We lived just off Bukit Timah, then near Serangoon and finally near the West Coast at Pasir Panjang. All had good local hawkers and restaurants. No Michelin stars, just local food. We did occasionally go to Newton for seafood barbecue. More expensive as it is for the tourists but we had a...
I think you only really know a place when you have lived there. A couple of weeks on holiday gives a completely artificial perception of what a city is really like. On that basis I would go for Singapore. Brilliant base for doing business and holidays. Great food but not just the tourist traps...