Chinatown Food Street Welcomes New Dining Concept

Chinatown Food Street

A unique dining concept, well-designed high-ceiling shelter and wide spread of local cuisine choices were among the factors that helped Select Group Ltd secure the contract to revitalise and operate Chinatown Food Street (CFS). The winning concept by Select Group Ltd was selected by an evaluation panel comprising members from the industry, the Chinatown Business Association (CBA), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), and other relevant government agencies. It addressed the feedback and concerns that were gathered through an earlier public consultation exercise organised as part of the two-stage Request for Business Proposals (RFBP), where views of over 3,000 members of public were collected and fed back to the participating candidates to refine their submissions.
 
Commenting on Select Group Ltd’s appointment, Mr Poh Chi Chuan, Director of Cultural Precincts and Tourism Concept Development at STB said, “The RFBP process has been valuable in helping us understand the public’s concerns when it came to deciding on the winning proposal. We believe Select Group’s creative dining concept will create an authentic yet immersive experience for visitors to appreciate Chinatown for its historical and contemporary charms. We are also confident that the revitalisation of CFS will add an exciting dimension to the precinct’s offerings and help deepen the visitor experience in Chinatown.”
Located along Smith Street, CFS began operations in November 2001 as Singapore’s first al-fresco street dining venue within a heritage district and proved popular with locals and tourists. As Chinatown’s business landscape grew to include new retail, dining, hotel and entertainment offerings, however, there was a need to revitalise CFS to keep it relevant to the precinct’s evolved surroundings.
Under the new CFS concept, visitors can look forward to a refurbished food street that will showcase a dining experience with a mix of local street food and restaurant options ranging from the main Chinese dialects as well as Malay, Indian, Peranakan and Eurasian cuisines. This is a move in line with the public’s feedback for the refurbished food street to showcase a good spread of Singaporean cuisine. Said Mr James Ong, Executive Director, CBA, “Food is one of the best ways of understanding a country’s culture, and the wide range of cuisines to be offered will enable visitors to discover the different nuances of Chinese culture as well as provide opportunities to explore Singapore’s rich multicultural heritage within Chinatown’s unique and historical setting.”

To address the public’s feedback of creating a comfortable ‘street-feel’ dining atmosphere, refurbishment plans will feature a high-ceiling shelter with an in-built cooling system to enable visitors to dine al-fresco regardless of weather conditions. The shelter has been designed to complement the surrounding architecture, allowing diners to have an unobstructed view of the conservation shophouses (please see Annex A for an artist’s impression of the revitalised Chinatown Food Street).

Apart from infrastructural enhancement, Select Group Ltd will also focus on creating programs and events that will add vibrancy to the refurbished food street and make it an exciting place for both locals and visitors to explore. The vendor will be collaborating with local arts groups and companies to roll out a calendar of interactive activities that will include street performances, cultural activities, outdoor film screenings, heritage food tours and educational programmes. Said Mr Vincent Tan, Managing Director, Select Group Ltd, “We hope to be able to capture some of the spirit of bygone Chinatown by bringing together a harmonious mix of local cuisines as well as interactive and entertainment elements to add buzz and excitement to this culturally vibrant precinct.”

Enhancement works are slated to begin in May to give existing businesses ample time to make alternative arrangements. Prior to the closure of CFS, dialogue sessions will also be conducted to introduce the concept in detail to all stakeholders along CFS. Visitors can look forward to patronising the newly refurbished CFS by the end of 2013.