House At Dempsey Extends Closing Date To 31 Jan, 2018! Plus 5 Other Eateries That Shuttered Recently

Opened: 2007
Closing: 31 Jan, 2018

One of the F&B pioneers on Dempsey Hill. This sprawling eatery by the Spa Esprit Group has been a go-to scenic brunch spot for a decade. While the contemporary Western joint had planned to cease operations on the last day of 2017 as its lease is almost up, it had just decided to delay its closing date by a month “due to overwhelming demand by customers”, says House’s PR rep. However, she adds that there're no plans to relocate the restaurant elsewhere as its appeal is very much based on Dempsey’s chill location.

For now, you can still say goodbye and dine on grub like this Bone Marrow & Steak Burger with Bacon Jam ($29; pictured) till Jan 31, 2018, when House will have its last meal service. Spa Esprit also runs a stable of other restaurants, such as fellow Dempsey denizen Open Farm Community, as well as Tiong Bahru Bakery, Open Door Policy and Ding Dong.

What we're most concerned about is: where will we get our fave tau sar pau ($2.50) fix after House closes end Jan? Luckily, the feathery soft bun stuffed with silky red bean paste will still be available at sister cafe, 40 Hands. Whew.

House at Dempsey, 8D Dempsey Rd, S249672. Tel: 6475-7787. www.dempseyhouse.com.

Opened: 2015
Closed: 26 Nov, 2017

‘Dudestronomy’ chef Bjorn Shen’s (left in pic) two-year-old fried chicken joint Bird Bird first opened at Ann Siang Hill, where we were charmed by the kitschy decor and Thai chicken dishes that promised to “satisfry”. The restaurant later moved to Frankel Avenue. And in an odd move, Bjorn roped in Anthony Yeoh (right in pic), formerly of rustic French restaurant Cocotte, as group executive chef for Bird Bird and Bjorn’s other mod Middle Eastern joint, Artichoke. The concept was also tweaked from Thai-style chicken to American fried chook. In November, Bjorn dropped the bombshell via a Facebook post that he was closing Bird Bird. “We all know the statistics when it comes to restaurants and cafes in Singapore, and how 7/10 don’t make it past the first couple of years. We played. We lost. But I’m glad we tried nonetheless,” he said. But it’s not cutthroat rent that forced the eatery out of business. Bjorn later explained in the same post, “Despite the huge financial losses… I have a great, easygoing landlord who charges me very reasonable rent.”

Bird Bird’s last day of service was November 26, with a three-day blowout bash where diners indulged in a free-flow feast involving “mountains of fried chicken, rivers of gravy, overflowing soft serve cups and entire bottles of cocktails”. You can still head to Artichoke for Bjorn’s nosh, but he tells us he won’t be opening another new restaurant for now. Meanwhile, affable chef Anthony Yeoh will be starting his own French bistro called Summer Hill with a private meal service arm. It will soon open “in the second half of January” at Sunset Way in Clementi, and will serve “a simple menu with home-style dishes we love to cook and eat ourselves”.

Artichoke, 161 Middle Rd, S188978. Tel: 6336-6949.
www.artichoke.com.sg.

Summer Hill, #01-62, Blk 120, Clementi St 12, S120106.
www.summerhill.sg.

Opened: 2017
Closing: 1 Mar, 2018

After just 11 months since opening in January this year, the mod American diner-bar-cafe announced in December that it’s throwing in the towel as “great financial numbers just haven't materialised”. Crackerjack is run by spirits distributor Proof & Company, which also owns speakeasy bar 28 Hong Kong Street (which was No.1 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list in 2016). While the last day of service is on March 1, 2018, the establishment will stop serving breakfast and lunch in January (so you can only visit for dinner and drinks). Head chef Alysia Chan shares with us that she’s staying at Crackerjack till its closure, but “will likely be leaving the company” after that. She’s currently doing “a whole animal butchery internship” in Sydney. The bar here has two award-winning co-head bartenders, Peter Chua (formerly from 28 Hong Kong Street) and Zachary de Git (formerly from Tippling Club). Peter will continue heading Crackerjack’s adjoining 10-seat pocket bar called Junior, which will remain open with a rotating concept (it’s currently offering premium tequila and mezcal drinks). Meanwhile, Zachary will be leaving to pursue other opportunities. Sob. Post-Crackerjack, the space will be revamped into The Proof Collective’s headquarters.

Crackerjack, 43 Tg Pagar Rd, S088464. Tel: 8121-1462. www.crackerjack.sg.

Opened: 2016
Closed: Nov 2017

How now, brown cow? After opening to rave reviews barely over a year ago, this modern Thai beef noodle joint in Chinatown Point has left the building. It was set up by an ex-journalist and a guy who used to help run the E-Sarn Thai restaurant chain. In its last few months, the eatery looked forlorn and empty whenever we dropped by — even though its grub remained consistently tasty: its beef broth was memorably potent and its dry noodles super tasty slicked with lard. Maybe it’s the fact that Kin Cow was a rather hip joint stuck awkwardly in a dowdy Chinatown mall (strangely enough, its next-door neighbour, the insipid Genki Sushi, is perpetually packed). Plus, we’re guessing that Singaporeans just aren’t willing to fork out above $10 for what they deem a ‘cheap’ dish (as opposed to say, ramen) — even though the beef used here is more premium and generously portioned than your garden-variety bowl of beef noodles. We’ll miss this place.

Opened: 2010
Closing: 14 Feb, 2018

Perhaps the most shocking foodie news of 2017 is Taiwan-born chef André Chiang’s surprise announcement that he will be shuttering his eponymous restaurant after seven years. The wildly popular fine-diner with two Michelin stars is also #2 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 list. Industry insiders speculated that the closure is due to André’s discontent at not being awarded the coveted full three stars in the Michelin Guide Singapore. “My decision to close Restaurant André is not related to any awards. I do not have to prove anything to anyone,” he clarified in an interview, while in his official statement sent to the press via e-mail in October, he explained, “The moment I perfect a dish, is the moment I let go from my menu. I want to go back to where I started, I want to go back to cooking, have a balanced life and cook happily.”

Chef André also announced that he will be returning his Michelin stars. But the good chef will still be busy: other than running his Taipei restaurant RAW, he will also take on “a few projects”, which includes educating young chefs and converting Restaurant André’s quaint shophouse space into a casual eatery, which he’ll have a share in, but not cook at. He also currently has a stake in other successful restaurants such as Burnt Ends, Meat Smith and Bincho. Restaurant André’s last day of service is Feb 14, 2018, and the eight-course farewell Octaphilosophy menu with wine pairing will set you back an eye-watering $800 per person (a typical eight-course dinner here would’ve cost $350 without drinks). Unsurprisingly, seats are still available. Pictured here is a caviar and beef tartare starter served in the $800 ‘farewell’ dinner, plated to look like Marina Bay Sands against the Singapore skyline. The bill costs around $900 after taxes, so we say guzzle more on the excellent wine pairing while you can.

Restaurant Andre, 41 Bukit Pasoh Rd, S089855. Tel: 6534-8880. www.restaurantandre.com.

Opened: 2015
Closed: 28 Oct, 2017

After two years in the business, the highly-anticipated swish American-Italian restaurant Angeleno at Gemmill Lane called it a day in October. It was co-owned by Luke’s Oyster Bar and Chop House’s chef-owner Travis Masiero, and David Almany (right), the talented executive chef previously from the Mario Batali-owned restaurant Osteria Mozza at Marina Bay Sands. The reason for the closure? According to Travis’ Facebook post: “While we had hoped to continue trading well into the future, unfortunately we could not reach a long-term commitment with our landlord.”

Travis has since opened a new pizza joint called Blue Label Pizza & Wine (pictured) at Ann Siang House offering pies cooked in a stone oven. Sadly, chef David is not at all involved with this venture, and the 33-year-old tells us he is thinking of moving back to Los Angeles (where he hails from) in January 2018. “I have [verbally] accepted a job offer from a restaurant there, and they will be revamping their concept for me. I’m thinking of offering coastal Middle-Eastern food with lots of seafood, grilled meats and home-baked bread. But I’ll still be travelling between Asia and the US for F&B consultancy and possible restaurant partnerships. I've been in Singapore for eight years; I have a lot of history here!”

Blue Label Pizza & Wine, 28 Ann Siang Rd, B1, S069708, Tel: 9821-9362. http://bluelabelpizza.com