There is no need to travel too far to get to PasarBella in Bukit Timah anymore.
The marketplace, which opened two years ago at The Grandstand in what was formerly Turf City, now has a branch at the revamped Suntec City mall.
The 7,000 sq ft space in the mall's North Wing (near Tower 1) is just a fraction of the 40,000 sq ft flagship, but it is still very much a foodie haven.
Unlike the laidback farmers' market atmosphere at The Grandstand, the 100-seat PasarBella at Suntec City gets its inspiration from the Lower East Side in New York City, with graffiti walls, caricatures, hanging fruit crates as well as paved walkways.
So far, 11 of the 13 food stalls have opened in phases since early this month. They sell everything from skewered meat and vegetables to sandwiches and burgers, with cold-pressed juices, coffee and cocktails to wash it all down.
A salad shop and a Korean fried chicken outlet will open by Jan 21, the official opening date of PasarBella.
Those who want to do some shopping can go to Gifted, which sells handcrafted jewellery and other items made by Singapore artists.
Mr Xian Ong, 31, the marketing director for PasarBella, tells The Sunday Times that the team was approached by Suntec City to open at the mall and this was in line with the brand's plans to expand into the city.
By the third quarter of next year, PasarBella will open in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian outpost will be on the "same scale" as the one at The Grandstand.
On how the brand has developed since it started in 2013, he says: "At the start, we didn't have the reputation to get good people. Now, people come to us. The business is evolving and we are learning as we go."
One stall which has followed the brand is Vietnamese stall An-An. It has held pop-ups at PasarBella at The Grandstand and has now opened a stall at Suntec City.
Mr Nicholas Chan, 22, who runs An-An with his aunts, says: "We have been following PasarBella and we like its hipster concept. People are tired of the usual sit-down restaurants. They are used to eating at food courts, but with PasarBella, even Food Republic needs to step up its game." Suntec City has a Food Republic outlet in its basement.
Other food and beverage brands have opened new concepts at PasarBella.
Louisiana-style seafood stall Cajun On Wheels is by the Arteastiq Group, while chef Kyle Henderson has left small-plates restaurant Lolla in Ann Siang Road and has opened sandwich shop Porsena Deli.
The owners of Wolf Burgers banked on the success of the burgers sold at their first restaurant, Carvers & Co, in East Coast Road. Co-owner Soh Wen Ming, 32, says: "So far, the response at Suntec City has been very good as we have kept our prices affordable."
Burgers cost $9.90 each, with the exception of The Alpha, a double patty burger that costs $14.90.
Mr Aviv Zafrir, 40, owner of Mediterranean stall Pita & Olives, closed his shop at 100AM mall in Tanjong Pagar to open at PasarBella.
He says: "People come to PasarBella looking for more unusual food. That's how my stall fits in."
GOURMET OFFERINGS
MAD DOGS BAR & GRILL
What: One for the meat-lovers.Mad Dogs specialises in meats such as Angus ribeye ($25, 200g); grain-fed sirloin ($18, 200g) and pork chop ($18). Order the meat platter (above, $50 for three to six people) with a selection of sausages and chicken. Side dishes include creamy spinach, barbecued corn and creamy truffle mash (from $2.50). The stall is run by PasarBella’s owners. It is the sister outlet to James’ Butchery & Co at PasarBella atThe Grandstand.
DRINKS!
What: Another stall by the Pasar- Bella team. Drinks include honey spiced hibiscus lemonade ($4.50); strawberry basil lemonade ($4.50); passionfruit mint iced tea ($4.50) and blackberry lime iced tea ($4.50). After-work options include wines, beer and cocktails (from $15) such as red sangria, negroni and cosmopolitan.
SARNIES
What: Instead of the usual savoury fare sold at its outlet in Telok Ayer, Sarnies at PasarBella specialises in coffee (from $4 for an espresso) and pastries (from $4 for a croissant). Tea and milkshakes are also available. Cocowhip (above, from $6.50), a trendy vegan soft serve from Australia which is made with coconut water, is also sold at Sarnies. Info: www.facebook.com/sarnies.singapore
SQUEEZED
What: Health nuts can head to Squeezed for cold-pressed juices and frozen yogurt. Juice options ($5.20/$6.20) include Guavitate (guava, red apple and papaya), Red Riding Hood (red apple, beetroot and carrot), Citrus Circus (watermelon, pineapple, lime and mint) and Miss Spruce (grapefruit, green apple and strawberries).
Smoothies ($5.80/$6.80) include Yuzu, I do!, with yuzu,orange,honey and yogurt; and Lychee Glee, with lychee, honeydew, mint and yogurt. The stall serves yogurt with a twist – in a special Squeezed Bun (above), where the froyo and toppings are sealed in a sweet bun. Prices start from $3.50 (froyo in a cup) and $4 (Squeezed Bun). Enjoy your juice with salad ($5.50) such as Soba So Good with soba noodles, tofu, edamame, carrots and roasted sesame dressing;and Queen Quinoa, which includes quinoa, walnut,cranberries and yogurt mint dressing.
PIMP MY SALAD
What: Make a salad stop and customise or “pimp” your salad at this stall, which is also by Sarnies. It is slated to open by early next month. Pick protein, greens and cold and hot items.
Meat and fish options include rosemary lamb shoulder, Moroccan chicken and oven-baked salmon with lemon, dill and capers. Greens and grains include baby spinach, couscous with raisins and bell peppers, and wild rice with mint.
Add other ingredients such as Japanese cucumber with chia seeds and mirin, feta cheese, charred baby corn with paprika and grilled Thai asparagus. The average price of a salad is $15. Info: www.facebook.com/pimpmysaladsg/
PORSENA DELI
What: Singapore-born chef Kyle Henderson, formerly from Lolla in Ann Siang Road, offers hearty sandwich options with house-made pastrami and smoked meats.
Menu highlights include smoked beef pastrami ($14) with preserved cabbage, jack cheddar and spicy dill pickle; pork belly banh mi ($9.50); grilled portobello ($9) with provolone cheese and jalapeno salsa; and roasted lamb shoulder ($12.50) with cucumber and yogurt. Add $3 to make it a set with soup or vegetables and a freshly baked cookie.
WOLF BURGERS
What: A gourmet burger stand by the team behind meat-centric restaurant Carvers & Co in East Coast Road. It has a concise menu of four burgers: The Wolf (left, $9.90) with cheese and sauteed onions; buttermilk fried chicken with salted egg sauce and homemade slaw ($9.90); pork go chujang ($9.90) with pork patty, kimchi, cucumbers and spicy go chujang sauce; and The Alpha ($14.90), a double portion of The Wolf burger. Complete your meal with other highlights such as candied sweet potato s'mores fries ($8); kimchi cheese fries ($8); Horlicks vanilla milkshake ($6) and salted caramel peanut butter waffles ($13.90).
PITA & OLIVES
What: Previously located at 100AM mall in Tanjong Pagar, Pita & Olives now serves a variety of Mediterranean dishes at PasarBella. The menu includes a hummus set ($14), falafel set ($15) and the chicken shawarma set ($16), which all come with hummus, pita bread and salad or Mediterranean spiced rice. Other dishes include grilled beef kebab rice ($12) and eggplant rice meal ($10). Info:www.facebook.com/PitaOlives
GRILLLO
What: Grab a quick and convenient lunch at Grilllo, which specialises in grilled skewers of meat and vegetables. For $9.90, pick from six sets.
For example, set A (left) has chicken tsukune, chicken sausage and chicken and leek; set B has sirloin and onion, eggplant and beef tsukune; and set F includes eggplant, tofu and shiitake mushrooms. Choose your base as well - cabbage and carrot salad, sweet potato fries or wild grain rice. Sticks are sold separately, priced from $1.50.
Having an office party? Opt for the Grilllo Megapack ($39.90) with 20 sticks - 15 meat and five vegetable. Info: www.facebook.com/grilllosg
AN-AN
What: Get your pho fix at Vietnamese stall An-An. Prices start at $8.90 for chicken pho.
Other options include a grilled chicken or pork chop broken rice set ($13.90), vermicelli with pork chop ($9.90, $12.90 for set), mixed roll platter (from $9.80) and mango salad ($6.50).
CAJUN ON WHEELS.
What: Seafood fans are not forgotten at Cajun On Wheels, which serves Louisiana-style seafood buckets out of its stall, which is designed like a food truck. For one to two diners, options include Oh Crab with Sri Lankan crab ($38 for 600g, $50 for 800g); and Flexing Mussels ($18) with 250g of mussels and 250g of clams.
For two to three diners, opt for The Poseidon Bucket ($108), with a Sri Lankan Crab (600g), prawns (300g), white clams (300g) and mussels (300g); and for a party of three to four, get The Olympian Bucket ($158), which includes a Scottish Dungeness crab (700g), Sri Lankan crab (600g), prawns (300g), white clams (300g) and mussels (300g). All options come with sweet corn, potatoes and chicken spam. Info: www.facebook.com/CajunOnWheels
ROLLIE OLIE
What: Asian fusion restaurant Rollie Olie opens its second outlet at PasarBella, featuring sushi rolls and trendy poke bowls. Signature rolls include Sunkissed Salmon (from $16.95), salmon, crab meat, and avocado; and Dos Amigos (from $14.95), with eel, cream cheese, avocado and cucumber.
More poke bowl options with salmon and tuna are also available, with a choice of sushi rice, brown rice or tea-infused rice. Options include Seoul Surfer (from $13.95), with flying fish roe, wasabi sprouts and seaweed; Cha Cha Cha (from $13.95), with tamago, purple onion, red watermelon, tomato, feta cheese and sriracha hot sauce; and Wild About Wasabi (from $14.95), which includes radish, salmon roe, wasabi sauce and bonito shavings. Info:www.facebook.com/RollieOlieSingapore.
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