Clawing into the finer side of life in Singapore

I am in a foreign country, shackled and locked in a dark room with six Singaporeans and 45 minutes to find a way out. I have paid US$22 for the privilege of being here.

Welcome to Freeing SG, Singapore’s latest role-playing game that places players in Mission Impossible-style scenarios, with their ability to crack codes and spin numbers on combination locks as their only means of escape.

Launched in Hong Kong last year by two members of Mensa, a society for people of high intelligence, it encapsulates the essence of these former colonial city-states in Asia – in a man-made world, the only thing you can rely on is your smarts.

Forty-five minutes into the game, we did not manage to escape. Luckily, the staff were on hand to help, bringing an end to an experience that acts as the perfect executive bonding session.

Where to stay: Fairmont Singapore, across the street from the legendary Raffles Hotel, is a solid option if you can get an upgrade to the executive level, where the rooms are smaller but more recently updated. It is also conveniently located above a shopping mall and one of the massive food courts for which Singapore is famous. The food court offers everything from kaya toast (grilled bread with a sugary pandan jam) to chicken rice (it is what it sounds like). If you want distance from the crowds, take refuge at the W Singapore hotel in Sentosa Cove, an upmarket beachfront residential enclave that has all the bourgeois charm of Disneyland.

Eating out: Your business contacts won’t let you leave without tasting Singapore’s famous chilli crab dish, which has the sweet shellfish stewed in a savoury sauce and served with light-as-air buns. The No Signboard Seafood chain does a five-napkin version well worth the high price – roughly US$100 for the crab, fried rice and sautéed greens for two. For a night out with colleagues, book a table at East 8, which pays homage to New York’s quirky East Village with truffled mozzarella and peanut butter and jelly drinks. If you’re on your own, your best bet is to head for the food courts.

Off hours: Bring your camera for a wander down Singapore’s Haji Lane, a mishmash of trendy boutiques and grungy shisha lounges, one of the few reminders of this hipster neighbourhood’s Arab heritage. World Savage, a vintage boutique on Bussorah Street, parallel to Haji Lane, is curated by a mohawked owner whose taste leans towards 1960s Japanese day dresses and 1980s Hermes ties.

Getting there: Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines all fly direct to Singapore’s Changi Airport. Thanks to the island’s size – 716 square kilometres including reclaimed land – you’ll be at your hotel in a blink.

ayee@thenational.ae

Clawing into the finer side of life in Singapore