Jones The Grocer October 24, 2007

Ahh.. Don’t you just love walking past the window display of a local deli.

When in Sydney, D. took me around to the little streets filled with unique antique shops, boutiques, cafes and my favourite.. delis.

Short for delicatessen, deli is somewhat a cross between a fast-food restaurant and a grocery store, offering a wide range of food stuff, such as GOOD coffee, cheese, sweets, sandwiches, platters, and a variety of not-so-commercial grocery items, such as dipping sauce, jams, dressings, chutneys… etc (I could go on forever…)

Interestingly enough, we popped in to a Sydney popular deli named Jones The Grocer for a quick bite and shop, and their friendly staff informed us that they have just opened up a franchise in Singapore! (Low & Behold!!!)

Tucked away in Dempsey Hill, Jones The Grocer Singapore is about three times the size of its Sydney store, with a much bigger dining area. The part that still gives me the thrill is that they have a cheese room too!

D. and I popped in a couple of weekends ago, and we were amazed at how packed it was (felt like Okka Central for a while!), and I was very pleased to see that Singaporeans were getting into this deli culture.

Deli culture is predominantly a Western one, but the success of Jones the Grocer will definitely raise the bar on the standards that we are about to expect from a decent deli. Though it will take a longer time that I expect, I hope deli culture will become an a new Singapore way of life (mainstream, that is).

In Search of the Perfect Round Table Part II

The hunt for the perfect round table is taking much longer then expected.
Having trawled the furniture shops in Dempsey Hill and Park Mall, we are close to having our ideal round table custom-made.

In our travels around Singapore, we came across a few tables that came close.

Magis Design: Deja-vu Table
Designer: Naoto Fukasawa
Collection: Deja-vu Family

Magis is the brand that has given a novel twist to domestic design, building its identity on incorporating leading edge technology into mass production.

Now, I must confess, this actually isn’t a ROUND table. More like a square, with round edges. But it is so pretty. Problem is, it is kinda bit small for our place. Plus.. it’s kinda pricey for a teeny table. We’re talking about two grand for a piece of wood on aluminium legs.

The next on our list is this little beauty!

And it is from v.hive
I’m kinda surprised that for SG$399, this table is pretty damn sturdy. Much sturdier than the Magis Deja-vu table. This three-legged table is about 6 feet in diameter, sits a snug 8 pax, and has a glass centre. I’ve heard a few horror stories about cheap furniture shops and their display pieces, but this one seems immaculate.

I’m planning to meet up with a friend who works on customised furniture and see how much she will charge for a solid dining table. I’m not expecting $399, but it would probably be better value if I do choose to spend $2k on a table.