Perhaps born out of the competitiveness of the F&B and retail scene here, or the simple fact that multiple brands coming under one roof makes for sound business sense, more and more establishments have been going the multi-concept route when opening up brick and mortar stores here.
One of the most recent openings is DHM Concepts (an abbreviation for F&B group Deliciae Hospitality Management) that just opened at Robinsons The Heeren this month. The mall actually erected a brand new two-storey wing just to house four of DHM’s dining concepts—&Made Burger Bistro, Sabio Tapas Bar, L’Entrecote The Steak & Fries Bistro and Angela May Food Chapters. The duplex is also now Orchard Road’s largest alfresco dining area.
Also spread across two floors, and opened recently in January, is The Garage at Botanic Gardens, with pet- and kid-friendly brunch spot Bee’s Knees found on the ground level and contemporary bistro Botanico up on the second level alongside a bar. Yet another food-focused opening is The Summerhouse, located within Seletar Aerospace Park, that houses a restaurant, cafe, bar and garden within its huge conservation bungalow complex. Since opening earlier this year, its rustic charms has made it a favorite go-to place for weekend hangouts away from the bustle of the city.
Not all multi-concept stores are purely for eating and drinking of course, and perhaps better exemplifying the allure of having multiple ideas under one unified establishment are the likes of Steamroom with The Pillar and Stones (SRPS), 12 Ann Siang and VLV. At SRPS, located on the third floor of Orchard Central, you can find a tea room, a restaurant, an art lab and a retail space within its 5,000 sq ft space. While most restaurant patrons leave once they’re done eating, SRPS is one place where you can continuing spending time at to attend art workshops and indulge in retail therapy.
Over at the building on Ann Siang Road most people only know as the place where the Screening Room is located, is one-month-old 12 Ann Siang. The entire building has now come under Coriander Leaf Group’s management, and with that, has turned the whole place into a multi-concept destination. The five-storey building now features two new concepts—a speakeasy-style bar called Catchfly and grill house Coriander Leaf Grill—in addition to the cinema and the rooftop bar already there. And of course, there is VLV, opened late last year, that combines a modern Chinese restaurant, a riverside dining area, an alfresco courtyard bar and a club lounge within a historic building on Clarke Quay. When it comes to entertainment, this place is truly a one stop shop.
Right now, we’re also excited about the opening of The Carbon Collective on South Bridge Road, where a modern Asian restaurant, a cocktail bar and luxury watch retail space reside. While multi-concept stores are nothing new—we have trailblazers the likes of DW Workshop, The Projector and Wheeler’s Yard to thank—its proliferation brings with it much-welcomed excitement to the local scene.
