City Nomads Awards 2015 – The Full Results! Singapore’s best of the best

Before we let you know who made it into the top 5 of each category, we’d like to say thank you. We’re incredibly grateful to the 4,000 readers who made an effort to vote for their favourite places, as well as each and every one of our guests who made it down to our Awards party last night at Club Kyo!

We’d also like to thank the loyal readers, partners, and friends who have been supporting and believing in City Nomads every step of the way. Without y’all, we wouldn’t be here…and without further ado, let’s get down to business.

Best New Restaurant in Singapore 2015

5th: The Prawn Star

4th: :Pluck

3rd: Sacha & Sons

2nd: FOC

1st: The Daily Cut

The carnivorous answer to the ubiquitous salad bowl in Singapore’s CBD – is anyone surprised that this cool new #eatclean concept by Jonathan Yang – who also co-owns Muchachos in Keong Saik – won best new restaurant? Pssst, they’re also opening a second outlet at Galaxis Mall!


Best Value Restaurant in Singapore 2015

5th: Sarnies

4th: KILO at PACT

3rd: The Flying Squirrel

2nd: Saveur

1st: Standing Sushi Bar

All the contenders in the top 5 are all deserving of the win, but the fact that Standing Sushi Bar came up tops is a testament to how much people in Singapore love affordable and quality sushi (fish is flown in everyday). Their sister restaurant Tanuki Raw is pretty good too!


Best Fine Dining Restaurant in Singapore 2015

5th: Restaurant André

4th: Waku Ghin

3rd: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

2nd: Les Amis

1st: JAAN

Having placed 11th in recently announced Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, it’s hard to quibble with the fact that JAAN won the category. Located in the Equinox Complex of Swissôtel The Stamford, it’s one of our go-to restaurants for special occasions with Chef Julien Royer’s exquisite French cuisine.


Best Restaurant in Singapore 2015

5th: OLA Cocina del Mar

4th: Waku Ghin

3rd: Tippling Club

2nd: Burnt Ends

1st: CUT by Wolfgang Puck

Making its debut in Marina Bay Sands in 2010, CUT Singapore is celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s third outlet of his critically acclaimed, award-winning Beverly Hills swanky modern steakhouse. On top of excellent steaks, the bar at CUT is also one of those places to see and be seen with a cocktail in hand.


Favourite Chef in Singapore 2015

5th: Julien Royer (JAAN)

4th: Bjorn Shen (Artichoke)

3rd: Dave Pynt (Burnt Ends)

2nd: Andre Chiang (Restaurant Andre)

1st: Janice Wong (2am:Dessertbar)

Chef, restaurateur, and author – Janice Wong wears many different hats with ease, so we’re not surprised this super woman took home the Favourite Chef award. It’s time we make another trip to 2am: dessertbar and check out her tome on sweet, edible art, Perfection in Imperfection.


Best Coffee Roaster in Singapore 2015

5th: Sarnies

4th: Dutch Colony Coffee

3rd: Toby’s Estate Coffee

2nd: Papa Pahleta

1st: Common Man Coffee Roasters

Harry Grover’s 40 Hands café in Tiong Bahru kickstarted the Third Wave coffee movement in Singapore years ago, and Common Man Coffee Roasters (a partnership between Spa Esprit and Harry) are taking things up a notch by educating coffee drinkers and roasting really good coffee, ’nuff said.


Favourite Bartender in Singapore 2015

5th: Ricky Paiva (formally of Manhattan bar)

4th: Tom Hogan (Anti:dote)

3rd: Nicholas Quattroville (L’Aiglon)

2nd: Sam Wong (Ah Sam Cold Drink Stalll)

Peter Chua (28 Hong Kong Street)

One of Singapore’s homegrown talents, Peter Chua not only took home the title of Singapore’s Favourite bartender last night, but also bagged the number 1 spot in the Bacardi Legacy competition. Having perfected his craft at 28 Hong Kong Street, he is helping set the boundaries in the bartending community both here in Singapore and abroad.


Best Bar for Cocktails in Singapore 2015

5th: L’Aiglon

4th: Ah Sam Cold Drinks Stall

3rd: Jigger & Pony

2nd: The Horse’s Mouth

1st: 28 Hong Kong Street


Best Bar in Singapore 2015

5th: Jigger & Pony

4th: Tippling Club

3rd: Manhattan

2nd: The Library

1st: 28 Hong Kong Street

After snagging Best Bar, Best Service Crew, and Best Bar Food in this year’s Singapore Bar Awards, which is voted by the industry for the industry, we’re quite glad that 28HKS has the recognition of you readers too. The cocktail bar has become an absolute must-visit, and rightly so.


Best Live Music Venue in Singapore 2015

5th: Zouk

4th: Blu Jaz

3rd: Mad Men Attic Bar

2nd: Wala Wala

1st: Timbre

Hands up if you’ve never been to Timbre – yeah, we thought so. The daily live music performances (we always hit the one at Substation) by bands like 53A and Goodfellas, unpretentious menu (can we say duck pizza?), and their support of local music are just some of the reasons why you voted for them.


Best Local Musician or Group in Singapore 2015

5th: Shigga Shay

4th: Gentle Bones

3rd: The Observatory

2nd: Take Two

1st: The Sam Willows

These guys started around the same time as we did, and they’re now the biggest stars of the local music scene with their luscious harmonies and special brand of soul-folk. Having played on tour in the USA and major platforms like South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival 2013 and Canadian Music Festival, The Sam Willows prove their worth of our fangirl/boy-dom.


Best Theatre Production Company in Singapore 2015

5th: ABA Productions

4th: Singapore International Festival of the Arts

3rd: Singapore Repertory Theatre

2nd: Singapore Dance Theatre

1st: W!ld Rice

Founded by local thespian Ivan Heng in 2000, W!ld Rice has brought us productions like The Importance of Being Earnest, Emily of Emerald Hill, and Animal Farm over the years. The Christmas pantomimes are the highlight of our year-end festivities, and yours too!


Best Singapore Design Label in 2015

5th: Ong Shunmugam

4th: Whole 9 Yards

3rd: In Good Company

2nd: Kevin Seah Bespoke

1st: Hansel

That Hansel is so hot right now – Jo Soh’s playfully whimsical and minimalist style has endeared her to the modern Singaporean woman since Hansel’s inception in 2003. Jo also launched a diffusion line, hello hansel, for the younger crowd in 2011 as well as, hansel design consultancy.


Best Gym in Singapore 2015

5th: Ritual

4th: Virgin Active

3rd: Evolve MMA

2nd: True Fitness

Fitness First

As much as we love boutique gyms, we have to say that with more than 800 group exercise classes, 15 gyms islandwide, great facilities, and qualified staff, Fitness First is definitely a leader and pioneer in the industry worthy of the crown.


Best Yoga Studio in Singapore 2015

5th: Hom Yoga

4th: Samasthah

3rd: Kate Porter Yoga

2nd: Yoga Movement

1st: Pure Yoga

Offering a wide variety of traditional and contemporary practices like Hatha, Hot, Power, Ashtanga Vinyasa, and Yoga Dance, Pure Yoga has shown its dedication to the yoga community in Singapore as well as the rest of East Asia, with outposts in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taipei.


Best Online Travel Portal in Singapore 2015

5th: ZUJI

4th: Expedia

3rd: Skyscanner

2nd: Airbnb

1st: TripAdvisor

Something you’ll almost definitely check before and during your trip abroad, TripAdvisor is incredibly handy and informative – did we mention exclusive discounts with hotels too? – everything you need in an online travel portal.


Best Budget Airline in Singapore 2015

5th: Cebu Pacific

4th: Tiger Airways

3rd: AirAsia

2nd: Jetstar Asia

1st: Scoot

Frankly, Scoot stands out by keeping their finger on the pulse of Singapore and playing the social media game very well. For instance, the white/gold-blue/black dress that broke the Internet prompted Scoot to launch a 50% off flash sale – well played, Scoot, well played.


Best Hotel in Singapore 2015

5th: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

4th: Raffles Hotel

3rd: Marina Bay Sands

2nd: Capella Singapore

1st: W Singapore – Sentosa Cove

Funky and wacky, W Singapore at Sentosa Cove was a sort of black horse in this race. We suppose their amazing pool (where they throw loads of cool pool parties) pulled in the votes for them – well done!


Well that’s a wrap for 2015. It’s been an amazing year so far and we’re super excited to see what the rest of the year brings.

Once again, massive thank you to our sponsors American Express for helping make these awards happen. For more information on their awesome Platinum card, see here.


Chief Editor

Emily heads the editorial team on City Nomads by being a stickler for details, a grammar Nazi, and a really picky eater. Born and bred in Singapore, she loves cats, the written word, and exploring new places. Can be bribed with quality booze across the board.