Orchard Towers has a new tenant, and it's not what you'd expect. The Peranakan Club opened its doors last Thursday, transforming the fourth floor of Singapore's most notorious building into a 68-seat restaurant, gallery, and cocktail bar celebrating Straits Chinese heritage. Within 72 hours of launch, the dinner waitlist stretched to three weeks.

A $2.8 Million Renovation That Rewrites the Building's Story

The space occupies 4,200 square feet previously home to a KTV lounge. Owners invested $2.8 million in restoration, importing original Peranakan tiles from Malacca shophouses and commissioning local artisans to recreate traditional carved wooden panels. The result is a museum-grade interior that wouldn't look out of place on Emerald Hill — except it sits above four floors of bars that made Orchard Towers famous for entirely different reasons.

Founding partner Michelle Tan, whose grandmother ran a Katong nyonya kueh stall for 40 years, says the location was deliberate. "We wanted to reclaim this building. Show that heritage can thrive anywhere."

The Peranakan Club
📍 400 Orchard Road, #04-01 Orchard Towers, Singapore 238875
⏰ Tue–Sun 6pm–11pm (closed Monday)
🗺 View on Google Maps

The Menu: $185++ for a 12-Course Nyonya Degustation

Executive Chef Raymond Khoo, formerly of Candlenut, leads the kitchen. The signature 12-course degustation ($185++ per person) spans traditional dishes with modern technique: buah keluak ice cream, ayam pongteh cooked sous vide for 36 hours, and a laksa course served in hand-painted porcelain bowls dating to the 1920s.

À la carte options start at $38 for entrées. The bar program features cocktails using traditional ingredients — pandan-infused gin, blue pea flower vodka, and a sambal-spiced Bloody Mary that's already generating social media buzz.

  • Opening Week Covers: 412 diners served in first 5 days
  • Average Spend: $142 per head (including drinks)
  • Current Waitlist: 21 days for Friday/Saturday dinner
  • Gallery Space: 800 sq ft featuring rotating Peranakan art exhibitions

The Orchard Towers Paradox

The building's landlord, Far East Organization, has quietly encouraged this pivot. Three KTV establishments closed in 2025, and the ownership is actively courting F&B concepts that might rehabilitate the building's image. The Peranakan Club pays rent 15% above market rate for the privilege of leading this transformation.

Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Food critic Wong Ah Yoke called it "the most important restaurant opening in Singapore this year" in her Straits Times column. Whether Orchard Towers can truly reinvent itself remains to be seen, but The Peranakan Club has made an audacious first move. The waitlist suggests Singapore agrees.