Dick Lee - Singapore's style icon

To most, composer and performer Dick Lee is best known for his Saville Row-esque style: Think tailored bespoke suits complete with cufflinks and signature pocket square.

But as he lets on in an interview at his shophouse home, his taste has, in fact, always veered between classic styles and outrageous artifice.

The 59-year-old's daring approach towards fashion is perhaps why he has evolved to be such a style maven. In between a boldly coloured collection of Versace printed shirts and the numerous vintage finds that he has stashed in his closets, he is undoubtedly a man who is unafraid of embracing colour, print and a love of all things nostalgic, resulting in a one-of-a-kind style that is very much his own.

Ankita Varma

A national restaurant you can show off

Finally, there is a nice restaurant to take foreign visitors to for some traditional multi-ethnic Singapore dishes.

The name National Kitchen by Violet Oon may sound a little pompous if it is helmed by anyone other than Oon. But the food doyenne pulls it off with a restaurant design that recalls a wealthy colonial home and a menu of dishes that encompasses different stages in the nation's history.

Check out dishes such as idly, fish-head curry and the almost-forgotten pineapple upside-down cake.

Wong Ah Yoke

Defy the tropics - grow strawberries here

Enterprising gardeners in Singapore are growing temperate fruit such as strawberries, apples and grapes.

Some, such as housewife Victoria Ho, do so by simulating the plant's native environment. She grows strawberries in the master bedroom of her condominium, leaving the air-conditioning on in the room at night. To water the plant, she uses crushed ice.

Meanwhile, to make their temperate plants fruit, baker Alex Ng prunes his grape vines regularly, while urban farmer Alexius Yeo plucks the leaves off his jujube plant to create a false winter.

Lea Wee

Insider's guide to cool capitals

Get the ultimate travel black book as five celebrities share their tips on exploring cities from Seoul to New York.

Having lived in these cities for a long time, they dish on the best places to eat, drink, shop and explore.

Celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda, who has lived in Sydney for 33 years, recommends heading to the tourist-friendly Sydney Fish Market for a behind-the-scenes tour and snagging some fresh seafood, like he does for his restaurant.

Singapore-born jewellery designer Lynn Ban, who lives in New York, says Dover Street Market is a mandatory pit-stop for any fashionista, while hotelier and designer Anouska Hempel raves about Sexy Fish, a hip Asian fish and seafood restaurant in London.

Natasha Ann Zachariah

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