Hip ‘hood Kampong Glam, already dense with offbeat outlets like Maison Ikkoku and Blu Jaz, has welcomed three new indie F&B joints: Symmetry, Artistry and Ogopogo. Two of the arrivals have picked addresses off the main drags (think Haji Lane and Arab Street) in quirky corners perfect for underground types.
We had brunch at the largest of them Symmetry on Sunday. The restaurant, bar and café set up by Le Cordon Bleu grad Abby Lim is a cool space with distressed metal details and raw brick walls tucked away on a little street called Jalan Kubor. The menu’s experimental and just right for their skinny jeans- and thick-rimmed glasses-wearing crowd. Morning meals like crispy duck egg on a bed of watercress, pancetta and pearl barley ($19) must be a siren song to these modern day hippies. It’s got all their favorite things: organic eggs, greens, pork fat and unconventional grains (and at breakfast no less).
A short walk away on a parallel stretch, Jalan Pinang, we found Artistry, another spot perfect for the bohemian bunch. The gallery cum café serves pastries from indie baker Windowsill Pies and coffee from local business Liberty. They’re set to open officially today.
More mainstream (but just a little) is Ogogopo on Bussorah Street. They go for the nostalgic local look. The menus are written on old school jotter books and the place is decorated with country erasers—if you went to school here, you’ll remember that game—and other retro-looking knick knacks. They’ve got free wifi and a cool happy hour deal too: from Monday to Friday (5-7pm), you can swig two craft beers or ciders for $20.
