Like in the iconic sitcom Friends, our go-to eating spots are also often our favourite social spaces – something that the pandemic has reinforced, what with the regulations on where and how we’ve been able to gather during the past two years.
READ MORE: The Places, The Dishes And The Experiences The FEMALE Team Is Digging
Following March 29 – the day the cap on the number of vaccinated people allowed to dine in as a group was raised to 10 – we got four creative posses together at their F&B hangouts of choice to chow and chat about how food makes merry.
WHO (from far left): Photographer/creative producer Chris Sim, who knows a thing or two about bringing folks together as the co-founder of the party organiser North East Social Club; Ryan Pagdanganan – a creative writing, screen and cultural studies student; Ada Quek, an outreach and communications research assistant in climate science; and data analyst Marcus Tan. This motley crew first bonded over mutual interests in music and can be spotted at all the cool indie gigs you never knew about.
WHERE: The basement food court of Katong Shopping Centre (Sim’s parents own a printing shop on level two) – home to Katong Mei Wei, a chicken rice stall that’s been drawing snaking queues since the ’80s. Besides growing up on the popular dish, Sim says the laid back, unpretentious setting is what the group leans towards, whether it’s for a mid-day meal or drinks post-gig.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MEALTIMES: “Sharing a meal with friends provides space to decompress… I’ve fond memories of us at BK Eating House on Circular Road in particular – it’s another spot that we like to go to for a post-show beer. Its now-defunct mee sua stall was so integral to a night out at (techno joint) Headquarters,” says Sim.
Pagdanganan and Tan wear Marni X Uniqlo tops, Uniqlo. Quek wears top and earrings H&M. All other clothes and accessories, subjects’ own
Hair Tan Eng Chong/Kizuki+Lim Makeup Beno Lim, using Make Up For Ever
WHO (from far left): Multidisciplinary artist Samuel Xun; freelance stylist and filmmaker Sabrina Elman; fashion designer Mazri Ismail; and branding manager Humcariley, who all met while studying at Lasalle College Of The Arts’ School Of Fashion (Elman was under its Fashion Media and Industries programme while the other three majored in Fashion Design and Textiles)
WHERE: Ayasofya Turkish Restaurant on Bussorah Street for iftar (the breaking of fast after sunset during Ramadan, which Sabrina, Mazri and Humcariley observe). The no-frills chic eatery has long been their go-to after-meal haunt for its mint tea and kunefe (a sweet Turkish cheese pastry).
ON HOW WE ARE WHAT WE EAT: “You can tell a thing or two about someone from their likes, dislikes and quirks when it comes to food… And one can forge friendships over a shared love for a particular food or restaurant. We can spend hours like this here (at Ayasofa) – food is a great medium for connection and meaningful conversations,” says Sabrina.
All clothes and accessories, subjects’ own
Grooming Sarah Tan
WHO: Producer and sustainability advocate Nadia Kishlan (left) and fashion entrepreneur/club kid-turned-yogi Linda Hao (right) – long-time close pals whose common interests have grown beyond good tunes and dancing to include conscious living and cooking.
WHERE: “Omm Home” – Hao’s Marine Parade apartment that’s also her creative studio, which focuses on “all limbs of conscious living for the modern spirit.” It’s also where she’s recently started to host private dining experiences as an extension of her yogi practice: an earthy three-course plant-based meal inspired by the chakra system.
ON THE HEALING POWER OF FOOD: “Food is not just about the material that goes into the body. It’s also about the mind. How are you eating it? Many busy people often see mealtimes as chores and thus rush through them, eating perfunctorily. This has a big impact on the body and how it digests the food – even if you don’t see the consequences immediately,” says Hao. “I wanted to create an experience for those who might be intimidated by yoga, but want to learn more about it and form a better relationship with their body, and I’ve found that food is that gateway.”
Nadia wears dress, Loewe. Hao wears Loewe Paula’s Ibiza skirt, Loewe. All other clothes and accessories, subjects’ own
Hair Tan Eng Chong/Kizuki+Lim Makeup Beno Lim, using Make Up For Ever
WHO (from left): Charmaine Seah-Ong, the stylish whiz behind branding studio Elementary Co.; Sarah Hana, director of marketing communications at a lifestyle powerhouse; Ivan Cheng, a former head of global digital content at a beauty giant in New York who recently co-founded the buzzy hard seltzer brand Jiggy; Angie Chen, a curator at luxury secondhand fashion specialist The Fifth Collection; and artist Calvin Tay, whose latest solo show Taking Routes in February was an exhibition-meets-art tour celebrating Tanglin Halt.
WHERE: Honcho – the triple-storey F&B venue on Ann Siang Road co-opened by DJ KoFlow three months ago. The pandemic has made this fashionable pack even more enthusiastic about trying new places, whether it’s a divey izakaya, upscale restaurant or a trendy joint like this one. Oh, and the mural in the background here – located at the rooftop bar – is by Phunk Studio, the celebrated design collective that Chen’s husband Alvin Tan co-founded.
ON WHAT MAKES A HAPPY MEAL: “On top of everything delicious? The thought and creativity that goes into every venue, which makes discovering them so much more fun,” says Seah-Ong. Then, of course, there’s the company. Says Cheng: “When I think back on my best meals, it’s always the people and laughter that I remember most, with good food and drinks enhancing the experience. That’s why I created a guilt-free drink that’s fun and tasty: So we can focus on counting the memories instead of the calories.” (See what we mean by their sense of humour?)
(On table) Gucci Diana mini leather and bamboo top-handle bag, Gucci. All clothes and accessories, subjects’ own
A version of this article first appeared in the May 2022 Taste Edition of FEMALE