Coliva neighbourhood guide
Living in Springleaf, Singapore
A leafy pocket of northern Singapore on the Thomson-East Coast Line — quiet streets, prata supper culture, nature parks at your doorstep.
Springleaf is an unusual Singapore neighbourhood: it sits on the new Thomson-East Coast Line, has a 24-hour prata strip locals drive across the island for, and is the closest residential pocket to Springleaf Nature Park and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It’s the antidote to apartment-block Singapore — low-rise, leafy, with the kind of mornings where you actually hear birds.
Coliva’s Vanilla House is on Springside View, eight minutes’ walk from Springleaf MRT (TE4) on the Thomson-East Coast Line.
Transit at a glance
- Springleaf MRT TE4 · 8 min walk
- Lentor MRT TE5 · 1 stop south
- Orchard Road ~25 min by MRT (TEL direct)
- Singapore CBD ~30 min by MRT (Marina Bay)
Where to eat
Old Upper Thomson and Sembawang Hills define this neighbourhood’s food scene. The 24-hour prata culture is a Springleaf specialty.
- Springleaf Prata Place Open 24 hours. The plaster prata and murtabak are local benchmarks; locals drive in just for supper.
- Casuarina Curry Classic prata, biryani and fish-head curry on Casuarina Road.
- Sembawang Hills Food Centre Hawker centre 10 minutes by car with the much-loved Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle’s sister stall.
- The Roti Prata House Old-school Upper Thomson 24-hour prata as an alternative to Springleaf.
Parks, trails & nature
Springleaf’s biggest draw. You’re inside one of Singapore’s greenest residential pockets — this is the part that doesn’t fit on a postcard but defines daily life here.
- Springleaf Nature Park Boardwalk through secondary forest with monitor lizards and macaques. Quiet on weekday mornings.
- Thomson Nature Park Home of the Hainan Village ruins trail and a regular sighting spot for the rare Raffles’ banded langur.
- Lower Peirce Reservoir Park Boardwalk loop on the water; popular early-morning run.
- Mandai Mangrove & Mudflat 10 minutes’ drive; tidal mudflats and birding hide.
Cafes & remote-work spots
The cafe density is lower than central Singapore, but quality is high and the seats are quiet.
- Habitat Coffee Specialty roastery on Sembawang Road; long Wi-Fi-friendly tables.
- Knots Cafe and Living Greenery-heavy plant-shop cafe along Upper Thomson Road.
- The Ridiculous Ice Cream Avenue Walk-up ice cream window for afternoon breaks.
- Coworking No dedicated coworking inside Springleaf yet. The closest options are Switch by JustCo at Bishan or HMLET at Novena, both ~20 min by MRT.
Getting around
The Thomson-East Coast Line has changed the equation for this corner of Singapore — you can now reach Orchard or Marina Bay without changing trains.
- MRT — Thomson-East Coast Line Springleaf (TE4) is direct to Orchard (TE14) in ~25 min and Marina Bay (TE20) in ~32 min.
- Buses Routes 138, 167 and 980 link to Yishun, Bishan and Toa Payoh interchanges.
- Driving Quick access to SLE and CTE; ~25 min to CBD off-peak. Most Springleaf homes have one parking lot allocated; check with your house manager.
Hidden gems
What you discover after a month of weekend wandering.
- Seletar Aerospace Park & The Oval Colonial black-and-white bungalows turned into restaurants — brunch territory on weekends.
- Old Upper Thomson Road A car-free stretch popular with cyclists and joggers on weekend mornings.
- TreeTop Walk (MacRitchie) Long-form weekend hike accessible via the Venus Drive trailhead, a short drive away.