We want to go dancing. Where are you taking us?

I hate bottle-service clubs with dress codes, so I’d take you to Headquarters, a techno club in Boat Quay on the side of the river.

Best way to spend a Sunday?

Eating, obviously. When I’m in Singapore I plan out all my days around where and when to eat. I like to start nice and early with kaya toast, a soft-boiled egg and teh C at a local kopitiam. Maybe some otak otak (fish cake in banana leaf) on the side. Killiney Kopitiam is a huge chain you can find all over Singapore, but you can still visit the original outpost on Killiney Road.

Where’s best to pick up some local literature?

I love grabbing a coffee at Epigram bookshop inside Singapore Art Museum, which is the only place in SIngapore to solely stock books by Singaporean authors. If you want to dip your toe in Singaporean literature, I highly recommend the Eisner award-winning graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye from local publishing firm Epigram Books.

One thing we shouldn’t miss while we’re in town?

For sheer techno-futurism, it’s hard to beat Gardens By the Bay. It’s worth paying the admission fee to get into the Cloud Forest Dome, which looks like a pocket mountain (complete with waterfalls) in a space-age biome.

Tell us about a place that only locals know about.

I love going to Pulau Ubin. It’s a tiny island off the coast full of wildlife and nature. You can rent bikes near the jetty and explore – watch out for the wild pigs and monkeys, though, because they have been known to nick food off visitors. You get there by bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal.

What’s one misconception about Singapore?

That it’s an overdeveloped concrete jungle. The city is full of greenery and there’s plenty of secret wildlife if you know where to look. I’ve seen wild otters, monitor lizards and crocodiles at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve.

Do you have a favourite secret spot in the city?

I’ve been going to My Cosy Corner ever since I was a student. It’s a hole-in-the-wall café in Coronation Plaza that serves the best hand-wrapped popiah (fresh spring rolls) and kueh pie tee (pastry shells filled with chopped vegetables).

One souvenir we should bring?

Irvins Salted Egg Fish Skin – they’re deep-fried fish-skin crisps flavoured with salted egg, with a hint of curry leaf and chilli. They’re incredibly umami and deeply more-ish. Singapore has gone salted-egg crazy in the last few years, and these crisps sold out when they were first introduced. You can buy them at outlets all over the city and even at Changi Airport. It’s an acquired taste, but trust me, they’re highly addictive.

Zing on Going Further With

Zing is the latest guest on Going Further With, where she chats about her big move to London at the age of 16 and her role in amplifying the voices of the next generation of writers.