Food Opera at Ion Orchard reopens as a heritage food court, with 18 new stalls to show for it

A new lease on life

Food Opera has been in Ion Orchard’s basement since the mall opened in 2009, as Food Republic’s premium take on the food court. This is its biggest makeover yet.

The 20,000-square-foot space now seats 600, and the layout takes cues from a speakeasy, opening onto a streetscape of old Orchard Road shopfronts. Among them are a barber, a seamstress, a pawn shop, a photo studio, and a record store, each housing a food stall.

It’s very cute and very photogenic — a spot you’d least expect to whip out your phone for a quick photo.

The lineup has been overhauled just as thoroughly. The heavyweights are the heritage names, with several moving into a food hall for the first time. Ming Chung White Lor Mee, now run by its fourth-generation owners, has been serving its white-broth Henghua braised noodles since 1933.

Hillman Restaurant brings the claypot dishes and paper-wrapped chicken it has served since 1963. Wah Eng Beef Noodles, whose Hainanese dry beef noodles have long been served in hotels such as Shangri-La Singapore, finally gets its own outlet after 78 years.

Swee Choon, one of Singapore’s oldest dim sum houses, arrives in an express format, and First Street Fried Prawn Noodles is the next chapter for the family behind First Street Teochew Fish Soup.

For diners, the appeal is simple: Names you’d usually cross the island for are now an escalator ride from the MRT — air-conditioning included.

The newcomers also bring awards. Berempah Bros, from MasterChef Singapore Season 2 winner Derek Cheong, opens its first food-hall outlet here. It’s joined by two Bib Gourmand names: Ah Er Herbal Soup, recognised in 2017, and MP Thai, which has held the award for three years running.

Also new at Food Opera at Ion Orchard are Chef Lup Roasted, of Golden Mile queue fame; Ye Lai Xiang Mixed & Curry Rice, a spinoff of the much-loved Teochew porridge supper spot; and Wang Ha Ha Big Prawn Noodle, formerly the Original Beo Crescent Market Big Prawn Noodle.

Fret not, however, a few familiar faces have stayed on. LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodles now hand-makes its fishballs and fish dumplings in full view at set times throughout the day. Apa Rojak, Padang Padang, and Shou Yi Fried Fritters are still here, too.

Coffee drinkers should head straight for Toast Box, the first outlet to roast its beans on-site. It’s also the only place to get Nanyang Supremo, a new house blend of Colombian supremo and robusta beans roasted the traditional way with butter and sugar, for a mellower cup than the chain’s signature blend.

Next door in spirit is Treasure Bakery, a new concept pairing British bakes with Nanyang flavours.

Finally, Orchid Gallery is a retail corner built for takeaway rather than dining in. Five homegrown names share the space: Thye Moh Chan for Teochew pastries, Irvins for salted egg snacks, Tiap Tiap for Peranakan family recipes, Shun Dat for durian treats, and I Love SG for souvenirs. It’s handy for a tourist’s shopping list, and just as handy for restocking your own pantry on the way home.

From dim sum to delightful sweets

We kicked off our meal at Food Opera with dim sum from Swee Choon, a Jalan Besar fixture since 1962 and a supper-time rite of passage for just as long.

Har gao, siew mai, and char siew bao are the familiar faces, but the one to zero in on is the mee suah kueh (from S$2), a Swee Choon signature in which fine-wheat vermicelli is pressed into a cake and fried until the edges turn crisp.

As expected, the golden-brown outer vermicelli shell shattered beautifully in the first bite, revealing little specks of minced pork for a moreish bite.

Ming Chung’s Henghua fried bee hoon (from S$8.80) traces back to Putian in the Fujian province, and its bee hoon is noticeably finer than the standard rice vermicelli. Here, it’s delicate and delicious, soaking up the stock and stir-fried lightly.

Even though the wok hei notes are barely noticeable, the clams add a seafood sweetness that makes this dish enjoyable any time of day.

From the award-winners’ corner came Berempah Bros’ signature ayam berempah (S$10), Derek Cheong’s take on Malay fried chicken served with nasi lemak (coconut rice). The chicken is marinated in a medley of aromatics, typically lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and shallots. 

The crisp fried spice crumbs scattered on top are, for many, the best part. The result is a dish that’s hearty, rich, and hard to say no to on your return visit.

Chef Lup Roasted, the Golden Mile stall known for its queues, brings more than 15 years of Cantonese roasting to Food Opera, in bun form. There’s a crispy roasted pork bun (S$5.80) and a honey crystal char siew bun gua bao (S$5.80), the Taiwanese-style folded steamed bun.

Even with a decent amount of fat, the roasted pork bun was a tad dry; the crunchy skin helped ease some of the disappointment. For the char siew bun, “crystal” refers to the glossy, lacquer-like glaze, which proved to be delightfully sticky and mildly sweet.

Between the two, the char siew was the better pick, with the meat more tender overall.

Parkson Bak Kut Teh’s original white pepper bak kut teh (dry) (S$10.80 a la carte, S$14.80 as a set meal, with rice, you tiao, and pickles) is a curveball. Dry bak kut teh hails from Klang and is usually braised down in dark soy with dried chilli, dried cuttlefish, and okra.

Parkson swaps that base for the sharp heat of Sarawak white pepper. The result is punchy, deeply spiced pork that leaves its perfume on your nose long after you’ve finished. A perfect dish to order when you need comfort after a long day, we reckon.

Dessert at Food Opera was courtesy of Treasure Bakery, with three bakes. Madame K’s strawberry rouland (from S$5.50 per slice) is a roll cake whose Chinese name (伯爵夫人的草莓卷) translates to “the countess’s strawberry roll”, fittingly for a British-leaning bakery.

This was our top pick, with its pillowy soft sponge and light-as-air whipped cream. Nothing was too sweet or cloying, just the way we like our sweets.

Another favourite was Our Favourite Carrot Cake (from S$6.90 per slice) — the spiced Western kind, not chai tow kway, by the way. The little bits of walnut and raisins added a nice textural contrast while also adding extra nuttiness to the moist cake.

To drink, Toast Box’s Nanyang Supremo (from S$4.80 for small) is almost a non-negotiable. Topped with Himalayan salt gula Melaka foam, it follows salted-caramel logic: The smoky sweetness of palm sugar and a pinch of salt played nicely with the blend’s caramel and chocolate notes.

With a good stir, each sip offered different nuances: Sometimes salty and bitter, other times sweet and salty. But one thing for sure: Every sip was as delicious as the last, right down to the last drop.

A heritage food court

For all the new faces, Food Opera at Ion Orchard’s revamp is really an exercise in honouring heritage names in the local food scene.

Between Ming Chung’s 93 years of lor mee, Swee Choon’s six decades of dim sum, and Shou Yi’s fritters dating back to 1920, there’s a remarkable amount of history packed into one basement, much of it now in the hands of a second, third, or fourth generation.

What you get is, in effect, a heritage food court, built on recipes many Singaporeans grew up with.

For locals, it saves a trek to Jalan Besar or Golden Mile. For tourists staying a short walk away, it’s a well-curated crash course in Singapore flavours, and an easier sell than a hawker centre in the mid-day heat.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, check out Marymount Bakehouse’s second outlet at Upper Thomson and food spots we can’t get enough of at Millenia Walk.