New Bahru: All The Lifestyle And F&B Concepts You’ll Want To Check Out

From designers and makers of all kinds to restaurants and bars, all under one roof.

Photos: Courtesy of Finbarr Fallon, GINLEE and Kotuwa

By Shermin Ng - published 27 Jun 2024

If you haven’t already heard, New Bahru, The Lo & Behold Group’s hotly anticipated lifestyle and creative enclave, is set to open in September 2024. Bringing together a new creative community, New Bahru (Bahru meaning “New” in Malay) is a cheeky nod to our city’s penchant for repeating words for emphasis. Its recently concluded Sneak Peek weekend offered a taste of what’s to come with workshops and classes, special menus, and exclusive drops.

Located on the grounds of the former Nan Chiau High School at Kim Yam Road, preserved classrooms, corridors and stairway layouts carry on the spirit of growth and discovery. At New Bahru’s five-storey premises injected with a new lease of life, you can look forward to a curation of Singapore brands, from F&B to designers and makers of all kinds, all under one roof.

Ahead, we round up our favourite lifestyle and F&B concepts you’ll want to check out at New Bahru.

LIFESTYLE CONCEPTS

MAKE by GINLEE

Besides offering on-demand fashion and lifestyle pieces, MAKE by GINLEE at New Bahru offers in-store workshops, The MAKE Experience and The Tee-tO-Bag Experience, that give a crafty spin to pleating. We love The MAKE Experience, a 1.5-hour class that allows you to immerse yourself in the age-old craft of pleating and circularity. Learn more about the initiative behind the workshop and how each bag is printed to the colour of your choice before choosing your pleats, straps, eyelets and more. Thereafter, you’ll be guided by friendly employees throughout the bag-making process, from pleating using paper moulds to baking them in the store’s built-in steamer. The Tee-tO-Bag Experience, on the other hand, is an upcycling workshop where you can repurpose your preloved tee into something new and useful in two hours.

Crafune

Delve into the world of leatherwork at Crafune, where you’ll get to learn the basics of leather crafting and create your very own leather pieces. For a quick hands-on crafting session, opt for the Envelope Card Case Mini Workshop or the Triangle Coin Pouch Workshop; if you’re up for something more challenging, go with one of the bag workshops and learn the how-tos of saddle stitching, edge finishing and burnishing, and more. Then, have your unique creations personalised with your initials, names, or symbols. The workshop space also has a selection of leather pieces on display that are available to purchase.

Omno

Sustainable beauty brand Omno debuts its brick-and-mortar and flagship store at New Bahru. We love its signature products made from ethically sourced sustainable ingredients, like the Monnatic Sugar & Salt Scrub and Odyssey Hand & Body Cleansers. Come July 2024, you’ll be able to concoct your own natural deodorant tailored to your scent preferences and skin needs in a hands-on workshop.

soilboy

Best known for its curated plants and handmade ceramics, Singapore-based plant design studio soilboy launches its first experience store at New Bahru. Look forward to innovative plant installations and immersive hands-on workshops—such as the Variegated Juniper Shimpaku Bonsai Wiring Workshop where you’ll learn to shape, wire, repot and transform the rustic tree into a bonsai centrepiece—set to inspire a sense of curiosity for the greener things in life.

SOJAO Home Goods Store

Local home goods brand SOJAO’s second outpost focuses on sustainability and community engagement through collaborations. You’ll find a curated selection of loungewear, towels and bedding—build your own set and mix and match across its sizes, range and colour—certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard to elevate your bedtime routine and home essentials from other local brands, including Hush Candles, Good Good Ceramics, and Stillgoods.

MORNING

At MORNING’s first physical store at New Bahru, you’ll find an extensive range of cult favourite specialty coffee capsules (sourced around the globe and their house brand) and innovative Morning Machine that allows you to create the perfect cup of coffee by calibrating temperature, pressure, and water-to-coffee ratio to your preference. Built-in barista-created recipes are also available. That’s not all; you can also learn all about its offerings with immersive demos and tastings in-store.

F&B

Kotuwa

Focusing on traditional Sri Lankan cuisine with an emphasis on a lively, modern and casual vibe, Kotuwa’s new home at New Bahru comes with a fresh look, a refreshed menu, and the introduction of a full-fledged cocktail bar serving new concoctions that each tell a story. According to bar manager Ashaka Harith, the Poricha Erachi (fried beef cheek in sweet tamarind, chilli and lime), Lamb Shank and Jaffna Duck Curry are best paired with red wine.

Artichoke

Artichoke, helmed by local culinary icon Bjorn Shen, has found its home at New Bahru. Get your fill of hummus and Mediterranean cuisine in an eclectic setting and expect a brand new menu, the addition of a karak chai bar and minimart. Don’t miss Small’s, chef Bjorn’s “restaurant in a restaurant”—an eight-seater test kitchen tucked in a corner that churns out experimental pizzas.

Dearborn

Granola-specialty brand Dearborn launches its second outlet and flagship store, featuring a microbakery and a breakfast provision shop where you can get your baked goods and coffee fix. We love the all-day breakfast cafe that spotlights the brand’s handcrafted granola baked with the freshest ingredients.

Odem

New makkoli restaurant and bar Odem is the brainchild of Dominic Tan, who is also the founder of fast-casual Korean restaurant Ajumma’s. Boasting an extensive curation of over 30 rare, handcrafted makkoli sourced from across South Korea, including their exclusive house brew, Lychee Rose Takju, Korean rice wine lovers will not be disappointed. Pair your makolli tasting flight with signature dishes like Brioche & Gamtae Butter, Barbecued Kalbi, as well as Black Garlic tart with berries and Smoked Jujube Chantilly.