Farm Feasts in Singapore

Eating at a remote, rustic location is becoming a draw for the Singapore urbanite
Huang Lijie, Straits Times 2 Dec 07;

SINGAPOREANS, it seems, will do anything for a unique dining experience.

And this includes travelling 30 minutes to a far-flung farm in Mandai Agrotechnology Park to eat in a greenhouse surrounded by orchids.

Since opening in May, Forrest at Orchidville in Lorong Lada Hitam, off Mandai Road, has seen customer numbers grow from fewer than 10 to more than 100 on weekends.

Three other eateries on farms here are also thriving, thanks to customers who are drawn by the novelty of dining in the lap of nature.

For instance, Poison Ivy Bistro in Bollywood Veggies, a farm in Neo Tiew Road in Kranji run by the former Netball Singapore president Ivy Singh-Lim, attracts some 500 diners on any given Saturday.

Each food outlet was opened at a cost of between $100,000 and $500,000 and seat on average 50 people each. Forrest at Orchidville, converted from one of six orchid greenhouses on the farm, has room for 300 diners.

Restaurants near farms have been around since the 1970s. Think the seafood outlets at Punggol jetty near the pig farms that have since closed and, more recently, Farmart, a farmers' market in Sungei Tengah Road, which includes a handful of food stalls selling everything from barbecued seafood to chicken wings.

The new eateries that have sprouted in the last five years are, however, located on the farms themselves and offer a dining experience that is more than just about eating in a lush environment.

Mr Kenny Eng, 33, director of Gardenasia, which operates the two-year-old Petals and Leaves Bistro in the Nyee Phoe Flower Garden in Kranji, says: 'We're offering customers a holistic lifestyle choice, an opportunity to indulge in countryside living that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Dempsey Road has greenery but it doesn't have farms.

'So people who come here to dine can admire the plants growing in our nursery or explore neighbouring goat and fish farms.'

Business consultant Tan Lay Li, 31, who dines at the Petals and Leaves Bistro monthly with her two sons, aged three and one, says the Western-style eatery offers a 'great nature getaway'.

She says: 'Instead of shopping in a toy store after a meal, which is what happens when my family eats out in a mall restaurant, my kids can get close to nature in the gardens.'

These farm restaurants, however, were mainly set up not so much as newfangled alternative dining spaces but rather as a solution to keep visitors happy.

Mrs Singh-Lim, 58, whose bistro opened in 2004, says: 'Bollywood Veggies, which was completed in 2002, was an oasis for visitors seeking the countryside, but they needed sustenance, a place to eat and drink while spending the day here.'

Indeed, the way-out location of these farms and the lack of food and beverage options in their vicinities discouraged visitors from lingering.

This prompted Mr Heah Hock Heng, 72, owner of Mandai Orchid Garden in Mandai Lake Road, to start Cafe Vanda in 2002, which sells beverages and simple snack foods. The following year, he opened Vanilla Pod, a restaurant serving contemporary European cuisine, to complement the cafe.

And because of Forrest, customers are lingering at Orchidville after their meals, resulting in walk-in sales at the orchid wholesale exporter increasing fourfold, says its director, Mr Joseph Phua, 54.

The owners admit that growing a crowd at their eateries took time, but word-of-mouth recommendations helped boost business.

Vanilla Pod, according to Mr Heah, broke even in a little over a year without aggressive marketing.

In fact, with the word spreading about these eateries, its diners are no longer just families or visitors in search of a weekend retreat.

Mr Eddie Ng, 52, manager of a manufacturing company in Woodlands, for example, was enjoying a casual business lunch at Forrest on Tuesday.

There on a recommendation, he says the relaxing ambience and good food make the place worth a return visit.

While these eateries are doing well, other farms are not racing to start opening food outlets.

Mr Jimmy Yap, 45, business development manager of fish farm Qian Hu in Sungei Tengah in Choa Chu Kang, says that the company has no plans to expand its small refreshment area, which sells mainly tidbits and snacks to visitors.

This, he says, is because opening a formal eatery on the farm would take attention away from its core business - fish rearing.

lijie@sph.com.sg

Where to eat
# Bollywood Veggies: Poison Ivy Bistro
100 Neo Tiew Road,
Tel: 6898-5001

Open: 9am to 6pm, Wednesdays to Sundays and public holidays

Most of the vegetables on the menu are harvested from the farm. With Lynn Ee, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, helming the kitchen in recent months, diners can expect a more sophisticated use of herbs and flavourings in the dishes. Popular items include the papaya chicken and banana curry (above).


# Mandai Orchid Garden: Vanilla Pod
200 Mandai Lake Road,
Tel: 6368-0672

Open: 11.30am to 3pm and 6.30pm to 11pm, Mondays to Fridays; 9am to 11pm, Saturdays and Sundays

Contemporary European cuisine such as hot pot mussels and braised lamb shank are offered at this restaurant, which gets its name from the fact that vanilla is an orchid.


# Cafe Vanda
Open: 8am to 11pm daily

Simple snack foods from the Vanilla Pod kitchen include sandwiches and fried chicken wings.


# Nyee Phoe Flower Garden: Petals and Leaves Bistro
240 Neo Tiew Crescent,
Tel: 6793-6500

Open: 11am to 10pm, Saturdays; 10am to 6pm, Sundays and public holidays

Comfort Western-style food keeps the diners happy here. Recommended items include fish and chips and chicken chop with mushroom sauce.


# Orchidville: Forrest
10 Lorong Lada Hitam,
Tel: 6552-7003

Open: noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm, daily

This air-conditioned greenhouse restaurant boasts an insulated roof that allows light in but keeps heat out, making it more energy efficient. Most of the restaurant staff, including the chefs, are from the recently shuttered Dragon City Sichuan Restaurant in Copthorne Orchid Hotel. Specialities include Sichuan drunken chicken and pork knuckle noodles.