Instead, lifestyle destination New Bahru, a retail and food haven in Kim Yam Road championing Singapore-born brands, became the talk of the town in the second half of the year.
In a cut-throat year where both the food and beverage as well as retail scene were savaged, few could pull off what Mr Wee Teng Wen, managing director of home-grown hospitality company The Lo & Behold Group, did at New Bahru.
Taking on a nine-year lease as the master tenant, the 44-year-old transformed the former Nan Chiau High School into a buzzing enclave of over 40 F&B and retail concepts with an accumulative spending of more than $25 million to set up.
But with high stakes come high rewards. So far, this power move appears to have paid off.
With openings in phases from June, the hipster hot spot has been a flurry of activity, with diners flocking to the likes of burger joint One Fattened Calf, Mexican eatery Huevos, PPP Coffee cafe and Sri Lankan restaurant Kotuwa.
Restaurants by The Lo & Behold Group at New Bahru comprise nasi lemak specialist The Coconut Club, cocktail bar Bar Bon Funk and Somma, a fine-dining restaurant and cocktail bar led by Puglian chef-partner Mirko Febbrile.
Somma was picked as the Best High-end Restaurant in The Sunday Times' Best Eats of 2024 list last week.
More than 40 per cent of the brands at New Bahru have established their flagship outlets there.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 22, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 22, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
BLACK DAY FOR BRITISH PUBS
At her London pub, landlady Kate Davidson has taken to issuing Guinness ration cards, but the beer still ran out amid a British shortage of Ireland's national drink.
Her Last Gifts
It was exhausting, he sighed. But Carol insisted; her name being what it was and his, she said with a big grin, being Chris. Remember, this is the blessed spirit of the season, to give as we have been given.
When You Think About Me
She empties the last drawer and, between stray baubles, there's the cookie tin, the one hunted down from some narrow shop in Liverpool because it didn't ship here.
Gift Of The Magi
Let's say you never intended to use Magi. Let's say you know about all the scandals: the accusations of stolen data, the EU lawsuits, the CEO's abhorrent behaviour. Let's say you don't even believe the outlandish social media claims that the app is magical, like actual magic. You know it's not possible it reads your mind, plumbs your soul, knows your heart's desires. You're not so gullible.
Ho Ren Yung: Steering global brand evolution of Banyan Group
Ms Ho Ren Yung, deputy chief executive of Banyan Group, oversaw the company's brand relaunch in a bumper year of 19 openings in 2024. These included Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto in Japan and Angsana Tengchong in China.
Jury-rigged Hotpot
The Japan Home folding table was just big enough to accommodate two.
Tales of love, peace and hope
The Sunday Times invites five authors to pen short stories around the theme of A Christmas Gift
Japan: Taking centre stage in Singapore and beyond
Scroll through your social media feed this holiday season, and practically everyone you know is in Japan or making plans to vacation there.
UOB: Most influential patron in Singapore art scene
UOB's \"day job\" is handling loans, deposits and a wealth of diverse portfolios. But the bank cemented its role as the most influential patron in the Singapore art scene in 2024, investing good chunks of cash in both arts and arts education.
Fong Chi Chung: Putien restaurants make dining out more affordable
In a year where diners made themselves scarce - preferring to spend their strong Singapore dollars overseas, and leading restaurant owners and chefs to despair over empty dining rooms - this power lister made a power move that others in the industry are watching closely.
