Orchard is the perfect one-stop destination for all your shopping demands. When the glitz has worn off and the repetitive names have blurred before your eyes, take a detour and see some of the lesser-known jewels that is sure to be close to your usual hangout spots.
ZALL Bookstore
This brand-new bookstore in the city’s centre is a sanctuary for Chinese culture, literature, and art fans. ZALL Bookstore, which has taken over the area where the Borders flagship used to be at Wheelock Place, now contains over 30,000 Chinese literary books spread over two floors.
Adults should go to the second floor to see an amazing collection of books from China and Taiwan spanning literature, humanities, history, and philosophy, while children may stay below in the children’s area. For those times when you need a break from shopping, ZALL Bookstore also offers up a café with good food and an art gallery for viewing.
Location: 501 Orchard Road, Wheelock Place
Opening Hours: 10.00am – 10.00pm (Mon – Sun)
Shashlik
Image Credits: Shashlik, The Straits TimesLooking for Russian food with a Hainanese twist? An unusual mix that should entice people to give this a try instead of the common cafés in Orchard. Shashlik is a wonderful blend of old world charm, friendly hospitality, and homey cooking, tucked away in the relatively quiet Far East Shopping Centre.
Warm and soothing, chap chye-harking borscht ($7), and the endearingly simplistic dish of lumpfish caviar heaped liberally over jaggedly sliced boiled eggs ($16) is sure to leave you hungry for more. Try the rib-eye steak ($30/220g, $38/300g), which arrives on a sizzling hotplate precisely medium-rare or the Chicken à la Kiev ($25), a succulent and battered roulade of breast flesh if you can’t eat beef.
Location: 545 Orchard Road, #06-19 Far East Shopping Centre, 238882
Opening Hours: 12.00pm – 2.00pm, 6.00pm – 9.00pm (Tue – Sun)
Opera Gallery Singapore
At Orchard Road’s flashiest mall, immerse yourself in modern art culture. The Opera Gallery, which houses works by some of the world’s most well-known and renowned artists, is continuously presenting larger works and exhibits to fulfil the demand for the internationally recognised. Even if you have no intention of purchasing these masterworks by Picasso or others, this gallery at ION Orchard is a feast for the eyes and intellect.
Location: 2 Orchard Turn, #02-16 ION Orchard, Singapore 238801
Opening Hours: 12.00pm – 2.00pm, 6.00pm – 9.00pm (Tue – Sun)
Taoz Ceramics Studio
Pottery is a skillful but rewarding activity that has gained popularity in Singapore in recent years. There are several studios strewn throughout the city, but the one in Orchard Road may surprise you. Taoz Ceramics Studio’s affordable wheel throwing experience classes ($40 per person) or full-blown courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced potters. Find some zen and a perfect escape from the shopping frenzy in this area. This studio has been in operation for over 7 years, so you can be confident that you’ll always be guided by an expert.
Location: 277 Orchard Rd, #03-03 Orchard, Gateway 238858
Opening Hours: 11.00pm – 8.00pm (Tue – Sun)
Joie Restaurant by DOZO
In Singapore, good vegetarian restaurants are far and few between, yet Joie by Dozo is situated in the lush rooftop garden of Orchard Central. Choose from a six-course lunch ($38.80) or a seven-course supper ($68.80) to experience Joie’s vegetarian cuisine, which includes delicacies like matsutake mushroom sponge cake, spring vegetable terrine, and tomato soup with garbanzo beans. You might just drop your carnivorous diet after a meal here with their delicious food that will not disappoint.
Location: 181 Orchard Rd, #12 – 01, Singapore 238896
Opening Hours: 12.00pm – 2.00pm, 6.00pm – 9.00pm (Mon – Sun)
Be it, shopping for gifts or a new suit for that next important meeting at work, orchard is the place to visit. But, there are definitely some hidden gems in the area that we hope you will set aside some time to experience them for yourself.
