Things you didn’t know about New Bahru

Make by Ginlee

Fashion house Ginlee has launched its first menswear capsule collection, but it’s keeping it on the down low. Tucked between rows of its iconic pleated womenswear are dapper men’s tops with discreet pleated collars. At the display window is a male mannequin dressed in a snazzy jacket with pleated hems and cuffs, along with trousers distinguished by surprising pleats below the knees. According to co-founder Tamir Niv, the menswear collection has “barely launched”. Currently, only the shirts are available; the jacket and trousers will be released in July. However, any fashion-forward man should consider visiting the store to place a pre-order, especially for the exceptional trousers.

Kotuwa

Restaurant Kotuwa opens its first full cocktail bar – and it’s a hoot. Inspired by Sri Lanka’s victory in the 1996 Cricket World Cup against Australia, the cocktail menu narrates this historic match, with each pivotal moment commemorated by a unique drink. For example, The Islander’s Gamble celebrates team captain Arjuna Ranatunga’s risky decision to let Australia bat first; it blends mezcal, passionfruit and curry leaves to deliver a bold and surprising flavour, mirroring the gamble itself. Other menu highlights include Uncle Percy, an uplifting rum cocktail named after a real-life super fan; and Papare Papare, a sweet arrack concoction that echoes the riotous celebratory music of Sri Lanka. 

Huevos

“Huevos” means “eggs” in Spanish. But in Mexican slang, it could also mean that pair of thingamajigs below a man’s waist. Asked why they named the Mexican restaurant Huevos, the three young Singaporean founders – Arron Poh (*see amendment note), Aloysius Chan and Nathaniel Moi – say: “We’re boys, we found the word on Google and thought it was funny, so we went with it.” Asked why the restaurant is decorated with images of Mexican wrestlers, they say: “We’re boys and boys like to fight, so we went with that.” As for the food, it’s terrific – the long queues on its opening weekend proved as much. We love the loaded nachos, fish tacos and birria beef tacos.

The Coconut Club

It’s hard to know what to be more excited about: the dishes exclusive to its New Bahru branch or the fashion collaboration with designer Priscilla Shunmugam. On the culinary front, the popular restaurant has launched a nasi lemak dish with spiced fried quail, as well as roti john with wagyu beef. We love the former for its unique qualities, but have mixed feelings about the latter – the wagyu doesn’t seem to add much to the experience. On the style front, Shunmugam has designed vibrant limited-edition shirts with coconut tree motifs and a gift set with napkins and glassware. All of them are inspired by a kampong spirit that defines New Bahru, where many tenants are collaborating with each other to launch new products.

Curious Creatures

Cat people, unite! The good women of jewellery brand Curious Creatures are all avowed cat lovers. Among them, co-founder Larissa Tan has four and co-owner Kimberly Wang has one. What’s more, they have an office cat called Lily, a beautiful tabby you might spot if you’re lucky. The best part of Curious Creatures, however, is still the tasteful hypoallergenic jewellery, whose designs include the very popular permanent bracelets and anklets in 14k solid gold. It also has a limited men’s range that is trendy but discreet.

Odem

Odem gets our vote for the most informed and enthusiastic staff in New Bahru. It specialises in artisanal makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine. It has more than 30 makgeolli sourced from various regions of Korea, and the staff is able to speak at length about each one. If you’re still unsure which to choose, opt for the quintet flight which features five winners, including the delicious lychee and rose house brew. Meanwhile, the modern Korean dishes provide a contemporary twist on traditional flavours. We recommend the chives and oyster pancake, the barbecued kalbi (succulent beef ribs with a house marinade) and the unusual black garlic tart with berries and smoked jujube chantilly.

Morning

Invented in Singapore, Morning’s cutting-edge speciality coffee capsule machine tailors each brew according to its optimal specifications – including water temperature, brewing time and coffee-to-water ratio. The store boasts a selection of over 120 coffees from some of the finest roasters globally, and the machine is precisely engineered to extract the best from each variety. Fun fact: Nearly all the staff members are former baristas with a deep understanding of various types of coffees, brewing methods and ingredients. At the tasting bar, they assess your palate profile and make you different cups of coffee to help you narrow down your favourites. The scrumptious special cookie that goes with the coffee deserves a shout-out of its own.

Omno

If you get only one beauty product from New Bahru, make it Omno’s sugar and salt body scrub. Infused with nourishing plant oils such as olive, jojoba and sunflower, this luxurious scrub combines pure Himalayan salt and sugar to exfoliate your skin and leave it refreshingly hydrated and moisturised. Not only does it feel indulgent, its effectiveness is also recognised by Raffles Hotel, which uses its products in its spa – something of a triumph for the young Singapore company. On top of its great products, Omno makes it a point to give back to society by employing people with special needs. 

Dearborn

The popular granola speciality store is one of the few food and beverage establishments in Singapore that engage in carbon accounting via Zuno Carbon. It actively plants trees to “offset the carbon we cannot avoid”, says founder-chef Christopher Kong. The even better part of the story, however, is that its new flagship is dedicated to providing all-day breakfast. It comes with a new micro bakery that bakes its popular sourdough loaves daily, a provision shop selling breakfast essentials, as well as a 24-seater dining room serving premium breakfasts. We recommend the oat congee with seafood, the duck confit with hash browns, as well as the awesome coffee sourced and roasted by Nylon.

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Sea Apple

Sea Apple is one of the classiest places to source for kid’s wear, toys and books. We love its range of locally produced sleepwear inspired by classic children’s stories, such as The Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon. Its motifs may go unnoticed by adults. But any child familiar with these stories would be able to spin micro-narratives from the patterns, and maybe even tell their own bedtime stories to sleep. But the new thing for this Sea Apple branch is its in-store customisation experience, where shoppers can add their own cute iron-on patches to the merchandise they purchase. 

Soilboy

What is it about the plant design studio that makes it a favourite among Gen Zs and millennials? Is it the selection of easy-on-the-eye, easy-to-care-for plants that appeal to both beginners and seasoned plant enthusiasts? Is it the minimalist Korean-designed pots that look great in any home setting? Is it founders Ivan Woo and Angeline Goh’s perfect origin story about how their love of plants grew into a blog, that turned into a small business, that boomed during the pandemic when people turned to indoor gardening? Probably all of the above. Their New Bahru space is five times larger than their previous location in Sin Ming. It even has a workshop space where you can learn ikebana, flower arrangements and plant-care techniques. Sure, prices for a potted plant can go all the way up to an eye-watering S$3,999. But having visited the shop and interacted with the charismatic founders, we understand why Soilboy has become the go-to nursery for young plant lovers.

New Bahru is located at 46 Kim Yam Road. About a third of its stores are open; the rest will open in the next few months.

Amendment note: An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated the name of Huevos’ founder Arron Poh