Street life

Cuppage Plaza Food Guide: Japanese Restaurants and Hidden Gems in Singapore’s Little Tokyo

By Aaron Ong - June 11, 2026

I started coming to Cuppage Plaza for the light. The building is old, a little worn at the edges, with narrow staircases and corridors that smell faintly of charcoal and sake by early evening. But…

Wang BBQ Chicken Wing & Satay: Photographing Smoke, Wings, and Skewers at Chomp Chomp Food Centre

By Aaron Ong - June 8, 2026

I reached Chomp Chomp Food Centre at 20 Kensington Park Road, Serangoon Gardens, Singapore on a Tuesday evening around 7pm, just as the place was beginning to thicken with supper energy. The tables were filling…

Lau Pa Sat Satay Street: Photographing After-Work Satay in Singapore’s CBD.

By Aaron Ong - June 4, 2026

I visited Lau Pa Sat Satay Street on a Tuesday around 7pm, just as Boon Tat Street was changing its identity from a busy traffic route in Singapore’s CBD to a lively alfresco dining venue.…

Izakaya Singapore: More Than Just After-Work Spots

By Aaron Ong - June 1, 2026

When we talk about izakayas in Singapore, we often reduce them to simple after work drinks spots. We picture loud rooms where tired professionals go to drink cold beer and eat cheap bar snacks. But…

Flame, Smoke, and Sizzle: The Art of Grilling in Singapore’s Izakayas

By Aaron Ong - May 28, 2026

A chef stands behind a trough of white-hot binchotan charcoal. He holds a fan in one hand and carefully turns a row of wooden chicken skewers with the other. He does not rush. He waits…

The Heart of the Grill: The Master Craftsmen Behind Izakayas Singapore Prides On

By Aaron Ong - May 25, 2026

When I first started photographing food in Singapore, I had a very narrow view of what Japanese dining looked like. I walked right past the smoky, loud, narrow storefronts of local izakayas. I thought they…

Days Without Meat: A Study of Habit Inside Fortune Centre’s Vegetarian Culture

By Aaron Ong - May 14, 2026

Let me tell you about the first time I walked into Fortune Centre with my camera. I expected a standard Singaporean food court experience: loud, chaotic, and heavily focused on the usual meat-heavy local dishes.…

From Queue to Tray: A Continuous Frame Through Fortune Centre Singapore’s Lunch Hour

By Aaron Ong - May 11, 2026

The air inside the first floor of Fortune Centre is thick with the inviting aroma of toasted sesame and rich braised tofu. It’s just past midday, and the narrow corridors along Middle Road buzz quietly…

Quiet Imports: How Japanese Food in Singapore Settles Into Foreign Cities

By Aaron Ong - April 27, 2026

It is just past one in the afternoon at a busy mall in Tampines. A man in a pressed white shirt stands up from a small wooden table. He picks up his plastic tray. On…

Japanese Food Singapore: Mapping Ramen Bars and Curry Counters on the East Side

By Aaron Ong - April 20, 2026

When I first moved my photography workflow to the East Side, I assumed my dining options would be strictly limited to local heritage food. I spent weeks eating Katong laksa and Joo Chiat prawn noodles.…