The historic Capitol Theatre site is shaping up to be quite a foodie draw.
Over the past three months, the hoardings have come down and many highly anticipated new-to- market brands have opened their doors.
They include famed Parisian tearoom Angelina, roast duck specialist Four Seasons from Bayswater, London and Dazzling Cafe from Taiwan.
Local restaurateurs have also come up with new concepts befitting the swanky location.
The owners of Supply & Demand restaurant chain have set up the 100-seat modern Italian restaurant Equilibrium, while BreadTalk Group's 12,000 sq ft Palette Restaurant & Bar houses 10 stalls under one roof.
Palette features Johor Baru noodle eatery Ah Koong Restaurant, home-grown chicken wing specialist Huat Huat BBQ and 90 Gastro Bar, among others.
The group also owns 1933, a cafe which serves local dishes such as Hainanese chicken rice and pork chop. The name pays homage to the year Capitol Theatre was completed.
Earlier this month, Oriole Coffee + Bar also set up shop there, with a Grab & Go counter. Dishes available exclusively at the Capitol outlet include warm spinach salad ($18), Portobello confit sandwich ($17) and Oriole's Angel Cake ($14). Also available is the signature cold-brew coffee (from $6).
Opening this month is 3,200 sq ft modern sake bar and restaurant Zaku, headed by American chef Dan Segall. Menu items include salads, meat skewers and hotpot rice.
Next month, the mall welcomes new-to-market omakase restaurant Ryu, which will offer special sake-pairing menus.
The 542,000 sq ft space in North Bridge Road comprises three conservation buildings - Capitol Theatre, Capitol Building and Stamford House.
A new building, the four-storey retail mall called Capitol Piazza, is part of the complex and connected to City Hall MRT station.
The integrated development, built by Capitol Investment Holdings, a consortium backed by Pontiac Land Group and Perennial Real Estate Holdings, includes residential development Eden Residences Capitol and luxury hotel The Patina Capitol.
Ms Sharon Lee, 33, an advertising executive who works in the City Hall area, is glad to have another place to head to for lunch with her colleagues.
"So far, I've dined at Four Seasons, Dazzling Cafe and Oriole. I like the ambience of the restaurants and cafes. Many of them are also suitable for having lunch meetings with clients."
