The Garage is a historic building in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Built in the 1920s, it currently houses the Bees Knee's cafe and the Au Balcon restaurant.
Description
editThe two-storey building was designed in the Art Deco style. It features a hip roof and a rendered finish, with seven individual garage spaces. The entrances to the garages on the ground floor feature half-round arches while staircases on either side of the building lead up to the first floor, which is set behind the front on the ground floor and made up of a single open space, featuring a truss roof of timber.[1]
History
editCompleted sometime between 1924 to 1928, the building initially stood on the University of Malaya Singapore's Bukit Timah Campus. It served as a garage for the institution's professors.[1] It also functioned as the National Parks Board's horticulture department in the 1990s.[2] It was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in June 2014.[3]
In February 2017, lifestyle F&B company 1-Group opened Bees Knee's, a 60-seater cafe bistro operating on the building's ground floor, and Botanico, modern European-style restaurant which occupies the first floor of the building. In a review of Botanico, Isabel Ong of Female Magazine wrote: "The competing flavours here might take a little getting used to, but that’s what we appreciate about Botanico: That it dares to take risks and challenge conventionality."[4] Jamie Ee of The Business Times was less enthusiastic in her review of the restaurant, writing: "It wants to be Spanish yet seasonal, botanically-inspired and tropical, which is a recipe for wishy-washiness. Concepts are nice to have, but we'd rather bite into reality - preferably one that's easier to digest."[5] Botanico was later replaced by Au Balcon, which is also owned by 1-Group.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Singapore Botanic Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site)". ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Tan, Domenica (28 April 2017). "The Garage — a new cafe, bistro and bar with warm and cosy ambience in Singapore Botanic Gardens". Home & Decor Singapore.
- ^ "The Garage". ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Ong, Isabel (16 February 2017). "The Garage At The Singapore Botanic Gardens Will Be Your New Favourite Hangout Spot". FEMALE Magazine.
- ^ Ee, Jamie (2 February 2017). "Sound cooking that could use a light hand". The Business Times. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "10 outdoor cafes in Singapore for pretty garden weddings". Her World. Singapore. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.