New F&B entrepreneurs spice up Fortune Centre

SINGAPORE – Think Fortune Centre – if you even do – and what comes to mind are the vegetarian restaurants, shops selling religious talismans, geomancy businesses as well as hair and beauty salons.

The 20-storey building in Middle Road, developed by CDL in 1980, is next to Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho and Sri Krishna Bhagwan temples in Waterloo Street, and the place is popular with templegoers looking for Indian and Chinese vegetarian meals.

Yet, the tenant mix in the first four floors, dedicated to retail space, has been changing. It started with baby steps in the mid-2000s, when Nobu-Ya, an izakaya, opened there and attracted people looking for food and sake by two former employees – a chef and a sommelier – of an upscale Japanese restaurant.

But the change in vibe has been more apparent in the last two to three years, with more Japanese izakaya and bars, including umeshu bar Ume San, opening there in 2023.

There are now even more young F&B owners seeking, well, fortune in the building.

They cite what they call the “manageable” rent. From those who would reveal what they pay, it ranges from $9 to $14 per square foot. They like the constant footfall, especially on the first and second floors; the proximity to the city centre; and the easy access to and from Bencoolen and Bugis MRT stations.

And then there are the potential customers: workers from the offices that make up the rest of the building and nearby buildings; art school students and teachers from nearby Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), Lasalle College of the Arts and School of the Arts; and curious tourists and expatriates looking beyond Orchard Road and the integrated resorts.

Getting a space in the building is no guarantee of success, the entrepreneurs say.

Chef Tan Boon Kuang, 31, of Paraphrase on the third floor, says that in the 18 months he has been at Fortune Centre, he has seen three food businesses start and fail in the second-floor unit he had been eyeing initially.

He says: “You need to have something, a concept. Sometimes, you think it can work, but the reality is that it can’t.”

Fortune does not favour the foolhardy.

Tsumiki: Building on bread

Where: 02-02
Open: Noon to 5.30pm (Wednesdays to Fridays), noon to 4.30pm (Saturdays), closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays
Info: @tsumikibake (Instagram)

Baker Waki Yoneoka’s shokupan, sourdough bread and sourdough focaccia have been known to sell out in one hour.

The 47-year-old, who has lived in Singapore for 14 years and used to work in a fintech company, opened her bakery in July. Tsumiki is the Japanese name for building blocks, a popular toy for kids.

“I was searching for a cute name that is easy to remember,” she says. “Building blocks develop creativity and imagination. I can be anything I want.”

Her bread-making career started in 2020 during Covid-19, when she helped her husband make potato bread at home. That attempt failed, but she kept at it, perfecting her shokupan recipe and getting into sourdough baking.

She started by giving friends her bread, went on to sell her wares online and finally decided to open a shop. She was drawn to Fortune Centre because, although not a vegetarian, she enjoys eating vegetables and would patronise restaurants in the building.

“I have been super obsessed with bread since high school,” she says. “In Singapore, I struggled to find bread I like. That kept me going.”

What sets her apart from other bakeries is that customers can buy just one slice of her bread. Prices start at $1 for Tsumiki Shokupan and top out at $2.50 for a slice of Matcha Anko Shokupan. Prices of whole loaves start at $6.50. Sourdough is priced at $6 for half a loaf.

She says: “People buy a slice and eat it somewhere else in the building, then come back and buy a bigger portion.”

EN Seeds: Goodness in a bowl

Where: 02-03
Open: 11am to 8.30pm daily
Info: @enseeds_healthyfood (Instagram)

The bright sign for EN Seeds beckons on the second floor and the stylised pumpkin logo hints at what it serves. Since 2022, owner Elaine Seah has been serving warm salads that people can customise from the selection she offers.

The 43-year-old runs a beauty salon across from the cafe, and believes that beauty starts from the inside, by eating right. She uses sunflower or olive oil in the food, does not use white sugar, and the sauces and salsas are made in-house.

The six months she spent training with a Turkish chef in Singapore taught her to make some of EN Seeds’ signatures, which include hummus, a chickpea spread; and baba ghanoush, made with eggplant.

“I use a lot of spices and herbs to bring out the flavour of the food,” she says.

Prices start at $10.80 for a Petite bowl, and customers can choose a base from options such as brown rice, lettuce and baked sweet potato; a protein, such as chicken, tofu and tempeh; two side dishes from a list that includes roasted pumpkin and baked cauliflower; and dressing. They can add on soup ($4.80), a drink ($2), kombucha ($5.50) or ice cream ($4.80).

Customers can have their bowls in the seating area in the shop next to hers. Her 22 seats take up half the space, which she shares with another restaurant.

“I want to do business with heart, and give people a chance to eat healthily,” she says. “I prefer warm salads. They are filling, but not heavy like char kway teow.”

Starting in 2025, she wants to offer options for kids – spaghetti, burgers and the like – made with healthy eating in mind.

Pasta & Co: Handmade every day

Where: 02-17
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 10pm (Mondays to Saturdays), noon to 2.30pm (Sundays)
Tel: 8837-9278
Info: @pastaandcosg (Instagram)

When Ms Michelle Sun, 36, opened Pasta & Co, serving handmade pasta, she did not expect strong support from six- and seven-year-old kids.

“They want squid ink tagliatelle,” she says. “They know the difference between fresh and boxed pasta. They are so exposed to food and their palates are very refined. They know what they want to eat and their parents listen to them.”

Families with young children, and young working adults are her customers, and she does strong business at dinner time.

The former Singapore Airlines cabin crew member opened the 21-seat restaurant with a silent partner in July 2021. She gravitated towards Fortune Centre because she is familiar with the area. She has a diploma in fashion from Nafa and a business degree from Royal Holloway, University of London, administered at Kaplan. Both have campuses nearby.

She usually offers four different shapes, including spaghetti and fusili, flavoured with ingredients such as cocoa powder, vegetable puree and squid ink. Diners pick the shape and sauce they want.

Tasting portions are priced from $14.90 to $19.90 depending on the sauce, and full portions are $19.90 to $27.90. Sauce options include Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Beef Bolognese, Laksa, Vongole and Alla Vodka, a creamy tomato and vodka sauce.

She got her start making pasta at home using a pasta roller, and then bought bronze die cutters for other shapes.

“I really love pasta, especially fresh pasta,” she says. “I was so bored of the usual pasta options and I thought, why can’t I make it more fun?”

Paraphrase: Casual and cosy

Where: 03-03
Open: 6 to 10pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays and Mondays
Info: @paraphrase._ (Instagram, with link for reservations)

The menu at Paraphrase, an eight-seat restaurant that opened in June 2023, is filled with the sort of small and sharing dishes any smart, contemporary restaurant would serve. It would fit right in in Amoy or Tras streets, thick with these sorts of places.

There is Grilled Padron ($18), Spanish peppers served with housemade smoked hummus; Confit Ox Tongue ($28); and sharing platters such as Short Rib ($54) and Charred Greens ($24). To go with the food, there are natural wines and sake from boutique distributors.

Chef Tan Boon Kuang, 31, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London and who has worked at Chalk Farm, Salt Grill and Meatsmith, started off serving tasting menus, but went full a la carte at the start of 2024.

He says: “I decided to keep things casual for this to be a no-frills, cosy diner. With the rise in GST, people are wary of spending.”

That strategy worked and he has just extended his lease for two more years. He has been getting new customers, and returning guests often bring new groups of friends. Often, if his diners seem restless after dinner, he recommends they head to Laut, a bar two doors down, or to Middle Child, a wine bar nearby.

“The hole-in-the-wall vibe here is strong,” he says. “And some of our neighbours have the same vibe.”

Laut: Golden Gai vibe

Where: 03-05
Open: 7pm to midnight (Wednesdays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays
Info: @laut.singapore (Instagram, with link for reservations)

Business partners Leon Tan, 37, and Frank Shen, 34, were each dining at different restaurants at Fortune Centre when they figured it would be the perfect place to revive their bar, Laut. It had operated from Stanley Street, but closed in 2021 after 18 months – a casualty of the pandemic.

Chef Tan Boon Kuang of Paraphrase put Mr Shen in touch with his real estate agent, and Laut reopened at Fortune Centre in December 2023.

“We always wanted to open a hole-in-the-wall bar, like those you would find in Golden Gai,” Mr Shen says, citing the area in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with tiny alleyways crammed full of bars and eateries. “This mall has a certain vibe to it. The day- and night-time crowds are totally different.”

Mr Leon Tan’s cocktails locate the bar firmly in South-east Asia. The drinks, priced between $23 and $26, feature ingredients such as pandan, blue ginger, calamansi, honey from the region and ginger flower. Lengkuas ($23), for instance, features aged rum, Bentong ginger shrub and calamansi granita; while Mata Kuching ($25) is made with malt whisky, lychee and rambutans and smoked black tea kombucha.

Food offerings by chef Lim Hoe Gern, 34, echo that vibe. Laut is currently serving a seven-course tasting menu of snacks priced at $88 a person. On it are courses such as Rojak, with blue flower crabs; Otak, a seabass filet smeared with otah paste and roasted; and Prawn Raja, simmered rice with century egg and petai.

Coming soon are snacks such as otah toasties and charred eggplant with papadum, to cater to the bar’s after dinner crowd.

Mr Tan says tourists have been finding Laut through word of mouth.

“Even locals don’t come to Fortune Centre,” he says. “It’s a bit off the beaten track, but like the bars at Golden Gai in Tokyo, we are a hidden gem.”

New Station Rice Bar: Her way

Where: 03-04
Open: 11am to 8.30pm (weekdays), 11am to 3pm, 4 to 8.30pm (Saturdays), closed on Sundays
Info: @newstationricebar (Instagram)

Ms Chloe Tan grew up around her parents’ 30-year-old New Station Snack Bar at Far East Plaza, and helped out in the business. It is famous for its salted egg pork ribs and zi char dishes such as egg hor fun.

“I was afraid of getting too comfortable,” the 30-year-old says. “I wanted to have a place where I can have a say.”

She says she spent 18 months looking for a suitable space. “I liked this location because the rent is manageable,” she says. “And you notice, this whole mall has no empty shops.”

Eight months ago, she opened New Station Rice Bar, serving rice bowls topped with the likes of Salted Egg Chicken ($8.50), Mapo Tofu ($9) and Stewed Pork Belly ($8.50). She also has specials such as Sambal Haebi Fried Fish Rice ($8.50), 48-Hour Sous Vide Beef Rendang Rice with fried egg ($12), and Sambal Clams Stirfry ($12). Drinks such as Luo Han Guo and Barley (both $2 each) are made in-house.

Her customers are students from nearby schools and office workers from the area. On weekends, families descend on the restaurant. New Station spreads out over two units – one is for the kitchen and the other is where diners sit. She also has tables outside, and can seat about 40 people in all.

She says: “I’m trying to bring more local flavours to this place, which has a lot of Japanese izakaya. And I want to introduce these local flavours to a younger crowd.”

She adds: “When customers praise me for doing this, I tell them I had it easier than most people. I have an established brand to build on. This is not to say it wasn’t difficult. But honestly, this is my whole life. My Saturdays and Sundays were never family days. So what your childhood was like also matters.”

Sakedokoro Eizaburo: Entry-level Japanese

Where: 03-16
Open: Opens on Nov 11; 6 to 11pm (Mondays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays
Info: @eizaburo_official (Instagram)

Unlike the other indie restaurants featured here, Sakedokoro Eizaburo, which opens on Nov 11, is backed by the Shunsui Group, which runs omakase restaurant Shunsui in HongKong Street, yakitori restaurant Kemuri at Cuppage Plaza and Sushi Kyuu at Orchard Plaza, among others.

The menu at Sakedokoro Eizaburo will feature elements from these restaurants – an izakaya that also serves skewers and sashimi. Prices, a spokesman says, are meant to be friendly.

Offerings include Mala Steamed Chicken ($5.90), Ankimo Ponzu ($7.90), Honmaguro Chutoro Sashimi ($10.90 for two slices), 5Kinds of Yakitori ($12.90) and Wagyu Hanger Steak skewer ($9.80). Highballs and drinks such as Fresh Lemon Sour are priced at $6.90 each. There is also a selection of sake.

The spokesman says: “We wanted to open something more casual so more people can try our food, and perhaps go to our other restaurants. Rental wise, it is quite reasonable compared with Orchard Road. That’s why we can lower the price.”

The restaurant seats about 17, and there is a separate dining space, as well as tables at the corridor. The izakaya will be able to seat about 50 people in all.

To further lower prices, customers sitting outside or in the separate dining space get 10 per cent off the bill when they opt for self-service. They order via QR code and collect their food when the buzzer they are given goes off.

The spokesman estimates that the average spending a diner is $50 with drinks. Diners are asked to order at least two drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Street Food Paradise: Taiwanese street food

Where: 04-27
Open: 10.30am to 9pm (Saturdays to Wednesdays), 10.30am to 3pm (Thursdays), closed on Fridays in November 2024
Info: @street.food.paradise (Instagram)

Curious visitors to Fortune Centre who venture to the fourth floor will find Street Food Paradise, a restaurant serving the sort of food one might find in a Taiwanese night market, but in a more salubrious setting.

Former software engineer Liu Yi Sheng, 35, who is from Taichung, opened the 20-seat restaurant in August because he wanted a casual place his three young kids could go to, and where he could hang out with family and friends.

“To me, a comfortable environment means no minimum spending, no dining time limits, free hot and cold water, and some complimentary options like congee, soup, tea and hard-boiled eggs,” he says. “Our goal is for our customers to feel at home and recharged for their next journey when they leave.”

The signature Lu Rou Fan, a Taiwanese dish of braised pork over rice, is priced at $9.90, and he also has snacks such as Chicken Katsu ($6.90) and Sweet Potato Fries ($5.90). In response to feedback, he recently added noodles to the menu, with options that include Braised Pork Rib Soup Noodles ($12.90) and Scallion Oil Noodles ($7.90).

The relatively lower footfall on the fourth floor is a challenge, he acknowledges. So he has been distributing fliers and getting people to fill out questionnaires about what they want to eat.

“The feedback for our lu rou fan and pork rib soup has been good,” Mr Liu, who has lived here for five years, says. “Our focus now is on how to attract more diners.”