Singapore 2014 - CHIJMES Revisited

I first visited CHIJMES many years ago - when I was taken to one of the hottest Vietnamese restaurants in town. I can't even remember the name now, but during this recent visit, I noticed that it wasn't there anymore. Of all the outlets I saw at CHIJMES - I could only remember Lei Garden Chinese Restaurant - the rest all looked new.

CHIJMES is quite an unusual project. It is located right in the middle of the city - just opposite the Raffles City complex. The name CHIJMES is an acronym of the original name of the place - Convent of The Holy Infant Middle Education School - it was originally a girl school. The old buildings have all been restored and adapted for the new uses - including the chapel in the middle of the complex. Surrounding the chapel building is a large plaza that provides some respite from the crowded city. 

Besides the Chinese restaurant - most of the other outlets here are quite International. There is even an entire street dedicated to Japanese food. If you are looking for Singaporean food - you would be out of luck. It was a bit too early for dinner so I did not try out any of the establishments this time -  but judging from the setup I would say it is targeted mostly at the ex-pat crowd.

The highlight of the whole complex is the chapel.

 It is now used as a multi-purpose hall - ideal for weddings.