is a guide to Purvis Street’s Restaurants & Cafes. It is time to start planning a trip down for some good food!

CHIN CHIN EATING HOUSE

Chin Chin Eating House has been around for decades and it is known for their chicken rice and Hainanese dishes. You must order the signature Hainanese pork chops!

19 Purvis Street
Singapore 188598
Tel: +65 66337 4640
Daily: 7am – 9pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

CLINTON STREET BAKING COMPANY

We love the Chicken & Waffles here but Clinton Street Baking Company serves some of the best New York-esque foods around. From pancakes to burgers, this all-American style cafe is a must-try for anyone craving for a hearty and heavy meal of goodness.

31 Purvis St
Singapore 188608
Tel: +65 6684 4845
Mon to Thu: 9am – 6pm
Fri: 8am – 10pm
Sat: 8am – 9pm
Sun: 8am – 6pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

FIRST THAI RESTAURANT

First Thai restaurant is a no-frills Thai eatery that sits on Purvis Street. Some of the dishes that you should try are the Tom Yum Seafood (S$7), Olive Fried Rice (S$8) and Fried Prawn Cake (S$3/pc).

23 Purvis Street
Tel: +65 6339 3123
Daily: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

GARIBALDI ITALIAN RESTAURANT & BAR

This upscale Italian restaurant has a slightly higher price tag but that being said, the fine dining food and atmosphere here is off the charts. If you are looking for a date idea to impress, look no farther.

36 Purvis St #01-02
Singapore 188613
Tel: +65 6837 1468
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 12.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

GUNTHER’S

If Italian food is not your thing, how about some sexy French dishes over at Gunther’s? Voted Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013, you get more than what you pay for here. From the beautifully plated dishes to the impeccable preparation, Gunther’s is right up our list on romantic date night spots in Singapore.

36 Purvis St #01-03
Singapore 188613
Tel: +65 6338 8955
Mon to Fri: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10pm
Sat: 6.30pm – 10pm
Closed: Sun
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

JAI THAI

As one of our favourite Thai restaurants in Singapore, Jai Thai is an inexpensive Thai eatery that serves honest and fuss-free Thai fare. Both the Phad Thai and Green Curry blew us away with the flavours and overall authentic taste.

27 Purvis St
#01-01 An Chuan Building
Singapore 188604
Tel: +65 6336 6908
Daily: 11pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

KAI BISTRO

Located in Hotel Kai, Kai Bistro is a gastrobar offering gourmet burgers, sandwiches, buffalo wings, crispy pork belly and other tasty bar grub that you can have with beer.

14 Purvis St
Hotel Kai
Singapore 188593
Tel: +65 6643 9999
Daily: 7am – 10am, 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9pm

MANZOKU

Known for serving extra thick slices of sashimi in their classic Chirashi Don (S$25), customers always return just to have another satisfying round of generous sliced fish with sushi rice.

18 Purvis St #01-01
Singapore 188597
Tel: +65 6734 4436
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

SAVEUR

From a stall in a coffee shop to a full-fledged restaurant at Purvis Street, Saveur Restaurant has done a good job serving inexpensive French food. The long line of hungry patrons during meal times is a testament to its popularity.

5 Purvis St
#01-04 Talib Court
Singapore 188584
Tel: +65 6333 3121
Daily: 12pm – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

YET CON

Take a walk down memory lane at Yet Con Restaurant—one of the oldest Hainanese restaurants in Singapore. While this old school restaurant is known for its notorious service, it remains a popular dining destination for its Hainanese chicken rice and steamboat chicken rice.

25 Purvis Street
Singapore 188602
Tel: +65 6337 6819
Daily: 11.30am – 7pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

YHINGTHAI PALACE

One of the most popular Thai restaurants in Singapore, Yhingthai Palace is known for its authentic Thai and Thai Chinese cuisine. While prices may be slightly higher than the usual Thai restaurants in Singapore, you can be assured that the food is always consistently good.

36 Purvis St #01-04
Singapore 188613
Tel: +65 6337 1161
Daily: 11.30am – 2pm, 6pm – 10am
Nearest Station: City Hall/Bugis

From a stall in a coffee shop to a full-fledged restaurant at Purvis Street, Saveur Restaurant has done a good job serving inexpensive French food. The long line of hungry patrons during meal times is a testament to its popularity. But does Saveur live up to the hype? Is it worth queuing up?

People love Saveur because it offers cheap and decent French food. There’s a trade-off, though. Portions are very small, so you have to order more dishes to share.

The main courses are averagely priced at $10, with a few special items at $24.90. Yes, so affordable, but because of its puny portion, you end up ordering more – which leaves you spending more than you normally would for a meal.

I wasn’t particularly impressed by the offerings, and while I appreciate that they offer decent French food at pocket-friendly prices, I am not in a hurry to come back.

Having said that, it is probably impossible to find another place that serves a good duck confit at $10. So, if you are on a budget, check out Saveurs. Remember to go early, or be prepared to queue.

Saveur Restaurant
5 Purvis Street #01-04
Tel: +65 6100 1788
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm

For more recommendations, read my list of Singapore’s Top 20 Inexpensive Restaurants

One of the best food in Singapore is definitely Chicken Rice. For the uninitiated, chicken rice is basically steamed/roasted chicken and white rice, served with chilli sauce, ginger, and dark soy sauce.

Every time I have chicken rice, I wonder why I don’t eat it more often. Especially when there are so many good ones around. Everyone has their favourites, Singaporeans always like to debate on where is the best chicken rice in Singapore.

Of course, I have my own favourite chicken rice stalls, but I’m always on the lookout for new places to try. Chin Chin Eating House at Purvis Street has always been known for their chicken rice, so when I happened to be in the area, I suggested going there for lunch.

For some reason, I was craving for Hainanese Pork Chop, and as soon as I saw it on their menu, I ordered a portion.

I liked Chin Chin Chicken Rice well enough to go back again, although I don’t think they are the best chicken rice I’ve had. Don’t get me wrong, though. The chicken, the rice, the chilli, they are all good. But it just didn’t wow me. The Pork Chop too, was decent, but not life-changing.

If you are thinking of where to eat in the City Hall/Bugis area, Chin Chin Eating House at Purvis Street might just be the place to go.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Chin Chin Eating House
19 Purvis Street
Beach Road Conservation Area
Tel: +65 6337 4640
Daily: 7am – 9pm

I was craving for Thai food after blogging about my trip to Bangkok. Since folks kept telling me that Jai Thai serves cheap and good Thai food, I decided to make a trip there for lunch.

Jai Thai Restaurant has three outlets at East Coast Road, Clover Way, and the other at Purvis Street where we went to. The menu is broad in categories: appetisers, curry, tom yum, seafood, beef, chicken, vegetable, rice and noodle; and deep in choices, with plenty of dishes to choose from under each category. With the exception of steamed fish which cost slightly more, most of the items on the menu are priced between $5-8 for small portion.

It is my new favourite Thai Restaurant to go for a quick and inexpensive meal.

We knew what we wanted, which was a good thing because there are so many things on the menu. Between the two of us, we shared four dishes and two Thai milk tea. The food came quickly and we started with the Phad Thai, the dish that is synonymous with Thailand.

I really liked Jai Thai’s Phad Thai ($5 for small); the noodles had a nice wok-hei and the right level of moistness. With a squeeze of lime, it was textbook perfect.

The other dishes that we had were decent, nothing to write home about. Take for instance, the Green Curry Chicken ($5 for small). It was certainly satisfying, but nothing special to make me sit up and take notice.

Tom Yum Seafood Soup ($5 for small), while tasty – would be perfect if it was hotter. I know, I know. I’m asking for it. But for something like Tom Yum, it’s either all or nothing.

A simple and honest meal. Jai Thai serves very decent Thai Food at affordable prices. I’m adding it to my list of Best Thai Restaurants in Singapore, definitely going back soon.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Jai Thai Restaurant
27 Purvis Street
#01-01 An Chuan Building
Tel: +65 6336 6908
Daily: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm

7 Clover Way
Tel: +65 6258 0228
Mon to Sat: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 9pm
Sun: 6pm – 9pm

205 East Coast Road
Tel: +65 6346 4940

For more recommendations, please read my list of Thai Restaurants in Singapore

First Thai at Purvis Street has been around for a few years, so it’s not surprising that the Thai eatery is perpetually crowded during meal times.

After a quick glance at the menu, we ordered a few items to share. The Tom Yum Seafood (S$7), a classic Thai dish, came first. Hot and spicy, it was the perfect dish to start off our Thai feast.

Following the Tom Yum seafood soup, we had Olive rice (S$8), Fried Prawn Cake (S$3/pc), Basil Leaves Fried with Pork/Chicken (S$8), and Phad Thai (S$8). Even though nothing in particular stood out, we had a pretty satisfying dinner.

While First Thai Restaurant has garnered many supporters over the years, we prefer Jai Thai – just down the road at 27 Purvis Street – which has equally good, if not better Thai food at slightly cheaper prices.

First Thai Restaurant
23 Purvis Street
Tel: +65 6339 3123
Daily: 12-3pm, 6-10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

This, was suppose to be done in July, somehow it was dragged till August, but it’s better to be late than never. And like everytime, I had lots of fun chatting with everybody, it’s very interesting to finally meet all the folks who have been quietly reading my blog for the longest time. From online to offline, now I can put a picture to your nick.

And I believe there is a common misunderstanding: everybody who attend the food outing does not know everybody. In fact there’s a lot of first-timers at each outing, who in turn become my regulars. Only I know everybody, so please don’t be afraid to come for my outing, I won’t bite. Thank you for those who made it to Limon, and I hope to see the rest of you at my next outing, which will be very soon (finger cross).

I won’t say anything about the food, my outings are never just about the food; it’s about the fun, it’s the company and friends that you make over food. In any case if you want to know more about what we had, you can read the detailed write-up of our menu.

My previous food outings:
Epicurious, Dallas, Persimmon, Obolo, Tetsu, Ochacha