BSC’s O Gourmet

Proclaiming itself as the city’s first Gourmet Food Hall, you’d be hard-pressed to ignore the push towards a ‘foodie’ culture, hoity-toity fare and self-important diners. Gourmets can be an exclusive bunch and the term doesn’t lend itself well to those of us who hold local, down-to-earth dishes dear to our hearts – so what’s the attraction?

Despite my aversion, I readily admit that gourmet cooking is an art (a gift I don’t possess). Neither is multi-tasking and luckily, the architects of the hall have wisely divided food into their respective sections: Cheese, Cakes, Butcher, Organic, Confectionary and so on. The overall effect is to bombard the visitor with an array of smells and sights upon entry; all the better to tempt you towards emptying your wallet. Anticipation is generally high as the quality of food across the hall has to meet diverse expectations, from fresh pastries at the bakery, to Mediterranean snacks at the deli.

Local and international foodstuffs are equally available – this is the sort of place where you’ll find halal meat and pigeon side by side. Interestingly, extra efforts such as cheese courses and master butcher’s tips are available – this type of food education is sorely lacking in our city and, thus, very welcome. On an aesthetic level, it’s classy without being pretentious, chic but not overly swanky. There aren’t any dining spaces available for you to eat in so come here for a quick food fix and upmarket groceries, without losing your sophisticated edge. Syazlynia Rahim