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Hong Leong Building recently opened its refurbished basement spanning nearly 24,000 sq ft that features an exciting and diverse mix of dining options, catering to the crowd at Raffles Place in the Central Business District (CBD).
Dubbed The Basement, the premises houses food-oriented boutiques, as well as restaurants that offer Halal and healthy dining options. Eateries account for around 65 percent of the tenant mix, with at least 10 of them showcasing new dining concepts in Singapore.
“Our central location is one main reason why The Basement is chosen as the launch pad for our operators’ new dining concepts,” said Hong Leong Holdings’ head of sales and marketing, Betsy Chng.
“It is a great starting point to introduce new dining concepts because of the catchment of busy, affluent and well-travelled diners who are eating out more than ever and want varied and innovative dishes to satisfy increasingly sophisticated palettes.”
Among the new eateries making their first appearance here is the popular South Korean “ugly” pretzel store Monnani Kwabaeggi.
“The grab-and-go trend reflects the way younger consumers are looking to eat out. With the open and fuss-free layout of The Basement, we hope to capture that shift for faster food with more flavour than frills,” said Kevin Ong, founder of Singapore’s Chewy Junior, which opened the first Monnani Kwabaeggi franchise in Singapore, which is also the maiden outlet outside of South Korea.
Another new entrant in Singapore is Teppei Group’s Fu-Men, which is touted as the first Muslim-friendly udon eatery in the city-state.
“Some Muslim friends and customers told me that there is a lack of good Japanese Halal options, so we want to be able to cater to their needs and at wallet-friendly prices,” said Teppei Group’s Founder Chef Teppei Yamashita, who is well-known for his reasonably priced omakase at Teppei Japanese restaurant.
Other new restaurants are Tokidon, a Japanese gastrobar that sells gourmet wagyu beef rice bowls, and Caveman Food, a casual eatery that offers dishes based on the Paleolithic diet.
Furthermore, several established F&B chains are also present at The Basement. These include Pho Street and Ya Kun Kaya Toast, which are respectively known for Vietnamese street food as well as traditional kopi, eggs and toast.
The crowds at Raffles Place also have the option to try Crave Nasi Lemak’s crispy chicken wing and fresh otak, or unwind at bar and bistro Rookery. They can sip coffee at Starbucks and Alchemist, or sample cakes and breads at Paris Baguette.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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