A pastrami brined for a week, rubbed with peppercorns and coriander and smoked over wood was the dish to try when PasarBella opened its Suntec City branch. The food court was in the North Wing near Tower 1, at 3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-455. Five stops stood out at the opening party: Porsena Deli, Wolf Burger, Cajun on Wheels, the Sarnies and Squeezed! drinks counters, and Rollie Ollie.
PasarBella’s first market opened at The Grandstand, the former Turf City in Bukit Timah. The Straits Times reported that the Suntec outpost came about two years later, in the revamped mall. It took up 7,000 sq ft, a small part of the 40,000 sq ft flagship, and had 100 seats. The official opening date was 21 January.
A slice of the Lower East Side
The Grandstand had the feel of a relaxed farmers’ market. The Suntec branch was styled on New York’s Lower East Side instead, with graffiti walls, caricatures, fruit crates hung overhead and paved walkways. Marketing director Xian Ong told The Sunday Times that Suntec City had approached the team, and that the move fit the brand’s plan to expand into the city.
The opening picks
Porsena Deli
This New York-style deli made its bread and meats in-house. Its pastrami was the wood-smoked one described above. The pick was the smoked beef pastrami sandwich, which cost S$14 at the time and came with preserved cabbage, jack cheddar and a spicy dill pickle. The deli also served pastrami sliders.
Wolf Burger
Wolf Burger was run by the team behind Carvers & Co on East Coast Road, and it drew some of the biggest crowds at the opening. The order to get was the s’mores sweet potato fries. For a sense of prices at the food court, The Straits Times reported that burgers at one stall there cost S$9.90 each. The exception was The Alpha, a double-patty burger at S$14.90. Co-owner Soh Wen Ming told the paper that response had been good because prices were kept affordable.
Cajun on Wheels
This Louisiana-style seafood stall gave Southern classics a Singapore twist. It served chilli crab in a bucket and fries with salted egg yolk sauce. The pick was the truffle fries with a choice of dips, and the salted egg yolk dip was the favourite.
Sarnies and Squeezed!
Sarnies, a café already popular in the CBD, opened a Suntec counter selling its drinks along with pastries and desserts. Its ‘Bullet’ coffee was made with butter and coconut oil instead of milk. Squeezed! sold cold-pressed juices and fresh fruit smoothies. The pick there was the Citrus Circus, made with watermelon and mint.
Rollie Ollie
Rollie Ollie made sushi rolls with sauces inspired by Asian and American flavours. The Sunkissed salmon roll, with salmon, crabmeat and avocado, cost S$16.95 at opening.
Other names and opening hours
Brewerkz poured beers such as a blackberry ale. Aviv Zafrir closed his Mediterranean stall, Pita & Olives, at 100AM mall in Tanjong Pagar to move into PasarBella. He told The Straits Times that people came to PasarBella looking for more unusual food. A salad shop and a Korean fried chicken outlet were due to open by the official opening date. The paper also reported plans for a Kuala Lumpur PasarBella on the same scale as The Grandstand.
At opening, the food court ran daily from 10am to 10pm, while Porsena Deli and Sarnies opened at 8am. No recent update from PasarBella or an established outlet confirms that the Suntec food hall or any of these stalls is still trading. Check with the mall before making a trip for any of these dishes.