And indeed, it is very cool with it’s charming shophouses and colorful facades. All the tiny boutiques and F&B establishments are lovely. Not to mention the murals in various places. So yes, I love Haji Lane.
But truth be told, Haji Lane is kinda old news, where as Kampong Glam is the new cool.
Over the years Kampong Glam has been restored, refurbished and revived and is now filled with cool shops, galleries and F&B options. And new ones keep popping up!
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| Exploring Kampong Glam you stumble upon lots of F&B outlets that look appealing, like this one with outdoor seats. |
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| The Beast |
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| Oil barrel standing bar tables; cool concept. |
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| Yes, Singapore has Dining in the Dark , a concept that seems to be a hit all around the globe. |
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| A for Arbite has a selection of special beers, so Frits gave it a go…and loved it! |
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| Supersized shuttlecock toys; fun! |
Kampong Glam has colorful and charming architecture, AND some of the cities latest and most exciting murals.
So it’s about time you checked it out, if you have not done so yet.
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| One of several wonderful murals by Lithuanian/Penang artist Ernest Zacharevic. |
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| Another cool one by Zacharevic; love this one! |
The neighborhood has a rich history.
Around 1822 the area was designated for the Sultan and his household. Besides that it was inhabited by the Malay and Arab communities, many of which were merchants at the time.
Still today Kampong Glam is often referred to as the Muslim or Arab Quarter.
If you are interested to learn more, you can pay a visit to the Malay Heritage Centre.
There are street signs that provide some historic information as well.
Most people are familiar with Haji Lane, Bali Lane and Arab Street, but let me show you around in the lesser known streets.
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| The beautiful building of Aliwal Arts Centre, where restaurant A for Arbite is housed. |
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| Art work at Aliwal Arts Centre. |
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| The mix of architectural styles is interesting, don’t you think? |
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| Uhm, no road crossing? What a weird sign! |
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| Work-desk?;-) Desk-job? Hahaha… |
The wonderful website Honeycombers published two small guides about Kampong Glam and Arab Quarter with addresses from shops, bars and restaurants. More extensive is UrbanJourney’s Guide to Kampong Glam, also a good read before heading of to this neighborhood.
What are your favorite spots in and around Kampong Glam and Haji Lane?
Some quirky photos, looks like a great place! I really love the street art.
Thanks, Charlie.
I loved your post about the bottle cap factory in Taipei! Wish I knew when I was there!
This place looks like the ones I would love to explore. There is some interesting colonial architecture which I enjoy a lot and quite a bit of art including some great street art by Zacharevic of which I saw some great pieces in Georgetown in Malaysia and fell in love with.
I fell in love with Zacharevic’s work in Georgetown as well, Franca! Very cool. Where do you live?