Come Home To Siri

BUY A CONDO, buy into a lifestyle. It's not uncommon for property developers to dream up some marketing spiel around each apartment block they build. But rare is the developer who takes that lifestyle concept and applies it to real life.

Welcome to SIRI HOUSE - which is not where your iPhone voice assistant goes to when you turn off your phone. It's a brand new lifestyle destination created by Sansiri, one of Thailand's largest property developers, for people to eat, drink, shop and yes, buy an apartment if you like, but it's perfectly fine if you don't.

Spread out over 3,000 sq ft in Dempsey, SIRI HOUSE is split into a restaurant and property showroom which is designed to look like an elegant home, complete with living, dining and kitchen areas. In case you're inspired by the design, there's a retail space featuring Thai fashion and lifestyle accessories for you to browse in.

SIRI HOUSE is the first lifestyle concept to be launched by Sansiri, and will be followed by the opening of its flagship in Bangkok in March, says Mai Timblick, Sansiri's Chief Global Branding Officer.

"It was always our plan to launch first in Singapore, to highlight our global plans for the SIRI HOUSE brand. The objective is to create lifestyle experiences, while also showcasing Sansiri real estate to an international market."

Besides a show unit of Sansiri's new luxury development The Monument Thonglor, "we will have a restaurant JAM, as well as a retail space and art gallery. The plan is to fill SIRI HOUSE with activities from outdoor Sunday brunch and nightlife parties to master classes and wellness programmes. We may even include cross-city events from SIRI HOUSE Singapore to Bangkok and vice versa.

She adds, "It's no longer enough to rely on the strength of our reputation in real estate - we have to offer a 360-degree experience around it. And food and drink will always be the best way to intrinsically connect people."

JAM will be helmed by chef Ming Tan, who was previously at Lolla and also runs Park Bench Deli.

"Our aim is to create an elevated home dining and drinking experience that fosters community and human connection, using food as a medium," says chef Tan, who spent the last few years travelling around the region for restaurant consultancy projects.

The 48-seater JAM is designed to be "sleek and refined but stripped of formality". Diners can expect a fun approach to food that includes giving their twist to familiar favorites.

For example, "Our thick cut Scallop Carpaccio is paired with a yuzu and truffle dressing and includes sautéed spring onions and spring onion oil that is familiar to Asian kitchens. The Fried Chicken on our menu may sound simple but we use the best part of the chicken, namely, the oysters. We dry brine them before they are tossed in seasoned flour and fried."

Bar snacks include "Chicken in a Biscuit, made up of chicken fat cookies with garlic and ginger cream cheese and crispy chicken skin. We also do a mean bikini sandwich stuffed with multiple cheeses, cured meats and black truffle. This is food that we personally love to eat (which we hope our guests will love eating too)."

He reckons that the price point would be about S$120 a person with drinks.

Like the food, "the furniture is an eclectic mix of mid-century antiques juxtaposed with plush lounge chairs, while different fabrics from colourful hand woven silks to Deco jacquard motifs and Chinoiserie fill and soften the space."

Says Ms Timblick, "We want SIRI HOUSE to be a curated yet authentic space, a sophisticated and unique atmosphere that feels and looks like home." And in the long run, you might just want to buy one of those homes for yourself too.

SIRI HOUSE is at Blk 8D, #01-02 Dempsey Hill, Dempsey Road. Tel: 6909-9262