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Bugis Junction

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SeenThat
SeenThat
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5 out of 5
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On Long Gone Pirates and Flat Fountains

  • March 14, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
On Long Gone Pirates and Flat Fountains




Inaugurated in 1995, Bugis is a commercial complex located between Victoria Street, Middle Road and North Bridge Road, near Singapore’s downtown. Occupying a former neighborhood, it keeps its original streets under a glass cover, combining a modern air-conditioned environment with an attractive colonial look of wonderfully restored 1920s shophouses.

The mall consists of the Bugis Junction Tower, the Parco Bugis Junction (the covered streets mall), the Seiyu (BHG) Bugis Junction and the InterContinental Singapore. Main tenants include BHG, which is a large department store, Books Kinokuniya, Cold Storage (a supermarket which is a feast to the eyes), Food Junction, and the Bugis Cineplex.

Bugis, the People

Bugis is the name of the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, on Indonesia's third largest island. They have a legend-like reputation for being honorable, pirates, sailors, sea-traders, fierce warriors, industrious and rice growers; they converted from animism to Islam in the early 1600s.

In the nineteenth century, some of them were mercenary soldiers of the English Empire, and helped to the establishment of the British colony in Singapore. However, they are also considered to be the pirates pestering the adjacent coasts during the same period. They were awarded a neighborhood next to downtown Singapore, known now as Bugis; eventually, they left city-state shortly afterwards.

Bugis, the Mall

In the 1980s, the old Bugis neighborhood was remodeled as a covered shopping mall, simply by enclosing the historical street under an attractive transparent cover and remodeling the houses. Nowadays, the visitors walk along wooden corridors connecting between the shops occupying the former houses.

Conveniently, the Bugis MRT station is under the street level of the department store in the complex, allowing easy access from anywhere in the city. The mall looks like a life-sized museum of the colonial era in Singapore; the boutique shops occupy the original wood structures.

Flat Fountain

The covered plaza within the complex features an extremely minimalist and attractive flat fountain which offers music and light shows at night. The black stone wonder is unobtrusive allowing giving full attention to the show and the surroundings.

Known as a zero-water-depth fountain, it has no splash pool, allowing for safety and hygiene. The result is that children play amidst merry streams of water and light.

BreadTalk

Bread Talk is a chain specializing in bread, with more than twenty outlets all over Singapore; they have also spread out to nearby countries. The bright lit shops are very pleasant and modeled in a clear, minimalist, clean glass design. The shops feature see-through kitchens, separated from the counter and sitting space by transparent glass panes. The contrasting colors used for the décor are unique for each store; the one in Bugis faces also the main street outside the mall.

Bread is a foreign concept in the rice-oriented cultures of South East Asia, and it was quite a challenge for the prophet who created BreadTalk to penetrate the market. To accomplish that, the variations of the basic product were created; many of them approach what westerners would call a cake.

However, despite definitions, the creations are unique delicacies. Creams, vegetables, meats, and everything edible has found its way into these breads, which feature creative names as well. The signature product is the pork floss buns, which is available also in a spicy version.

Books Kinokuniya

The Japanese bookstore chain has a store in Bugis (and another one in Ngee Ann City on Orchard Road), offering an excellent opportunity to re-stock in reading material. It has a decent choice of books and magazines in English.

Bugis Cineplex

The cinemas are located at the top level of the Parco covered mall, next to the fountain and in front of the department store. Movies in English – sometimes with subtitles – are shown in the awesome colonial setup.

Cold Storage

Visiting a supermarket while in vacations may seem strange; yet, Cold Storage offers an awesome view into life in the tropics. Strange fruits – everything from durian to dragon fruit – can be studied and tasted at leisure. Eating local dishes inside is also possible and recommended, but taking pictures is not allowed.

Food Junction

Located next to Cold Storage, the Food Junction offers a wide offer of Asian dishes, including Chinese Moon Cakes and many variations of noodle soup. In some stalls the customer can choose the ingredients to be put inside the soup. The most attractive stall – people just stood next to it in order to see the preparation technique – was the one offering "Octopus Balls." The wonder was prepared by using needles in the shaping of perfect spheres out while the blend is cooking on a heated plate.

InterContinental Singapore

The InterContinental presents itself as the only Peranakan-inspired luxury hotel. Peranakan is a term used for the descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants to the British Malaya and the Dutch-controlled Java, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort to be assimilated into the local communities. Even if not planning to stay there, it is worth taking a look at the intricate mirrors, batu ribbons and louvred windows along the corridors.

Special Performances

The central plaza is home to special performances from time to time, usually right after the quick tropical sunset. I have seen there a fascinating performance of Thai Classical Dancing.



Early Twentieth Century wooden structures, a glass dome, pork floss buns, shiny fountains, and sophisticated shopping and entertainment options, Bugis Junction has something to offer for every traveler.

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