SOME well-known Asian names are looking to inject life into the food scene here when they open at Ion Orchard in July.

Tokyo's Ginza Bairin, for example, will bring its breaded pork cutlets to the table, and Watami, its brand of casual dining and Yakult-concocted drinks.

Chinatown's famous bak kwa seller Lim Chee Guan will also open there, marking its first foray outside Chinatown.

Dunkin Donuts will make a comeback to the scene, after a decade-long absence.

Briefing reporters in the run-up to the debut of the mall, Ms Soon Su Lin, the chief executive officer of Orchard Turn Developments, said the mall was on track for its soft opening on July 21.

All its 333 tenants were working towards opening on that date as well, she added.

Four weeks to opening, almost all the available space has been leased out. Tenancy stands at 94 per cent, no mean feat for a new mall.

Food is apparently big on the agenda there, with 21 per cent of its 640,000 sq ft of lettable space given over to food-related businesses.

About half the 125 food and beverage outlets there are either new concepts or new to the Singapore market.

Fine-dining restaurants aside, the mall will also house a food hall with 80 stalls offering the best of local hawker fare and international flavours.

Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.