Turn Singapore Science Park into a lifestyle destination? Not a problem for Michel Lu
Leave it to food and beverage entrepreneur Michel Lu to turn Singapore’s centre for R&D and technology into a lifestyle destination that operates seven days a week. With a total of 28 F&B concepts and a 13,000 sq ft event space housed on the ground floor of 2 Science Park Drive, Lu finds his latest project, Savourworld, his most exciting yet.
“When I was first approached for consultation about this beautiful space, I thought the fundamentals of the place were great. There are two and a half thousand people upstairs… There’s the MRT station right next to it. There’s the rest of science park including [people from] Dyson, and there are people from one-north – which is just a two-minute drive away,” said the 48-year-old, who was also behind Hacienda, the first F&B concept at Dempsey Hill, as well as the former Centro at One Fullerton about 16 years ago.
“In case you don’t realise this, the Singapore Science Park is located on a hill. So the breeze you get here is great, the place is comfortable. Sometimes, I fear that the umbrellas and the chairs outside might topple,” he added. Parking at Savourworld is also free after 6pm as well as throughout weekends.
Affordable gourmet at Savourworld
Savourworld prides itself for being a one-stop for affordable gourmet food. If you’ve attended the gourmet festival Savour, this latest project is almost like having the event all-year-round, except that it’s more affordable.
“I don’t think that this is necessarily the best time, from an economical perspective, [for expensive gourmet]. Singaporeans in general are used to better quality F&B. But does quality have to come with a high price? I don’t think so,” said Lu, who has decided to bring in his own F&B concepts such as Wildfire Burgers to Savourworld.
“If I bring in good quality brands, they’re too expensive, and if they’re cheap, they’re not that good. So I might as well do it myself,” said Lu, who also ensures that he is aware of the quality of chefs behind some of the restaurants at Savourworld. The chef at Garcon Nosh, for example, was previously from the Michelin-starred restaurant Andre.
Besides good and affordable food, the drinks are reasonably priced, too. According to Lu, the cheapest glass of wine at Blotto Bottles is priced at $6 each during happy hour. If you prefer craft beers, upcoming tenant The Good Beer company will be selling their drinks from $8 a bottle.
Other tenants at Savourworld include Blue Lotus Chinese Noodle Bar, ChaTraMue, Coffee Break, Indo-chili, Kick Cafe, L.A.B., Licktionary, Modus, Ottoman Kebab and Grill, Ramen Atelier, Spruce and Tokyo Joe. While each restaurant is housed within their own air-conditioned spaces, patrons can feel free to order food from other tenants at Savourworld.
“If you go to, say, an Italian restaurant with some friends, everybody has no choice but to eat Italian food. But here, everyone has the option to maybe buy a craft beer from The Good Beer Company and sit at Blue Lotus to enjoy their Chilli Crab Xiao Long Bao,” said Lu.
’Sexy’ entertainment on weekends
But food and drinks are not the only selling points of Savourworld. Lu, who once owned Singapore’s first 24-hour nightclub Lola, plans to bring in international DJs to man the decks on weekends as well as during special events such as the upcoming Oktoberfest.
“We’re not looking to become the next rave venue. The kind of music we choose is essentially to create a good vibe for the place. Like having an afternoon party with some friends,” said Lu, who picks the DJs himself instead of engaging external booking agents to ensure that he maintains good relationships with the artistes and their managements.
“It could be soul, hip-hop, or this word I keep using – sexy,” said Lu. Savourworld officially launches on 1 October.
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