Since 2019 is about to come to a closure, it seems fitting for us to grieve over our losses of acclaimed eateries that have sadly departed our local shores — including those that are about to roll down their shutters for good.

Given Singapore’s competitive F&B industry with high rental fees and ever-changing consumer tastes, it is no wonder many chains have gradually lost their appeal. Though we have witnessed the rise, then fall, of well-loved establishments, rest assured there will be new, upcoming ones that are sure to take Singapore’s market by storm again!

So, brace yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions, as we announce 11 iconic eateries that we bid sayonara to this year.

#1 PABLO CHEESE TART

When Pablo Cheese Tart first opened at Wisma Atria back in 2017, we remember seeing snaking queues along its storefront; everyone wanted a piece of that coveted cheese tart. Despite major fanfare, they ceased operations in March 2019 after 19 months.

Pablo fans can still look forward to their gooey, fluffy tarts at their overseas outlets: Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Canada and Philippines.

#2 GUDETAMA CAFE

Despite opening to much hype three years ago, Gudetama Café has ended their contract with Sanrio Co., and will be shutting doors on 17 November 2019.

However, fans have one last chance before they wave goodbye to this languid egg. From 10 October to 17 November, Gudetama Café will be having a special discount on their egg-citing menu and merchandise.

Photo Credit: My Melody Cafe Singapore

#3 MY MELODY CAFE

Opened in 2018, My Melody Café is conveniently located right beside Gudetama Café in Suntec City. Just like the egg-themed establishment, My Melody Café is set to close on 17 November 2019, and will be offering discounted prices on their food and merchandise from 10 October onwards.

Sanrio-themed cafés have really taken a blow in Singapore; perhaps kawaii culture is not a hit with the locals here. We will be sad to see the hooded bunny go!

#4 BAKE CHEESE TART

Hailing from Hokkaido, BAKE Cheese Tart took the nation by storm with its cheesy goodness. Their other outlets have shut down, with remaining flagship store at Ion Orchard set to close at the end of October this year.

We will definitely miss this Japanese tart for many months to come, though this is not the end of their journey. BAKE Cheese Tart is opening sister store Croquant Chou ZakuZaku, which will occupy BAKE’s former space!

Photo Credit: Straits Times

#5 HELLO KITTY ORCHID GARDEN

Hello Kitty Orchid Garden was the first 24/7 Hello Kitty café to set up shop in Singapore! Well received by Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel fans, everyone was eager to try out their themed, Instagrammable goodies.

Yet, another one bites the dust, as we soon said our goodbyes to this well-loved feline paradise back on 8 February 2019.

#6 JPOT

Famed for their Singapore-style hotpot, Jpot is one hotpot chain we will never forget. Their signature soup broths, such as their Fish Head Soup and Jpot Superior Broth Soup, were so iconic, they remain undefeated as one of Singapore’s best hotpots!

They too, have closed down all their outlets. Their last outlet at Tampines 1 ceased operations on 16 June 2019.

#7 NON ENTREE DESSERTS

We are all familiar with Non Entrée Desserts, a café specialising in innovative, local savoury-looking desserts. During the four years they have been here, they have greatly inspired our café scene.

Sadly, they have decided to shut down the business, and their last day is on 20 October 2019. Do drop by the café and try out their desserts one last time — we promise you won’t forget it.

Photo Credit: IndoChine Supertree

#8 INDOCHINE SUPERTREE

This iconic, elevated restaurant and bar has been an al fresco dining venue for many couples, best known for its scenic views and atas food. Despite being a successful eatery, Gardens by the Bay did not renew IndoChine’s lease.

IndoChine Supertree has closed its doors end of April this year and converted to an observatory deck. Thankfully, diners can still visit their CHIJMES outlet!

Photo Credit: Yahoo News

#9 DOME CAFE

Esteemed among locals for serving homely Australian cuisine and coffee for over 20 years, many Dome Café regulars were sad to see them leave. They were even one of the first few cafes serving specialty coffee!

Dome Café originally had five outlets in Singapore, and their last branch at Parkway Parade officially pulled down its shutters on 23 June 2019.

Photo Credit: Burpple

#10 CHILI’S

We have witnessed the closure of various fast food chains and overseas diners in Singapore, and now Chili’s has joined its ranks. The American casual dining chain originally had four outlets here, but they have closed all of them as of 24 March 2019.

Photo Credit: Straits Times

#11 GLORY CATERING PERANAKAN RESTAURANT

Acclaimed for their Nyonya dishes, popiah and kueh, Glory Catering Peranakan Restaurant has finally decided to call it a day after six decades of operating the eatery. Though they have shut their doors on 31 August 2019, the folks here are still providing catering services!

This iconic Katong restaurant will always remain in our hearts, and we will miss heading there for their traditional comfort food.

Character cafés are on the rise here in Singapore and adding on to the ever-growing list is the spanking new Gudetama Café Singapore. Gudetama is Sanrio’s latest character and quite possibly the current most popular one. It is no doubt that the whole world is in love with this adorable lazy egg.

Officially opening its doors to the public on 30 November 2016, Gudetama Café Singapore will be serving a myriad of cute Gudetama-themed desserts that will make your hearts melt. We were thrilled to step into the café with cosy lighting and intimate egg-shaped booths around. Spanning a large area of 2,300 square feet, the cafe at Suntec City can sit up to 112 people. Of course, expect snaking long queues in the first few weeks.

Here are some of the dishes you can expect from Gudetama Café Singapore.

Note: For those of you who are heading down to Gudetama Cafe Singapore, it is located near to Suntec City Convention, not Suntec City Tower 3.

Gudetama Café Singapore is a joint venture between two local food brands, The Soup Spoon and Joe & Dough.

Teaming up with popular author and food stylist Shirley Wong (aka Little Miss Bento), they have crafted a menu with some seriously visually-appealing options. Whip out your cameras because you are going to have a fun time photographing them!

EGG-CEPTIONAL SIDES

Two highlights from the sides menu are Gudetama Lobster Onsen (S$16) and Truffle Fries in a Cone (S$16.50). While the latter was sinfully addictive and admittedly a great snack to munch on while waiting for your mains, it was nothing special. You can skip this safe option to go for something a little more adventurous—the Gudetama Lobster Onsen.

The lobster bisque was delightfully rich and creamy, with a very distinct taste of the luxurious shellfish.

EGG-CELENT MAIN COURSES

Gudetama Café Singapore serves a decent range of main courses with a total of 10 options for you to pick from. Popular treats like Rib-”I” Don’t Care (S$28.50), Eggcited Cajun Chicken with Waffles (S$23.90) and “Shiok” Pork Ribs (S$38.50). We liked that the menu is quirky, with a subtle hint of Singlish to appeal to the local crowd.

The Rib-”I” Don’t Care is an adorable name for their Chargrilled New Zealand Grass-Fed Angus Ribeye Steak dish. You can pick the preferred doneness of your steak and it is served with rich and generous wild mushroom sauce, served with grilled vegetables and sweet potato mash.

The Eggcited Cajun Chicken with Waffles is also a wonderful choice and we really loved the marinate on the poultry.

EGG-SQUISITE DESSERTS

Who can miss their huge range of adorable desserts? They have 5 desserts on their actual menu and plenty of other smaller desserts available at the storefront for dine-in or takeaway.

One that stood out the most for us was the Ta-Ma-Go (S$17.90). Shaped like adorable tamago sushi, this dish actually comprises “sushi cheesecakes” coated with rice puffs and topped with fluffy egg sponge cake. It is also served with matcha curd (like wasabi) and maple syrup (like soy sauce).

The Shoyu Ramen (S$21.50) is another twist on a savoury dish. It is actually chocolate mousse cake with Feuilletine, chestnut Mont Blanc, earl grey jelly and orange tuile. Served on the side is some panna cotta with sweet rose tea.

The Iced Tea Coolers (S$8.50 each)—namely Straw-Very “Lazy” and Hula Hula—were pretty generic and run-of-the-mill.

Intrigued by this new character cafe? It is certainly worth a visit because some dishes really surprised us with its taste. However, as with most of these “gimmicky cafes”, do not have high expectations of the food. They are primarily attractive because of their aesthetics.

Nonetheless, the dishes are totally cute and creative, and if you are keen, join in the queue from 30 November 2016. Happy lazing around with Gudetama!

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Gudetama Cafe Singapore
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-361 Suntec City Mall
(Near to Suntec City Convention)
Singapore 038983
Mon to Thu: 9am – 10pm
Fri to Sun: 8am – 10pm
(Last order 9.30pm daily)
Nearest Station: Esplanade/ Promenade

If you don’t already know, Gudetama is an anthropomorphic Japanese egg yolk characterised by its laziness. It only made its debut in 2013, but has since gained “recognition” globally. We kid you not. From cushions to notebooks, Gudetama’s iconic sluggish body is now imprinted on almost every object thinkable.

So it is without surprise that an entire restaurant dedicated to the Gudetama has opened in Taipei’s Da’an District. The new Gudetama-themed restaurant—called Gudetama Chef—is currently Taipei’s latest craze and bookings are mandatory.

No expenses have been spared to ensure that an apathetic Gudetama is in both your central and peripheral vision at every possible angle. Food aside, even the ceiling lamps, furniture, plates and waitresses’ uniforms at Gudetama Chef are intentionally emblazoned with the world-famous lazy egg.

We dropped by Taipei’s newly opened Gudetama Chef restaurant on a Monday afternoon, only to be politely turned away.

“Gudetama Chef is fully booked for the rest of today,” the Taiwanese waitress—donning an egg-yolk hair clip—apologised. She then proceeded to apologise and reject several others who were all hoping to score a seat at the kawaii restaurant.

Time check? It was 1.45pm. We were expecting it to be quiet then, but the reverse was true.

Fortunately, we managed to score a reservation the following day at lunchtime. Interestingly, we watched the same saga unfold—endless people being turned away. Gudetama Chef’s overwhelming popularity is truly astounding. Everyone was on snap happy mode; patrons posed with the yellow-bricked walls as if the eatery’s façade was a Taiwanese landmark.

The menu features a comprehensive selection of salad, burger, pasta, pizza, risotto, pancakes and desserts. Needless to say, every dish will feature at least one idle Gudetama.

Our Tricolour Slush (NT$260) came in a Gudetama-printed plastic bottle. Yes, you can take the bottle home!

We had the Deep-fried Platter (NT$480) and Butter Fried Rice (NT$320)—the former comprises a basket of French fries, Taiwanese sausages, boneless chicken chunk and scotch eggs; the latter consists of Gudetama-shaped butter fried rice, fish and mixed vegetables. The menu claims that the fried rice would be ‘Best in the World’ but we beg to differ.

All in all, the food was fairly decent but there is honestly nothing much to shout about. Evidently, its success lies in the novelty of dining in a Gudetama paradise.

Taipei is too far away? Fret not. Singapore is jumping on the bandwagon and will be opening a Gudetama Café in Suntec City at the end of this November.

Gudetama Chef
No. 12, Lane 236, Section 1, Dunhua S Rd
Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Tel: +886 2 2752 9520
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Zhongxiao Dunhua

Gudetama Cafe is opening in Singapore at Suntec City this November.

Fans of Sanrio’s lazy egg character will probably have heard of Gudetama Cafe in Osaka, as well as Gudetama Cafe by Izumi Curry and the dim sum pop-up restaurant at Dim Sum Icon in Hong Kong. We can finally look forward to Gudetama Cafe in Singapore!

Gudetama Cafe Singapore has yet to release any information, but from what we know, it will be serving an array of Gudetama-themed food and drinks such as breakfast in pan, waffles, soft-serve, pizza and coffee.

While we are apprehensive about such Character cafe’s food because they have proven to be subpar thus far (though there are selective dishes that were not too bad), we trust that Gudetama Cafe Singapore will be better because they’ve got a special consultant onboard for the menu, and it is Little Miss Bento!

Of course, this also means everything will be exceptionally photogenic. Now, we can’t wait for this!

Mileslife is our favourite app to accumulate miles through everyday spending. You can earn miles for every dollar spent at this restaurant. Download and try Mileslife out now! You can use our code ‘Ladyironchef‘ upon your first spending to get 1,000 miles.

Gudetama Cafe
3 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City Mall #01-361
Nearest Station: Promenade