High rents, shortage of service staff and plenty of competing options means that margins are thin and operations are stressful in the Singapore food and drinks scene. Apparently in the first 11 months of 2013, on average 52 restaurants opened each month, and 40 restaurants closed.
Here's a personal (and progressively updated) 'graveyard' for the Singapore restaurants and cafes that I loved but have since gone. It is also my way of keeping track of this city that changes all the time. I wonder if in Singapore the price to pay for progress is memories?
As Wright Morris said, "anything processed by memory is fiction," so they are accompanied by my biased memories.
- Foodbar Dada at Robertson Quay. Like most guys I don't get tapas since they weren't designed to fill you up like a meal should. But the food was simple but outstanding - sometimes just fresh ingredients grilled with salt, pepper and the right heat. It helped that the spot was near my office and right next to Smitten (a cafe I hope never appears on this list). I loved that they decorated the space with wood salvaged from the Tanjong Pagar KTM Railway station. It was on my go-again list but sadly it closed before I could return.
- Restaurant Chako. A sleepy spot along the West Coast. Literally sleepy - I remember once I went with no reservations and Chako had to go wake her husband and daughter up to help cook because they weren't expecting walk-ins. And they were so slow they almost force you to buy the 'oden' dish because it was pre-cooked. Pre-ordering didn't seem to help. On one of my visits I remember someone watching a movie on their iPad as they waited and I wish I did that too. As with things in Singapore, the building has been razed to make way for another condominium.
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SOHO Coffee. I snapped this Instagram shot right in front of the cafe. It represented the spirit of SOHO Coffee, a spot that was classic and comfortable, rather than the industrial-chic + uncomfortable chairs that plague most hipster cafes. The location, in a quiet corner of the quaint neighbourhood of Armenian Street (near The Substation and Fort Canning), was perfect for a weekday retreat when I needed to reflect on certain things. It was sad to see it hollowed out when I went there today (3 January 2014).
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Baker and Cook (Martin Road). Killed by the pointless LTA ruling that bans outdoor seating on the walkway. The walkway there was incredibly wide, and seriously, no one walked there other than to go to Baker and Cook! (January 2014).
Check out my other posts on Singapore.