LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ASpanish expression for ‘a little of everything’ is hay de todo, and it serves as a good description of Robertson Quay.

There’s so much to take in around here. Nightlife is one, food another. It’s home, too, to a lot of people. Hotels are plenty, yes, plenty, considering the size of the area. (Robertson Quay occupies about 50 hectares of land along the Singapore River.) Did you want to wake up in a modern suite at the InterContinental or in a heritage building that is The Warehouse Hotel?

Condominium dwellers make up most of the community, and so do the regular patrons of several commercial establishments in the area. STPI is nearby, if a bit of art is needed in one’s life, but then again there’s already the Pacita Abad-painted Alkaff Bridge, which you can’t miss with a blindfold, and the SRT at Robertson Walk. New members’ club 1880 is in the neighborhood.

And did we mention food? The choices are varied and very reliable – from Super Loco to Summerlong, from D.O.P. to Dabawalla, and all the way to the triumvirs Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Publico and Marcello at the new InterContinental.

But the community plan did not seem to include a proper center – until now. There’s the hulking Italianate Robertson Walk at one end, and then the quiet residential pocket around Watermark Robertson Quay at the other. Between them is a promenade lined with condominiums and not much else.

Enter Quayside, a new development by RB Capital Group, which created a new social hub within the community, with the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay and a host of dining establishments nearby.

Design is an important ingredient of the development, and one might even claim its catalyst. Renowned architect Mr. Soo K. Chan worked closely with Mr. Kishin RK, founder and chief executive of RB Capital, to bring out an interplay of contrasting scales and colors that gives the area a new identity while preserving the characteristic tranquility of the neighborhood.

The regeneration is successful. You only have to hang around the area on weekends and observe how the community gathers around the open spaces for a little catch-up, or navigates the paths around the river, or hangs out in one of the outdoor dining spots. You will sense their deep sense of pride, of enjoyment and appreciation, which indicate how they see this as their own. The place may be small and intimate, but there is something for everyone here. Hay de todo!