The ultimate guide to New Bahru

This wildly popular casual Mexican joint has opened its second outlet at New Bahru. One of the more affordable dining options in the lifestyle cluster, the menu at Huevos River Valley is largely the same, with usual favourites like loaded nachos, chicken quesadillas, and birri beef tacos. Why fix what ain’t broken, right? One difference: the lads at Huevos have a grill now, so expect smokey grilled meats in every bite. It’s still early days though, with new menu items to come.

Chef-owner Rishi Naleendra glows when he talks about Kotuwa’s New Bahru digs. Here, with a bigger space and exciting neighbours, he imagines that Kotuwa can reach its full potential. By eye, the restaurant is now at least two times bigger than it was at Wanderlust Hotel. That means it’ll be easier for us eager patrons to snag a seat at this popular Sri Lankan restaurant and savour its no-miss menu of stir-fries, curries, hoppers, and housemade sambols. And in the event you have to turn your table over to make way for the 8pm service, it’s good to know that the night’s not over. Instead, you can retire to Kotuwa’s outdoor cocktail bar, which is slinging a new menu of cocktails modelled around Sri Lankan spirits. We highly recommend the Headspinner, a dangerously drinkable cocktail with ABA Pisco, guava, tamarind, and chilli – the skewer of peppered guava as garnish is a nice touch too.

Take a good look at the wall art in Artichoke – there’s a high chance it’s AI art created by chef-owner Bjorn Shen himself. Artichoke at New Bahru screams with his colourful personality, even featuring a small retail section with printed shirts, patterned mugs, and more stuff you “may or may not need”. There’s an eclectic vibe here, a nice setting for Artichoke’s stellar Middle Eastern fare. The menu retains favourites like roasted cauliflower and harissa prawns, plus a “FEED ME” chef’s selection ($68) if you don’t want to think too much. Tucked in a corner is also Small’s, chef Bjorn’s “restaurant in a restaurant” – a tiny 8-seater test kitchen that churns out experimental pizzas (like ones topped with sea urchin and bi-coloured corn).

Tuck into modern Korean fare and delicious makgeolli (traditional rice wine) at Odem. This trendy spot is owned by the same folks behind casual Korean eatery Ajumma’s, and headed up by chef Bae Yumi, who also serves as the executive chef at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. Odem has more than 30 makgeolli sourced from all over Korea, including a beautiful and floral lychee and rose house brew. Get a taste of this and four other brews in a curated makgeolli flight – best enjoyed with its crowd-favourite brioche and gamtae butter, barbecued kalbi, and unique black garlic tart with berries and smoked jujube chantilly.

A plate of nasi lemak at The Coconut Club might set you back $18, but it’d be money well spent. There’s more to savour at the brand’s third store too – the quail goreng berempah for one, which comes with a small bird spiced and fried so good you can eat it bones and all. Another River Valley exclusive is the Wagyu beef roti john, which sits in The Coconut Club’s expanded selection of coconut-heavy local favourites like laksa, sayur lodeh lontong, and soto ayam. The desserts shine too – we recommend trying the kueh sampler for delectable kueh kosui, kueh bingka, and kuah salat.

Buy your coffee and drink it too at Morning’s first physical store. This space is dominated by a curved bar, where the Morning crew stand ready to demonstrate the use of its spectacular Morning machines. See how with the press of the button and the help of some cloud technology, you can easily brew craft coffees from specialty roasters in Singapore and around the world right in your own home. We were impressed to see how seamlessly and precisely you could calibrate your brew with the Morning app too. And since the demos are done right in front of you, the brewed coffee is all yours to drink. Don’t forget to take a look at the shelves, which are stocked with Morning coffee capsules from Kurasu, Allpress Espresso, Colonna Coffee, and more.

Stepping into Sojao’s New Bahru store is a familiar and comforting experience. The space takes after its Joo Chiat flagship store, with pleasing wood accents and the lingering fragrance of its signature Sojao x Oasis Sleep In scent. Resist the urge to nap on the inviting bed at the centre of the store and instead have a feel of its organic cotton bedsheets, summer quilts, and throws on the left wall; or its equally popular and comfortable loungewear displayed on the right wall. If you’re looking to make your home smell as good as the store does, then check out all the scented sprays and oils displayed near the counter.

Stop by Curious Creatures at New Bahru for its elegant and minimalist jewellery, ranging from everyday earrings, necklaces, and bracelets to bespoke showstoppers for special occasions. You'll find that every piece is tastefully done, with thoughtful placements of freshwater pearls, diamonds, and gems. At the New Bahru store, Curious Creatures has set aside a dedicated space for its permanent jewellery service. So, bring your bestie along to zap on matching bracelets or anklets – you can personalise these forever jewellery with charms, too. 

Forget Aesop – there’s a local equivalent that’s just as luxurious, and we love that it’s sustainably-minded too. If you need more convincing, head down to Omno’s first physical store at New Bahru to touch and smell its range of hand, hair, and body products. We were impressed by its Solace sugar and salt body scrub, which is packed with nourishing plant oils like olive oil, jojoba oil and sunflower oil – best paired with its nourishing hand and body lotion. But there’s lots more to discover, like shampoos, deodorants, and perfume roll-ons. Omno uses ingredients that are certified by ECOcert, Nordic Swan, and COSMO, which all go into products with a relatively affordable price tag.