Accidental Hiking

I think I unintentionally went on a mini hiking adventure this afternoon when I went to meet my friend, K. We had planned this meetup weeks ago, and today was finally the day. Before that, she asked me to pick a place, and of course, I turned to the almighty XHS for recommendations. That’s when I stumbled upon this fancy, aesthetic AF restaurant called Le Jardin, located at Fort Canning Park.

But oh boy—what they don’t tell you is that getting there requires climbing Fort Canning Hill. And let me tell you, it wasn’t just a casual stroll; it was a full-blown leg-day workout. By the time I reached the restaurant, I was sweating like a cow (do cows even sweat? Well, I did).

The restaurant, though? Chef’s kiss. Absolutely stunning—like someone took a Pinterest board and brought it to life. The place was covered in plants and flowers, making it the perfect spot for Instagrammers. And believe me, there were plenty. As soon as you enter, there’s this mirror on the left, all prettily decorated with flowers, and my table was conveniently located to the right—aka, the prime spot to count how many people took mirror selfies. (Spoiler: a lot.)

Now, I noticed something interesting. Most of the people snapping endless pictures were Chinese tourists. How did I know they were from China? Bruh, it’s all in the accents. Locals with Chinese features usually speak Singlish, while the ones from China? Fluent, textbook Mandarin. Meanwhile, the Western-looking tourists? Barely took any pictures. They were just vibing, soaking in the atmosphere like sophisticated café-goers. But the Chinese tourists? They were on a mission—to capture every angle of that restaurant.

Anyway, onto the food. I ordered a Truffle Scrambled Egg Croissant (yes, I felt fancy), and my friend went for a Rösti. Now, I’m not a huge croissant person, but this one? Next level. Flaky on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, paired with perfectly creamy scrambled eggs. Absolute perfection. Speaking of croissants, my friend and I had a heated discussion about the recent trend of flat croissants. Like… why? Who decided to smush a perfectly good, puffy croissant into a pancake? We both agreed—some things are sacred. Please, leave the croissant alone.

After lunch, we explored the park and made our way to the so-called famous Fort Canning Tree Tunnel. And let me tell you, this place is so overrated. There was an actual queue just to take pictures on the staircase. The paint on the stairs was literally peeling off from the sheer number of people constantly stepping on it. But amidst the madness, I discovered something cool—a secret tunnel. There was this small entrance hidden at the side of the road (I won’t say exactly where; consider it my little secret). If you go in and climb up, it takes you to a quiet spot on the upper side of the hill, away from the crowds. No queues, no influencers—just peace and a nice view.