Lentor Modern food guide: 8 new spots to check out at this new AMK mall
Singaporeans love our shopping malls, and we love them even more when they’re easily accessible by public transport.
Meet Lentor Modern, the latest mall in Ang Mo Kio, joining other longstanding crowd-pullers such as AMK Hub and Jubilee Square.
Lentor Modern has been welcoming visitors since December 2025, but it only officially opened its doors on January 2 this year. Situated right at the exit of Lentor MRT station, Lentor Modern is easily accessible via the Thomson East-Coast line and is a stone’s throw away from multiple bus stops nearby.
Thinking of popping by? Here are eight spots you can add to your list of Lentor Modern food places to explore, if you decide to make the trip down to Singapore’s newest shopping mall:
1. Merle & Co
Say hello to Merle & Co, the latest indoor pet-friendly cafe on the block which allows diners to dig into brunch, relish a cold scoop of gelato, or simply have a cuppa joe with their furry companions by their side. Yes, you read that right — an indoor pet-friendly cafe in a mall itself!
Besides being inclusive to our four-legged friends, Merle & Co is also an allium-free vegetarian cafe, making it a great spot to hang out at if your friend group has different dietary requirements. Fun fact: Merle & Co is run by the same folks behind vegetarian concepts The Boneless Kitchen at Tai Seng and Daehwa at Fusionopolis, so if you loved those concepts, you’ll likely enjoy this, too!
Some highlights include its roasted cauliflower slab (S$23.86), which features a roasted cauliflower “steak” atop a bed of sauce made from baby spinach, chickpea, and butter bean, served with sourdough toast for you to soak up the leftover sauce. If you love your breakfast items, the hearty Underdog with toast (S$25.69) is a must-order, with velvety mashed potatoes drizzled in a truffle mushroom sauce, two soft-boiled eggs, veggies, and thick-cut shokupan bread.
For pets, Merle also serves up delicious items such as its Pawsome Harvest Medley (S$11.01), which comes with roasted seasonal vegetables and quail eggs, or even beverages such as a Puppucinno (S$1.84), a comforting milk beverage.
Do note that the mains, pasta, pizza, and pet menu at Merle and Co is only served from 12pm onwards, but you can order its all-day brunch items and morning bowls from opening. Pets are also required to be leashed at all times while indoors.
2. Ssada Gimbap — Lentor Modern
Ssada Gimbap, is a concept from Korea which specialises in Korean bunsik or everyday food. It is known for serving up an extensive menu of bunsik staples such as gimbap, ramyeon, and tteokbokki and its Singapore outlets use ingredients imported directly from Korea, ensuring that you receive the same authentic taste in Singapore.
Its Lentor Modern outlet is its third outlet in Singapore (the other two are are at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and Great World City) and is its biggest one yet, boasting a live kimbap station for you to watch your kimbap get stuffed and rolled, just like how the ajummas do it at bunsik stores in Korea.
Stumped by the sheer volume of menu items available? We recommend trying its signature tonkatsu gimbap (S$14) and the cold buckwheat noodles (S$15.50). The tonkatsu filling is less often-seen here in Singapore, and typically comes generously stuffed, while the cold buckwheat noodles make for a nice respite from Singapore’s unrelenting heat.
3. A Hot Hideout — Lentor Modern
Located right next to Ssada Kimbap on the ground floor of Lentor Modern is beloved homegrown mala eatery A Hot Hideout (or more affectionately known as HHO by university students). From its humble origins starting out as a supper hotspot at NTU in 2020, the homegrown mala brand has since expanded to a total of 11 outlets islandwide.
Regulars swear by its mala collagen soup (S$2.50 base price) and mala stir fry (S$1.50 base price), but for those who can’t take spice, A Hot Hideout offers other non-spicy soup bases. There’s the tasty tomato collagen soup (S$2.50 base price) and oriental stir fry (S$1.00 base price) for those who like their mala on the lighter side. Ingredients added to the various bases, excluding its special items, are charged at S$2.98/100g.
If it’s your first time at A Hot Hideout, you’ll want to add its creamy scrambled eggs (from S$1.50) to your mala order along with some potato and lotus (both charged by weight), which HHO deep-fries for an additional crunch zing to your meal! Taken together, they really elevate your mala experience by providing a myriad of different textures to your bowl.
4. Nolita
Can’t decide between Italian or Japanese fare, both of which are some of Singaporeans’ most well-loved cuisines? Then you’ll want to check out Nolita, a modern Japanese-Italian dining concept, with pastas all under S$30, whenever that indecision hits.
You can expect highlights such as the octopus fritti with white truffle cream (S$12), lobster rose (S$25) and uni tartufo (S$28), which will satisfy those who love seafood in their pastas. For something lighter, get its #1 AOP (S$19), an aglio olio-style pasta mixed with smoked bacon and prawns.
Pizzas are also available at Nolita, with diverse flavours ranging from a savoury caprese Milano (S$18) with crushed tomatoes, basil and burrata, to the sweet Dolci & Noci (S$21) which features white corn cream, hot honey, pecan, figs, and dates.
5. Bunny’s
Ever had an oddly specific desire to dine in a restaurant wholly decked out in pink? The all-new Bunny’s concept at Lentor Modern might be the place for you.
There’s no such thing as “too much pink” at Bunny’s, where everything from the walls to tables and decorations are coloured in every shade of pink possible. The garish interior is meant to channel vibes from Tokyo’s Harajuku neighbourhood, the birthplace of kawaii culture.
The concept offers a range of burgers with quirky names indicating different stages (or non-stages) of relationships. There are options such as the Breakup burger (S$21), which comes with with two housemade wagyu beef patties, chilli bacon jam, yuzu pickled onions, and a handful of potato crispies sandwiched between brioche buns and the Boyfriend burger (S$32), stacked with a juicy wagyu patty and slices of wagyu-steak tataki.
Beyond burgers, Bunny’s also offers trendy (and photoworthy, of course) drinks such as strawberry matcha (S$6) and yuzu lemonade (S$4). You can also upgrade your drink to a sea-salt ice-cream float for an additional S$3!
We visited Bunny’s and here are our thoughts on the very pink space.
6. Omote: Special Edition
Originating from a small chirashi don stall at Thomson in 2015, Omote group has expanded its empire of food concepts, which includes Six Hands and Umai, all the way to Lentor. Its newest concept, Omote: Special Edition, is located next to Nolita and Bunny’s, both of which are also owned by the group.
The Special Edition concept is decked out in a warm interior and simple yet classy deco, making it perfect for special events such as anniversaries, birthday dinners or family gatherings, or even a simple, cosy date night dinner. While Special Edition also dishes up Omote’s beloved chirashi and donburi bowls, the new concept is primarily centred around a communal dining experience, and includes items such as makimono (sushi rolls), artisanal skewers, and tempura on its menu.
Try its signature edition roll with roasted unagi and creamy sea urchin (S$28) for something more decadent or its kagoshima wagyu kushiyaki (S$16) if you’re in the mood for skewers. In addition to the regular menu, the Special Edition outlet will be launching a prix fixe menu, which should be ready for reservations from February onwards.
7. Xin Yuan Ji Fish Soup
If you’re in the mood for something simple and soupy, Xin Yuan Ji Fish Soup might just be the fix you need. Best known as the famous fish soup eatery at Bugis, Xin Yuan Ji serves up classic fish soup for those who enjoy more local fare.
The simple sliced fish soup (from S$8.80) lets you choose a carb of either thick bee hoon or thin bee hoon, or you could add a dollar to change your carb to rice, mee sua, or five-grain noodle.
For up to S$1.50, you can opt to change your soup flavour to tomyum, mala, tomato, or laksa, adding a twist to the plain fish soup.
Apart from its signature fish soup, Xin Yuan Ji also offers a sliced fish steamboat (from S$10.80), giving your fish soup a warm fiery touch. Fish options available include batang, grouper, and red grouper.
8. [Opening soon] Yuen Kee Dumpling — Lentor Modern
Still haven’t had the chance to try the viral dumplings from Yuen Kee Dumpling, which has drawn long queues since it opened back in 2024, at Fortune Centre? Fret not, as an outlet will be opening soon (in February, we hear!) at Lentor Modern.
Hailing from Guangzhou, China, Yuen Kee serves dumplings and wantons alongside comforting Cantonese dishes. Its dumplings and wantons are so freshly made that you can even watch them craft and cook the dumplings from the storefront!
While there’s no word on whether the menu here will be the same or if there are outlet-exclusives, we can only hope they’ll bring back the crowd-faves — fingers crossed! Some dishes we loved at our previous visit to the Fortune Centre outlet were its chives and pork dumplings in viral mixed sauce with chilli oil (S$7.80) and its shrimp and crab roe pork wantons in peanut sauce (S$10.80).
For more places to explore, check out this hawker stall serving up tortilla-based pizzas, or where to dine at this CNY!
Hannah is constantly on a hunt for good food and vibey cafes, with the occasional mild lactose intolerance being the only thing that interrupts her endeavours.
Read more stories from this writer.
