Business Times - 28 Feb 2009
Dinner, anyone?
Business parks are getting into the business of good dining, too, as more corporate firms move into their premises. But how are the F&B tenants surviving after hours? By Audrey Phoon
IT USED to be that you could distinguish a business park and its tenants simply by appearances: the parks were generally boring, clinical-looking buildings situated way out west, and the people they housed were geeky, lab-coat-clad, briefcase-touting professionals. But as developers got more creative and rents in the Central Business District soared, those office parks - still in the western area of Singapore but now resembling gardens and shopping malls - began to attract quite a different sort of tenants. Banks, multinationals and listed companies moved in, and with them their (comparatively) large entertainment budgets and rather more fashionable and food-fussy employees.
To tap this new clientele, a host of decent restaurants has lately sprung up within the various parks. Joining the likes of LG and Deutsche Bank at Richzone's 991 Garden Office along Alexandra Road, for instance, is Smoochies, which officially opened last month. The bistro-cum-bar offers premium vittles such as beef carpaccio, premium whisky and cigars (owner Ivy Tan used to run a wine and cigar bar). Or try six-month-old Himawari in the same building if your taste buds swing towards specialty Japanese tomatoes, shirako and sake instead.
Meanwhile, just across the street at The Comtech is Steffi's, a restaurant backed by The Wine Company that's in its third month and is good for gourmet tapas and a glass of reasonably-priced vino.
With the entry of companies such as Amex and DBS into the office-park cluster around The Comtech, the district is bound to become an important one for the financial market, believes Tony Chen, director of Steffi's and a shareholder in The Wine Company. He elaborates on his choice of location: 'We decided to bring our concept to this area because what we offer suits the lifestyle of the young executives who now work here.'
There's a lot else to like about being situated in a business park. William Whey of SL Interactive, which owns Sarang, a two-month-old Korean restaurant within Science Park, feels that such parks are a great place to showcase what restaurants can do. 'They're international, they have a wide range of exposure to a lot of people,' he says. Other restaurateurs appreciate the lower rents and the fact that the parks are situated in tranquil, out-of-town areas that are still reasonably close to the city. 'I love our location because it's not right in town but not too far off either,' declares Smoochies' Ms Tan.
Yet, what appear to be the restaurants' greatest assets - a good crowd, great location - are also proving to be their Achilles' heel. The outlets do brisk business during lunchtime but after hours and on weekends, when office workers vacate the area, they barely limp along. Confesses Sarang's Mr Whey: 'Dinner is almost dead - sometimes we have zero, sometimes 10 people, even though we were voted one of the best new restaurants in Timeout magazine. This location just doesn't provide a natural attraction for meals besides weekday lunches.'
Li Xiang Hao, the owner of Koryo, a Korean restaurant that opened in December at Fusionopolis, confirms this. 'Lunchtime is okay but things are quite bad during dinner time as well as on weekends and public holidays,' he says. Still, he keeps his shop open seven days a week for lunch and dinner 'so that customers have a better chance of knowing about it'; he is optimistic that business will get better once the building is fully occupied and the rest of the retailers come on board (only about 75 per cent of the retail units are open currently).
Other outlets have been quick to take more productive measures. Sunday is a rest day at Sarang, while Eighteen Chefs - a Fusionopolis bistro run by Benny Teo who trained at Jamie Oliver's London restaurant Fifteen - closes relatively early on weekdays and does not operate on the weekends. The latter's F&B director, Muhammad Johari Yahya, says that the month-old eatery stayed open until 9.30pm for its first few days of operation, but now closes between 8pm and 8.30pm. 'There was no point staying open because nobody came,' he explains.
It's the restaurants with the in-house bars that have had greater need to develop active marketing strategies to attract customers after office hours. Smoochies has been bringing in live bands to play at its al fresco area on Thursdays and Fridays (and starting from next week, they'll be playing on Saturdays too), and weekend brunches and barbecues are in the works. At Steffi's, theme nights are held regularly that offer customers everything from cosy karaoke sessions for ladies to $5 cocktails.
Despite their varying approaches to business, the majority of the restaurants share a common sentiment: they wish their landlords would do more to help the F&B tenants on their premises. 'Look at all this land,' says Mr Whey, casting a glance over the expanse of field surrounding his restaurant. 'They could organise fun fairs or charity drives here to attract people to come over the weekends and make use of the space at the same time.'
Diners, meanwhile, need to change their mindsets about not dining and drinking near the workplace, say the restaurants. 'We need to slowly break the barrier and stop people from thinking that they shouldn't stick around after work just because their offices are here,' says Steffi's Mr Chen. 'That's what we're trying to do - and hopefully people will start to realise that going somewhere else is not much different from staying where they are. You just save on travelling time.'
To bring in the dough in the meantime though, all those interviewed are focusing on corporate-event bookings that are coming in from the neighbourhood, as well as private functions. And that means really going the extra mile - customising menus, decorating the place and, in the case of Steffi's, even providing full sound and entertainment systems at no additional charge.
That flexibility, combined with the fact that parking at these places is cheap (even free in some cases) and plentiful, should be enough to attract more diners to the restaurants. If that doesn't convince you though, Smoochies' Ms Tan has this to throw in: 'In the sort of location we're in ... well, the offices are all closed after hours so you can make as much noise as you want here!'
What's worth a visit at the business parks
(even if you don't live or work anywhere nearby)
Smoochies
991 Garden Office
991B Alexandra Road #01-10
Tel 6276-7337
THIS could be the new Dempsey, if not for all the offices in the area. The area around Smoochies has a lovely, laidback feel to it, which makes the bistro a great place to unwind. If you need more help relaxing, avail yourself of the cigar cabinet or the well-stocked bar - Smoochies specialises in Highland Park and Macallan single-malt whiskies. To eat, there are fork-tender pork ribs that have been braised for six hours, beef carpaccio in a foie gras dressing and an excellent chocolate lava cake (not too sweet) with chewy home-made ice cream.
Sarang
87 Science Park Drive
Singapore Science Park 1
Science Hub #02-02
Tel 6773-1322
SARANG is the only Korean restaurant in Singapore to employ an entire team of chefs from Korea. It's also possibly the most chic, with a sleekly-designed interior that's divided into several private areas. The food features lots of ingredients imported specially from Korea, and the secret-recipe crispy fried chicken is a must-try. During lunch, only a focused range of rice and noodle dishes is available, but there's a more extensive spread at dinnertime.
Eighteen Chefs
No 1 Fusionopolis Way
Connexis Tower #B1-12/13
Tel 6467-1296
BENNY Teo's halal bistro has the same social mission as his training ground, Jamie Oliver's Fifteen: to give ex-offenders and disadvantaged youths a chance to turn over a new leaf by establishing a career in the food business. On the menu are reasonably-priced items inspired by Oliver's Fifteen offerings that Teo has tweaked to suit local palates, with everything from the perfectly al dente seafood aglio olio to the fresh fruit smoothies made on the spot..
Steffi's
60 Alexandra Terrace
The Comtech #02-06/07
Tel 6271-8061
IT'S NOT located in one of the prettier buildings, but step inside Steffi's and there's instant relief from the concrete jungle outside. The high-ceilinged restaurant is decorated with lots of creepers, trees and potted plants (all fake, but pleasant on the eye nevertheless), with a glass-walled wine cellar as its centrepiece. The fairly-priced wines courtesy of The Wine Company are a big draw, but so is the food, which ranges from local favourites such as bak kut teh to fancier fare like seafood bisque with garlic toast. Everything's made in-house by Steffi's executive chef Maurice Cheuk, who used to be the chef de cuisine at Gershwin's at Hyatt Regency Perth.
Koryo
No 1 Fusionopolis Way
Connexis Tower #02-10
Tel 6469-1079
IF YOU'RE here for dinner, don't let the empty seats put you off. Koryo actually does more-than-decent food turned out by owner Li Xiang Hao's Korean wife and a master chef from Korea. Expect honest-to-goodness homestyle cooking (the recipes belong to Mr Li's wife) that's not too robust, and order the seafood-and-spring-onion cake - all fluffy in the middle and crisp around the edges. There's complimentary rice and dessert too.
Infuzi
10 Biopolis Road
Chromos Block #01-01
Tel 6478-9091
OPENED by Purdey Poon (left) and former Les Amis alumni Freddie Lee (right), Infuzi deserves a mention for being the longest-standing restaurant in the Biopolis cluster (it turns five this year). The fact that it has stayed alive in a tough environment - restaurant manager Poon says business is still unpredictable after hours - also says something about the food, which is refined, tasty and elegantly presented with a dessert menu that diners rave about.
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