Night feast: The best places for late-night suppers in the Bras Basah Bugis precinct

SINGAPORE — The ninth edition of the Singapore Night Festival is back for two consecutive weekends, Aug 19 and 20, as well as Aug 26 and 27. Of course, since you’re staying out late to catch some of the acts, it pays to be prepared for when those hunger pangs hit. And if there’s something most of us can agree on, it is that few things quite hit the spot like a good supper.

The Festival Village, located at the Singapore Management University Campus Green and University Square, will be open till 1am and has a wide variety of food offerings. Some of the vendors that will be setting up shop include: Uncle G’s Handmade, which is famous for its crispy roast pork; Loco Loco, where you can get your hands on some salted egg yolk churros; and Shiso, which will be selling its Kimchi Chicken Charcoal Burger.

But since you’re already in the Bugis-Bras Basah precinct, why not venture out to explore some of the area’s well-known supper spots? Whether it is bingsu or good ol’ prata, there will be an eatery where you can satiate those cravings.

1. The Ramen Stall (787 North Bridge Road)

Nothing like a steaming hot bowl of noodles after an evening out painting the town red. The Ramen Stall is one of the few places in Singapore where you can get a late-night carbs fix as it opens till 5am daily. At this halal-certified eatery, the MSG-free chicken broth takes a painstaking 30 hours to prepare, and it gets its natural sweetness from kombu dashi (Japanese vegetarian stock) and vegetables. Unsurprisingly, the fiery Volcano Ramen — where you can choose from three levels of spiciness — has proven to be a hit among chilli-loving Singaporeans.

2. Ma La Hui Cui Guan (260 Middle Road)

Hungry for some spicy Szechuan hot pot in the wee hours? Then make a beeline for Ma La Hui Cui Guan, which opens till 5.30am. For just S$25, you can take your pick of two soup bases, and each diner will have their own individual hot pot. A word to the wise: The tongue-numbing Szechuan Spicy Soup is not for the faint-hearted. While the general consensus is that better broth can be had at some other hot pot outlets, this restaurant scores points for its generous portions.

3. Nunsongyee (534 North Bridge Road)

While Nunsongyee has six outlets across the island, only two are open 24 hours, including this one at Bugis. Besides serving up a selection of Instagram-worthy bingsu — black sesame, mango and strawberry are among the flavours available — a variety of toasts and rice cakes are also on the menu. The rice cakes, known as “tteok” in Korean — are inspired by founder Eun Jin’s grandparents, who used to be rice farmers.

4. Parklane Teochew Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle (#01-79 Coffee Express 2000 Food Court, Bras Basah Complex)

This stall is bound to come up in a conversation among fans of bak chor mee. Formerly located at Paradiz Centre and open 24 hours, the piquant chilli here is nicely balanced with just the right amount of vinegar. But what sets this stall apart from others is that the chilli padi that you can help yourself to comes with crunchy bits of raw garlic that add an interesting dimension of flavour to your bowl of noodles.

5. Al-Jilani Restaurant (127 Bencoolen Street)

What’s a supper round-up without a mention of at least one Indian-Muslim eatery that sells roti prata and nasi goreng? This popular spot at Bencoolen Street gets packed when it’s late, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself having to wait awhile before the food arrives at your table. The prata here gets the thumbs-up for being crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, while generous portions of the aromatic chicken biryani will satisfy big eaters.

6. Switch by Timbre (73 Bras Basah Road, #01-02/03)

Open till 2am on Fridays and Saturdays (1am on other days), Switch by Timbre is the place to be if your idea of a good night out entails beer, pizza and live music. The menu is an interesting mix of Western favourites with an Asian touch — laksa barramundi and chips, anyone? — but the last order for mains is 10.30pm. Pizzas, however, will still be available after that. While happy hours are from 6pm to 8pm daily, it has drink promos after 8pm that rotate on a daily basis.

7. Aroy Dee Thai Food (262 Middle Road, Sunshine Plaza)

Open till 6am every day, the usual suspects such as seafood tom yum soup and pad thai are on the menu at Aroy Dee, but this affordable Thai restaurant also offers a number of North-eastern Thai specialities such as narm tok moo (grilled pork with chilli and Thai herbs) and lerb moo (spicy green pork salad). Aroy (tasty), indeed.

8. Gu Thai Noodle Cafe (1 Selegie Road, #01-04 PoMo)

Specialising in Thai boat noodles, the bowls here come in two sizes, small and large. Order the small one, which costs a mere S$1.90, if you’re planning to sample the other dishes on the menu, which include Thai Green Curry. The larger, more substantial bowls go for S$6 and S$6.80 for pork and beef respectively. Gu Thai Noodle Cafe closes at 5am every day.