12 Well Known S'pore Eateries That Closed In 2019

This mod Peranakan-Western restaurant in Little India was opened by two self-taught cooks in 2015. It gained a loyal following for their comforting nosh, which includes a luxed-up version of traditional nasi ulam and an excellent Mao Shan Wang durian cake. On November 24, the owners unexpectedly posted on Facebook that CreatureS was shuttering on the same day. Co-owner Dennis Chong tells 8days.sg that manpower and rental challenges accounted for the closure. “The five-year milestone was a juncture that we felt was a fitting closure to this chapter. It is time for us to recharge and move on to the next exciting chapter,” he says. You can still eat CreatureS’ food, albeit in Beijing — it has a sister restaurant there called Tease by CreatureS, which opened earlier this year.

After a decade here, American restaurant chain Chili’s Singapore franchise called it a day in April 2019. According to TODAYonline, the franchiser had struggled with “escalating labour expense, difficulty in hiring and training people, exceptionally high leasing expense, and the general expansion of shopping malls in Singapore [which has] fractured the market”. It had three outlets at Tanglin Mall, Clarke Quay Central and Resorts World Sentosa before it left the Singapore market.

Back in the ’90s, casual bistro chain Dome Cafe was one of the few places where you could get an atas cup of coffee and a Western-style sarnie. It had as many as 10 outlets in Singapore before whittling down to its last remaining outlet this year at Parkway Parade. That, too, shuttered in June. Its parent company, Suntec F&B Holdings, explained in a press release: “We, as a group, have to progress with the times to stay relevant in this competitive industry. We will be channeling our resources to concepts that are aligned with the interests and welfare of the customers we serve.”

It was goodbye kitty on February 8 this year for the Hello Kitty cafe at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3. The space, decorated like an orchid garden, had scores of fans queuing up for feline-shaped dishes and exclusive merchandise featuring the Sanrio cat when it first opened in 2016. It was also open round the clock to cater to travellers. Its parent company (which also operates Swensen’s restaurants) closed the cafe for good after its license partnership with Sanrio came to an end.

Local hospitality company Lo & Behold Group introduced fine-dining Japanese kappo restaurant Esora in 2018. It’s helmed by Japanese chef Shigeru Koizumi, who had also worked at the Group’s three Michelin-starred French restaurant Odette. When our colleague called Esora to make a reservation recently, she got a phone recording informing callers that the restaurant will be closed from December 2019 to March 2020. Responding to 8 DAYS' enquiry, a marketing rep for the restaurant explains that “chef Koizumi has some personal matters to attend to, but will return to prepare for the new season in March 2020. At the moment, we are still pending the exact [reopening] date”.

15 Mohamed Sultan Rd, S238964. Tel: 6365-1266. www.restaurant-esora.com.