There are so many F&B establishments in HillV2, and it seems like they are all full. Sure, after a couple of weeks, or months, the excitement will settle down, and perhaps we’ll see a different crowd. Right now, the patrons are most likely all going to be coming from just the immediate neighbourhood. Soon, word will get out and residents from farther away will start visiting.
Many more outlets have started operations since my first visit. Let’s start with Black Angus Steakhouse. It was full the couple of times I went by. The clientele certainly reflects the neighbourliness ambience of the mall. For example, there were diners in singlets and shorts. Quite not the kind you’d see at their other outlet at Orchard Parade Hotel.
Then, also on the ground floor, there’s Cedele. It’s not crowded in this photo, but the place is full at other times I’ve tried to dine in there. This is a big Cedele outlet, the kind with a kitchen that serves up dinner too, like pasta.
There’s Wine Connection on the 2nd level, and Wine Connection Bistro too. Yes, so that means they’re a restaurant too. The menu looks delectable. I’ve never had dinner at Wine Connection anywhere before, and this will join the list of places I’ve got to try.
Here’s Italian Osteria, a rather largish corner restaurant on the second level, serving up pizzas, pastas, and other Italian fare. I’ve not heard of the restaurant, and a quick search does confirm that they are new. It seems rather an ambitious venture for a new business to hook up such a large space. Hopefully they do well.
Back on the ground level, there’s Cold Stone Creamery in the corner near the Hillview circle. The photo is of the store before they were opened for business. The decor here (not in photo) is actually quite pretty, unlike most other Cold Stone Creamery outlets whose walls tend to be too crowded. There’s another ice cream place, Bing Bing Ice Cream Gallery, on the second level if, for any reason, you need more ice cream choices.
Cold Stone Creamery’s neighbour is Dean & Deluca, the upmarket gourmet grocer that’s new in Singapore. There’s not much of grocery shopping here. You could pick up some juices, coffee beans, tea leaves, chocolates, cups, olive oils, and a few other odds and ends. Not much in there. It seems their highlight is the bakery and cafe.
The food at Dean & Deluca is good. They serve all-day breakfast, and I had their American Country Breakfast for my dinner. It was delicious, though they hash brown was a little too wet and oily.
Next to Dean & Deluca is Starker. It’s a restaurant pub, and they make their own brand of beer. They have other outlets in their chain.
The last restaurant I want to mention is Chic-a-boo. It’s like KFC. I’ve not heard of the name before, but this turns out to be not the only Chic-a-boo outlet in Singapore. It’s supposed to be fast food, like KFC. Unfortunately, the night I visited, they were just horribly slow, and rather inflexible in how orders were specified.
The chicken portions here are large. While at KFC I could easily devour a 3-piece chicken meal if I were hungry, I think at Chic-a boo, two pieces would have sufficed. Their sets include a nice corn muffin. You can choose your sides. The chicken, to me, looks to be a healthier version of KFC’s. You get to choose two flavours too, similar in style to KFC. When it comes to taste, I’d hand it to KFC, although Chic-a-boo comes close.
If you’re planning to head down to HillV2, don’t park illegally on the road side, even if it seems very tempting to. Yes, it’s a quiet road, and everyone seems to be doing that. But I’ve seen LTA enforcement officers there on at least two occasions, and they were certainly having a great day, probably thinking about their bonuses. Sadly, HillV2’s own parking space is tragically limited. If you live within walking distance, just walk.