SINGAPORE - The relentless march forward and onward is all well and good, and we all fall in line like good little soldiers. But there is room for nostalgia in every life. In mine, it is the beauty and patina of vintage furniture, crockery and handbags; and of course, retro food and the restaurants that serve them.

Between a cutting-edge restaurant and a coffee house that harks back to days of yore, I almost always choose old school.