Chijmes: Lei Garden

I started looking for a place to celebrate my habibi’s birthday a week before I came to Singapore. Since it’d be just more than a week before his actual birthday, I felt that it would be short for I’m still not familiar with the ins and outs of the city. After my search over the net gave me no luck, I asked for some advice from a co-w@wie based in sg. She advised that I look into Chijmes. So I did. Among the restaurants in Chijmes, I chose Lei Garden for it’s the only Chinese restaurant there since we both loved Chinese food, I felt that this would the safest place to eat. I’ve kept my secret to where we’ll eat until we reach the place. Since I can’t plan a big surprise for him, keeping it to him will give him the excitement for the day. He’s a bit worried that we might get lost, without giving much details, I just assured him that I know the place. It’s great that Chijmes is just a few meters walk away from an MRT station.


When we arrived at Chijmes, we were amazed how cozy the place was. At that instant, we knew that that wouldn’t be the last time we’ll be there. There are a lot of varieties of food to choose from. Unfamiliar to the place, we kind of got lost a bit. Until we got to an open area and saw Lei Garden sitting at the center of Chijmes. From outside, we knew that Lei Garden is not a typical Chinese restaurant. It was a fine dining Chinese restaurant! Most of the men were wearing coats and ties. Good thing, we came from the office so we’re a bit dress up for the occasion. We came a few minutes early. While waiting, we were seated at their receiving area and served a jasmine tea. We took the chance to look at their menu, I myself concerned with the price since we’re spending both our money now and not just his. Surprisingly, their price was not too expensive. Their crews were very kind to us as well. The lady who attended to us guided us through our orders. Since we’re not very familiar with the food, she’d say if what we ordered is enough or too much for the two of us. We ordered Double Boiled Soup with Beef, their specialty, and Fried Noodles with Prawns. The other crew knew little English so we had hard time speaking with him. When JayR asked for a glass of “house” water, we were given a glass of “hot” water! Hahahaha! What JayR should’ve asked for was a glass of “ICED” water.

During our dinner, we were unaware that outside, people started filling in. When we went out, the quiet ambience was filled with acoustic music from a nearby bar. There were more crowds dining at the basement. We’ll definitely come back to try dining by candle light out in the open.


Before Chijmes became haven of restaurants, it was once an all girls school. The history of Chijmes intrigued me. I'd blog about it once I got the right information.