"I'll go once a week to Tian Tian Chicken Rice at Maxwell because I like the fact that it's local, it's fast and it's reliably good," says Peng. "I get there early — before 12.15pm — for my fix of chicken rice, because any later and there'll be too big a queue." At Tiong Bahru, head to a roast meat stall called Lee Hong Kee. "You can tell which one it is by the lines snaking round the block at lunchtime. This place is legendary; a lot of people buy two whole ducks to take home. By late afternoon, they're closed, having sold out."

"My favourite place is Chye Seng Huat Hardware, and it's well worth discovering," says Peng. "It's a cafe in an old hardware shop, and they've done an amazing job. I love their obsession with detail, and dedication to their craft: they actually go to Ethiopia and Java to visit the plantations."

The outside still uses the façade of the eponymous old timber yard, and inside there's a pub-like bar and a menu that is simple and focused with a few unusual touches, including the Nitro Cold Brew, which is poured into a glass like a beer, and is lightly aerated giving it a Guinness look and flavour.

Singapore's size and history make it easy to understand how very different neighbourhoods grew up so close to one another. For a leisurely afternoon stroll, Peng recommends discovering the many corners of Little India — which remains an unheralded side of the city. "The earthiness and authenticity are unmatched, as it really is the last district where you can get a sense of community," he explains of the predominantly Tamil area, which features several mosques plus Buddhist and Hindu temples. "You don't see that in Chinatown or the Arab Street district, because that's where all the visitors traditionally go. But Little India has no tourist shops, so most of the stores are just for the local community. It's unique in Singapore."

Chinatown has become an area where it's impossible to go hungry: old Chinese family-run places sit next to dark-glassed European gourmet haunts. "I like going to Kok Sen on Keong Saik Road for their big prawn hor fun," he says. It's a very well-loved, open-fronted Cantonese restaurant that can get a little crowded, but that's part of the charm.

Where to go for postprandial drinks? Avoiding the Singapore Sling clichés, Peng heads straight to 28 Hong Kong Street. "I love my whiskey- and rum-based cocktails, so whatever they have based around those really works for me. 28 Hong Kong Street really started the whole cocktail revolution in Singapore; they grow their own herbs and make their own bitters."

The Library, owned by Peng, is a raucously fun bar hidden behind the façade of a gentlemen's tailor, which is a real store and open during the day. At night, however, there is a secret doorway into the back room, and if you know the password, inventive drinks are offered off the menu, while the famously delicious food is created by the bistro next door — The Study.

Saturday morning, and it's time for some greenery: "On weekend mornings my little boy and I go exploring Gardens by the Bay. The rest of Singapore is so urbanised that you need to find big open spaces like this that are child friendly. The Botanical Gardens are great, too," say Peng. "After that, we either all end up at Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant or I like the PS Cafe at Harding Road in Tanglin village, which has a lovely atmosphere."

Tanglin Village is a secluded and leafy collection of restaurants and services, based around redeveloped British Army barracks, minutes from the main Orchard Road shopping district. PS Cafe at Harding Road itself is a glass building in its own tree-filled grounds. Be warned: Sunday brunch is insanely popular, and they don't accept reservations, but they do take food orders until 4pm for those who really push brunch as long as they can.

The island of Sentosa, linked by a bridge, monorail and cable car to Singapore, acts as the city's getaway. There are hotels, Universal Studios, an aquarium, hiking and bike trails and beaches. If you're in town for several days, spending at least one night on Sentosa will show you a very different side to the city-state, and Peng is adamant that there is only one place to stay: "The Capella for sure. It is by far the best hotel in Sentosa, and actually the best urban resort in Singapore by a country mile."

The first thing you notice is space — 12 hectares of lush tropical greens built around (another) old British Army barracks to which Norman Foster has added two swooping wings. Space is also afforded in the rooms; even the smallest are the size of other hotel's junior suites, while the villas contain outdoor showers and private plunge pools to relax in. At night all you hear among the terraced gardens are the sounds of frogs and insects.

One far corner of the island can become a Sunday afternoon party central: "If you're looking for something really fun to do, there is nothing to beat the Tanjong Beach Club. You will see some serious party animals go for brunch, and then in the afternoon, it becomes this beach-and-pool party with music and beautiful people."

What's hot in Singapore's dining scene

STAY

• New Majestic Hotel, 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road newmajestichotel.com
• Wanderlust, 2 Dickson Road wanderlusthotel.com
• Capella, 1 The Knolls, Sentosa capellahotels.com

EAT

• Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, Maxwell Market, Stall 10, 1 Kadayanallur Street tiantianchickenrice.com
• Lee Hong Kee, Tiong Bahru Market, Stall 2/60, 30 Seng Poh Road
• Chye Seng Huat Hardware, 150Tyrwhitt Road cshhcoffee.com
• Esquina, 16 Jiak Chuan Lane esquina.com.sg
• Burnt Ends, 20 Teck Lim Road burntends.com.sg
• 28 Hong Kong Street, 28 Hong Kong Street 28hks.com
• The Library, 47 Keong Saik Road
• PS Cafe at Harding Road, 28BHarding Road, Tanglin Village pscafe.com
• Tanjong Beach Club, 120 Tanjong Beach Walk, Sentosa tanjongbeachclub.com