princess_morbucks
23-02-14, 09:43
http://www.stproperty.sg/articles-property/neighbourhood-guides/guillemard-comes-alive/a/153788
With cafes and restaurants sprouting in the Kallang- Guillemard area, this sleepy part of Singapore is the next foodie enclave to watch.
No fewer than five eateries have opened in the past eight months along Guillemard Road right up to Kallang Way's industrial estate, with shop owners noting that more are likely to open this year.
They join the likes of hip cafes in the Kampong Bugis area - Loysel's Toy and Kilo, which recently opened a new cocktail lounge.
Rents there are cheaper compared to shopping malls, with a rental of up to $15,000 for a 1,600 sq ft space.
Some of the newest restaurants include three-week-old Char, a casual Chinese zi char restaurant specialising in roast meats. It is on Guillemard Road and is run by two Chinese brothers from Britain.
Younger brother Anthony Ung, 41, says that despite the eatery's proximity to Geylang, which has many and varied food options, his business has not been affected.
He says of Guillemard Road: "Residents in the surrounding housing estates want a family-oriented casual dining option away from the hustle and bustle of Geylang Road."
His older brother Alvin, 51, was a chef in Britain, and Mr Anthony Ung's wife Karan Low, 34, is also part of the business. They are thinking of setting up shop in the Central Business District area.
A few doors from Char is hip bar The Tuckshop, which has been attracting the yuppie crowds for after-work drinks.
One of its five owners, Briton Robert Davies, highlights the "renewed energy" in the area, which is home to shophouses and low-rise condominiums.
The Singapore permanent resident says: "The area is in the middle of a building boom, with developers banking on its proximity to the centre of town. There will be landscaped public spaces around the Geylang River and a new plaza square. The area is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance and we will become part of it."
The Tuckshop is also looking to offer a brunch menu in April.
Geylang resident Joshua Lim, 46, welcomes the new F&B entrants to the area. The father of two says: "We don't always venture to the Geylang area because it can be rowdy. So these new options are better for us."
Cafe owners say they enjoy being on the quieter side of Geylang, even if it means diners having to hunt them down.
Ms Gwen Peh, 31, who runs Brawn & Brains which is tucked away at the Old Singapore Badminton Hall, says: "This is the first place we found, and we fell in love with it. Business has been growing at a brisk rate and we believe that Singaporeans are willing to travel and spend to eat. If your food is good, coupled with excellent service, they will come to you."
Undergraduate Jodie Liu, 21, who likes to cafe-hop on weekends with her friends, is looking to check out the outlets in the Guillemard area.
She says: "We've explored many of the cafes in Tiong Bahru and Robertson Quay. Now we can check out those in Guillemard and Kallang. It's not a hassle finding these places, we treat it like a food adventure."
[email protected]
BRAWN & BRAINS
Follow the trail of gym rats to Brawn & Brains, a quaint cafe tucked at the corner of the Old Singapore Badminton Hall along Guillemard Road.
The place is easy to miss if you do not enter the building compound.
Breathe in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee - Xavier Teo, 38, and his wife Gwen Peh, 31, roast their own beans.
Drinks cost $3.50 for a flat white, $3.80 for an iced latte and $4 for an iced mocha.
For a light lunch, there are sandwiches with grilled bacon or salmon, priced at $7 each.
Or have a slice of cake, with options such as orange vanilla and flaxseed ($3.50 a slice) and Earl Grey ($3.50 a slice).
Where: 100 Guillemard Road (Old Singapore Badminton Hall), 01-07, open: 9am to 7.30pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 9.30am to 7.30pm (weekends), closed on Mondays, tel: 6348-8892, e-mail [email protected]
MAPLE & MARKET
Tucked away in the Cassia Crescent neighbourhood is Maple & Market, one of the early birds to open in the Guillemard area in August last year.
Fresh daily bakes include Popcorn Caramel cake with caramel cream cheese frosting topped with Garrett's caramel popcorn ($5.50 a slice), Earl Grey lemon loaf ($3 a slice), maple and bacon cupcake ($3.50), and orange passion fruit loaf ($3.50 a slice).
The chic shop also sells pretty party supplies, as well as local food-themed accessories from the Little Drom Store. There is very limited seating space in the cafe, so it is best to do takeaways.
The bakery also makes dessert tables for events and conducts small baking classes for groups of six to eight on the premises.
Where: 34 Cassia Crescent, 01-82, open: noon to 8pm (Mondays), noon to 9pm (Wednesdays to Fridays), 10am to 10pm (Saturdays), 10am to 9pm (Sundays), closed on Tuesdays, tel: 6348-8068 or e-mail [email protected]
CHAR
Instead of heading to the usual Chinese restaurant chains, try out three-week-old casual Chinese restaurant Char - which has been popular with families in the area and expatriates.
It is run by two brothers from Britain. Mr Anthony Ung, 41, who has been living in Singapore for 18 years, chose to leave the corporate life, where he worked in various technology companies, to pursue his dream of running his own restaurant.
He roped in elder brother Alvin, 51, previously a chef in Britain, to join his venture here and run Char's kitchen.
The eatery specialises in homey Chinese cuisine with signature items such as Char's Special Honey Barbecued Pork ($5 for 100g, minimum order of 300g), roast crispy pork belly ($4 for 100g, minimum order of 300g), and roast duck (from $14 for a quarter of a duck).
Other dishes on the menu include shredded duck noodle soup ($10), chicken and salted fish fried rice ($11), minced pork with aubergine in casserole ($14), salt and chilli pepper spare ribs ($16).
To complement the food, Char also sells a range of craft beers, ciders and ales from Britain.
Where: 393 Guillemard Road, open: 11am to 10pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 11am to midnight (Fridays and Saturdays), tel: 6842-7759 or go to www.facebook.com/charrestaurant (http://www.facebook.com/charrestaurant)
BACKSTAGE CAFE
Food in industrial estates is not usually anything to shout about. At Backstage Cafe in the Kallang Way industrial area, co-owner Oh Poh Tin, 32, is hoping to change that perception.
She says: "We are focusing on providing good food in a comfortable environment so that office workers can have a satisfying meal."
For lunch, tuck into a three-course set menu with main course options such as chicken mushroom pasta ($15) and pan-roasted sea bass with tomato and caper salsa ($16). The meal comes with a choice of either a cold beverage or dessert. Other lunch items include smoked duck with yuzu and balsamic dressing ($14), braised Angus beef cheek ($16) and fish & chips ($13).
Other dishes on the menu features seafood marinara ($16), pork chop ($20) and crab meat pasta with pesto sauce ($16).
Next week, the cafe will launch a whole roasted chicken flamed with brandy at the table, to be priced between $25 and $30. Order a day in advance.
The 2,300 sq ft wood-panelled cafe boasts a high ceiling and comfortable seating, and is good for lunch meetings for small groups.
Free Wi-Fi is available, and diners who drive get free parking with a minimum spend of $20.
The unit is one of three that the building's owner carved out for food and beverage tenants when an extension was built last year to house a filming studio.
That is how the cafe's name, Backstage, came about. Of the other two spaces, one unit is still vacant while the other houses a food court.
While there are no plans to expand yet, Ms Oh says that if she does expand her business, she will open in industrial estates too, away from the crowded town area.
Where: Performance Building, 158 Kallang Way, 01-06, open: 11am to 8pm, Mondays to Saturdays, closed on Sundays; tel: 6743-6893 or go to www.backstage-projects.com (http://www.backstage-projects.com)
THE TUCKSHOP
Put two Singaporeans, a Frenchman, an Italian and a Briton together in a 1,600 sq ft shophouse space and you get a hip watering hole that draws crowds.
The bar-bistro is located by the park connector at the Geylang River, just a stone's throw away from bustling Geylang Road.
The Tuckshop features a range of tapas items such as pan- seared ribeye tataki with tomato salsa and papadum ($16), and sauteed tiger prawn, fried man-tou with chilli prawn dip ($15).
Bar bites include sauteed trio of mushrooms ($7) with shiitake, button, shimeiji, and battered Cajun fish fingers (with choice of dip, $10).
The bar features a wide range of drinks, from cocktails and wine to craft beers and cider and whisky.
Where: 403 Guillemard Road, open: 5pm to midnight (weekdays), 3pm to midnight (weekends), tel: 8511-8102 or go to www.thetuckshop.com.sg (http://www.thetuckshop.com.sg)
With cafes and restaurants sprouting in the Kallang- Guillemard area, this sleepy part of Singapore is the next foodie enclave to watch.
No fewer than five eateries have opened in the past eight months along Guillemard Road right up to Kallang Way's industrial estate, with shop owners noting that more are likely to open this year.
They join the likes of hip cafes in the Kampong Bugis area - Loysel's Toy and Kilo, which recently opened a new cocktail lounge.
Rents there are cheaper compared to shopping malls, with a rental of up to $15,000 for a 1,600 sq ft space.
Some of the newest restaurants include three-week-old Char, a casual Chinese zi char restaurant specialising in roast meats. It is on Guillemard Road and is run by two Chinese brothers from Britain.
Younger brother Anthony Ung, 41, says that despite the eatery's proximity to Geylang, which has many and varied food options, his business has not been affected.
He says of Guillemard Road: "Residents in the surrounding housing estates want a family-oriented casual dining option away from the hustle and bustle of Geylang Road."
His older brother Alvin, 51, was a chef in Britain, and Mr Anthony Ung's wife Karan Low, 34, is also part of the business. They are thinking of setting up shop in the Central Business District area.
A few doors from Char is hip bar The Tuckshop, which has been attracting the yuppie crowds for after-work drinks.
One of its five owners, Briton Robert Davies, highlights the "renewed energy" in the area, which is home to shophouses and low-rise condominiums.
The Singapore permanent resident says: "The area is in the middle of a building boom, with developers banking on its proximity to the centre of town. There will be landscaped public spaces around the Geylang River and a new plaza square. The area is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance and we will become part of it."
The Tuckshop is also looking to offer a brunch menu in April.
Geylang resident Joshua Lim, 46, welcomes the new F&B entrants to the area. The father of two says: "We don't always venture to the Geylang area because it can be rowdy. So these new options are better for us."
Cafe owners say they enjoy being on the quieter side of Geylang, even if it means diners having to hunt them down.
Ms Gwen Peh, 31, who runs Brawn & Brains which is tucked away at the Old Singapore Badminton Hall, says: "This is the first place we found, and we fell in love with it. Business has been growing at a brisk rate and we believe that Singaporeans are willing to travel and spend to eat. If your food is good, coupled with excellent service, they will come to you."
Undergraduate Jodie Liu, 21, who likes to cafe-hop on weekends with her friends, is looking to check out the outlets in the Guillemard area.
She says: "We've explored many of the cafes in Tiong Bahru and Robertson Quay. Now we can check out those in Guillemard and Kallang. It's not a hassle finding these places, we treat it like a food adventure."
[email protected]
BRAWN & BRAINS
Follow the trail of gym rats to Brawn & Brains, a quaint cafe tucked at the corner of the Old Singapore Badminton Hall along Guillemard Road.
The place is easy to miss if you do not enter the building compound.
Breathe in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee - Xavier Teo, 38, and his wife Gwen Peh, 31, roast their own beans.
Drinks cost $3.50 for a flat white, $3.80 for an iced latte and $4 for an iced mocha.
For a light lunch, there are sandwiches with grilled bacon or salmon, priced at $7 each.
Or have a slice of cake, with options such as orange vanilla and flaxseed ($3.50 a slice) and Earl Grey ($3.50 a slice).
Where: 100 Guillemard Road (Old Singapore Badminton Hall), 01-07, open: 9am to 7.30pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 9.30am to 7.30pm (weekends), closed on Mondays, tel: 6348-8892, e-mail [email protected]
MAPLE & MARKET
Tucked away in the Cassia Crescent neighbourhood is Maple & Market, one of the early birds to open in the Guillemard area in August last year.
Fresh daily bakes include Popcorn Caramel cake with caramel cream cheese frosting topped with Garrett's caramel popcorn ($5.50 a slice), Earl Grey lemon loaf ($3 a slice), maple and bacon cupcake ($3.50), and orange passion fruit loaf ($3.50 a slice).
The chic shop also sells pretty party supplies, as well as local food-themed accessories from the Little Drom Store. There is very limited seating space in the cafe, so it is best to do takeaways.
The bakery also makes dessert tables for events and conducts small baking classes for groups of six to eight on the premises.
Where: 34 Cassia Crescent, 01-82, open: noon to 8pm (Mondays), noon to 9pm (Wednesdays to Fridays), 10am to 10pm (Saturdays), 10am to 9pm (Sundays), closed on Tuesdays, tel: 6348-8068 or e-mail [email protected]
CHAR
Instead of heading to the usual Chinese restaurant chains, try out three-week-old casual Chinese restaurant Char - which has been popular with families in the area and expatriates.
It is run by two brothers from Britain. Mr Anthony Ung, 41, who has been living in Singapore for 18 years, chose to leave the corporate life, where he worked in various technology companies, to pursue his dream of running his own restaurant.
He roped in elder brother Alvin, 51, previously a chef in Britain, to join his venture here and run Char's kitchen.
The eatery specialises in homey Chinese cuisine with signature items such as Char's Special Honey Barbecued Pork ($5 for 100g, minimum order of 300g), roast crispy pork belly ($4 for 100g, minimum order of 300g), and roast duck (from $14 for a quarter of a duck).
Other dishes on the menu include shredded duck noodle soup ($10), chicken and salted fish fried rice ($11), minced pork with aubergine in casserole ($14), salt and chilli pepper spare ribs ($16).
To complement the food, Char also sells a range of craft beers, ciders and ales from Britain.
Where: 393 Guillemard Road, open: 11am to 10pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 11am to midnight (Fridays and Saturdays), tel: 6842-7759 or go to www.facebook.com/charrestaurant (http://www.facebook.com/charrestaurant)
BACKSTAGE CAFE
Food in industrial estates is not usually anything to shout about. At Backstage Cafe in the Kallang Way industrial area, co-owner Oh Poh Tin, 32, is hoping to change that perception.
She says: "We are focusing on providing good food in a comfortable environment so that office workers can have a satisfying meal."
For lunch, tuck into a three-course set menu with main course options such as chicken mushroom pasta ($15) and pan-roasted sea bass with tomato and caper salsa ($16). The meal comes with a choice of either a cold beverage or dessert. Other lunch items include smoked duck with yuzu and balsamic dressing ($14), braised Angus beef cheek ($16) and fish & chips ($13).
Other dishes on the menu features seafood marinara ($16), pork chop ($20) and crab meat pasta with pesto sauce ($16).
Next week, the cafe will launch a whole roasted chicken flamed with brandy at the table, to be priced between $25 and $30. Order a day in advance.
The 2,300 sq ft wood-panelled cafe boasts a high ceiling and comfortable seating, and is good for lunch meetings for small groups.
Free Wi-Fi is available, and diners who drive get free parking with a minimum spend of $20.
The unit is one of three that the building's owner carved out for food and beverage tenants when an extension was built last year to house a filming studio.
That is how the cafe's name, Backstage, came about. Of the other two spaces, one unit is still vacant while the other houses a food court.
While there are no plans to expand yet, Ms Oh says that if she does expand her business, she will open in industrial estates too, away from the crowded town area.
Where: Performance Building, 158 Kallang Way, 01-06, open: 11am to 8pm, Mondays to Saturdays, closed on Sundays; tel: 6743-6893 or go to www.backstage-projects.com (http://www.backstage-projects.com)
THE TUCKSHOP
Put two Singaporeans, a Frenchman, an Italian and a Briton together in a 1,600 sq ft shophouse space and you get a hip watering hole that draws crowds.
The bar-bistro is located by the park connector at the Geylang River, just a stone's throw away from bustling Geylang Road.
The Tuckshop features a range of tapas items such as pan- seared ribeye tataki with tomato salsa and papadum ($16), and sauteed tiger prawn, fried man-tou with chilli prawn dip ($15).
Bar bites include sauteed trio of mushrooms ($7) with shiitake, button, shimeiji, and battered Cajun fish fingers (with choice of dip, $10).
The bar features a wide range of drinks, from cocktails and wine to craft beers and cider and whisky.
Where: 403 Guillemard Road, open: 5pm to midnight (weekdays), 3pm to midnight (weekends), tel: 8511-8102 or go to www.thetuckshop.com.sg (http://www.thetuckshop.com.sg)