By Geraldine Wang : 8 Days

July 1997

F  O  O  D        [edited]

With splashes of fuchsia pink and acid yellow that remind you of delicious raspberries and bananas, you almost wish you could eat the walls.

Too bad you have to settle for a cuppa and sandwich from this roadside cafe instead. Not exactly situated in the most fashionable of places, the space Belaróma occupies along Selegie Road used to house a souvenir and tailor shop. Walk one way and you'll hit Serangoon Road and Little India; walk the opposite direction and you'll reach Orchard Road.

A new entrant to the coffee club scene, Belaróma (which roughly translates into "beautiful Rome") has been around since early June and is named after the brand of Australian coffee beans brewed at the cafe.

Breaking away from an otherwise drab row of shops fronting the building, Belaróma's decor features acidic brights juxtaposed next to unfinished cement gray. Floor-to-ceiling glass panels divide the cafe to allow diners the choice of dining al fresco or indoors.

Project Team:
Andrew Jones, Ed Poole,  Wong Kim Mei

Click images for larger view

Photography : Peter Mealin

Footnote: Belaróma Cafe closed after 2 years of operation. The risk of changing the streetscape, by opening a more up-market cafe with exterior seating along this street was a total flop. While the new facade by Poole Associates still survived another 2 years after the closure, this space has now reverted  to a standard 'cookie cutter' fit out for a pharmacy. The interior has been totally destroyed, including the hand made Italian marble floor.