Western breakfasts are available, at a price, at all bigger hotels, most famously at the Hilton or Raffles. For a really cheap fry-up you can't beat a Western food stall in a hawker centre, where S$8 buys steak, chops and sausage. The classic Chinese breakfast is congee, a watery rice porridge augmented with strips of meat, though dim sum tend to be more palatable to Western tastes. An abiding favourite among Malays is nasi lemak, rice cooked in coconut milk and served with sambal ikan bilis (tiny crisp-fried anchovies in hot chilli paste), fried peanuts and slices of fried or hard-boiled egg.
Breakfast With An Orang-Utan , Singapore Zoo, 80 Mandai Lake Rd, Northern Singapore (tel 360 8509). A bumper American-style spread, shared with whichever orang is on duty, costs S$15.50. Daily 9-10am.
Breakfast With The Birds , Jurong BirdPark, Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, Western Singapore (tel 265 0022). A buffet of local and Western breakfast favourites, eaten alongside caged songbirds; S$12. Daily 9am-11am.
Champagne Brunch At The Hilton , Hilton Hotel, 581 Orchard Rd (tel 737 2233). Around S$60 buys a superb free flow of delicacies - oysters, salmon, curry and cakes - washed down with litres of champagne and orange juice. Reservations are essential. Sun 11.30am-2.30pm only.
De Boa (HK) Restaurant , 42 Smith St. Right opposite the Chinatown Complex, a smashing little coffee shop offering dim sum, pau and Chinese tea. Daily 7.30am-5pm.
Mr Bean's Café , 30 Selegie Rd, Colonial District. Based in the same wedge-shaped colonial building as the Selegie Arts Centre, Mr Bean's Café draws an interesting crowd with its muffins, croissants, toast and coffee.
Spinelli Coffee Company , 01-15 Bugis Junction, 230 Victoria St, Colonial District. San Francisco-based outfit that's riding on the local mania for fresh coffee; the narrow bar is ideal for a quick expresso.
Tiffin Room , Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Rd, Colonial District (tel 337 1886). Have your buffet breakfast here and you won't eat again until dinner; S$25 per person. Daily 7.30-10am.
Yasinn Restaurant , 127 Bencoolen St, Colonial District. Does a roaring trade in roti prata (fried bread) and curry sauce each morning.