Part boutique, art gallery and tri-concept diner, Temporium is arguably the pop-up to trump all pop-ups. Up for six months, this uber-hip amalgamation of local brands and homegrown artists is housed in two bone-white shophouse units along backpacker-infested Dunlop Street.
Of particular note is the 20-seat café, Compl(e)ments Of (which occupies half the ground floor at Temporium). It’s fittingly named, with three different elements complementing each other: there’s mod-Sin chef Willin Low (whose celebrated fusion restaurant Wild Rocket recently closed), artisanal java stalwart Papa Palheta and ceramics collective Weekend Worker, all coming together wonderfully. Truly, what’s not to like about the rarefied, zen-like surrounds, polite all male servers and handmade cups and bowls on specially retrofitted trays?
The food and drinks are even better, with a monthly rotating menu of just one main and two desserts to keep things enticingly fresh, along with gourmet coffees ($4-$6) and teas ($8-$9). The three-course set ($26) gives you a taste of a main and a dessert (plus coffee or tea) – what’s been on offer thus far, including a salmon carpaccio with octopus bits atop a bed of teriyakispiced crunchy red rice and a squid ink burger with crispy soft shell crab dressed in a tantalising chilli crab sauce, has been exceptional.
The fusion sweets are likewise sublime, as with the first batch (which included a pandan panna cotta with salted gula melaka syrup and sugee cake with coconut ice cream). You’ve got until 8 March to check it out – and as it’s now the only place to sample chef Low’s creations (though there are plans to reopen Wild Rocket elsewhere next year), you’ll truly be kicking yourself if you miss out. Lee Min Kok