Cuppage Terrace Gets Trendy

Source : My Paper, Thu, Sep 11, 2008

ONCE a sleepy walkway in an area known for Japanese food, Cuppage Terrace hopes to woo a more trendy crowd after a $15-million revamp.

A tantalising array of 15 al fresco outlets, including restaurants, bars and spas, will open later this month, offering more late-night options for office workers and tourists alike. The area will open from from 11am till late, said Mr Kishin R.K. of Royal Brothers Group, the property-investment group which owns Cuppage Terrace.

He said: 'It will help bring back vibrancy to the Somerset end of Orchard Road and give visitors greater choices in a stylish new hangout steeped in local history.'

Indeed, the 17 shophouses' historic Peranakan facade will be restored, and the area will feature a variety of new faces. Restaurants like fine-grill restaurant and bar Bobby's, Mexican restaurant VivaMexico, and Japanese fine-dining restaurant Hibiki, will offer cuisines from around the globe. Popular bar Harry's will also set up shop there in a bid to boost its presence in the area, said Harry's Holdings' chief executive officer Mohan Mulani.

Said Mr Mulani: 'We just wanted to be somewhere at the lower end of Orchard Road. We think we're not represented in the neighbourhood.'

There is currently a Harry's bar in Orchard Towers and also one in Far East Shopping Centre. Stalwart tenants, such as North Indian restaurant Maharajah and fusion eatery Cross Straits, which have been serving diners there for more than two decades, will remain.

Also staying on are Cable Car Bar and Japanese restaurant Tamaya, which has a bar and private rooms with karaoke machines. Both have been there for nearly ten years.

Said Mr Oh Ichikawa, managing director of Sential Jobs, which owns Cable Car Bar and Tamaya: 'We are here because of the prime location.

Meanwhile, the nearby Killiney Post Office is going through a revamp of its own. A new dining- and champagne-bar concept by the Imaginings Group - which runs bars such as Balaclava, Wala Wala and Bar-Stop - is in the works and is expected to open before Christmas.