We talk to former New Yorker Kate Bancks about living in Rivergate Condo, and Robertson Quay area. She’s the owner of interior design and styling business KGK Studio, mum and wife!
About your neighbourhood
What’s the name of your street? Robertson Quay.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your neighbourhood? Wow, great question. Maybe that it’s only expats here. There are lots of locals that either live here or frequent the shops and restaurants.
Exact words you tell a taxi driver to get home? “RiverGate at 99 Robertson Quay, please.” It feels hit or miss on whether the driver knows my condo or not. Most do; it’s a big one!
Closest MRT station? We now have the Thomson-East Coast line just in our backyard! Our station is the Great World City stop.
How long have you lived here? Why here? We’ve lived here all five years we’ve been in Singapore. We love the community feel, the location – very central to parks, cafés and the CBD, and it snakes along the river – and also our view; we can see Indonesia from our balcony (or at least that’s what I tell my kids).
Rivergate Condo fact file
Name of your condo: RiverGate
Facilities: The biggest pool I’ve seen in Singapore, two work-out facilities, two tennis courts, a multi-purpose court, playground and a green space for kids to run and play. I would add the riverwalk as an honourable mention of a facility too – it’s such a luxury to have that green space near the water.
Size: 545 units
New or old: New (2009)
Walking distance to supermarket: Yes – the closest are Cold Storage and Meidi Ya in Great World City, a sevenminute walk away.
Community vibe: Very social, peaceful and with a mix of locals and expats from all over the globe.
What’s it like around Rivergate Condo
When you walk out of your place, what’s the first thing you see?
If I say the riverwalk again, will you stop reading? Haha. I can’t stress enough how lovely it is.
What’s the closest store to your front door?
That would be the Greek restaurant Bakalaki! Who doesn’t love Greek food? And immediately after that would be a handful of yummy café and restaurant options like Common Man for grabbing a coffee after school-runs or sitting down to do some work on my laptop.
If your street was chosen for a remake of a film, which would it be?
Fast and the Furious – the way some cars zoom down the roads nearby is pretty fast and furious, pun intended.
We’re sure your neighbours are great, but is there anything you wouldn’t mind a little less of?
I would love a few less condos in the area to be honest, as we’d all love to be closer to nature at the end of the day.
What’s the unofficial uniform of your street?
Any type of athleisure. We have a number of boutique gyms and workout studios nearby in addition to plenty of people getting exercise along the river.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on your street?
The otters coming up from the river and into the condo estates. Maybe not so strange? Interesting to watch, that’s for sure.
Things to do in and around Robertson Quay
What are your three favourite places to eat or drink in the neighbourhood?
I love the coffee at Lean & Rich, a Korean-owned coffee shop in UE Square. The cappuccinos are delicious (try the vanilla!) and the staff are so warm and welcoming. Huevos, a Mexican restaurant with two locations, has moved into New Bahru and it might be my favourite place to get Mexican food in Singapore. The loaded nachos pop up in my brain at least once a week. Finally, there’s Fine Dining Bakery by Akira M. – a Japanese bakery that never gets it wrong. The shokupan, different types of rolls, egg salad sandwiches, croissants… all perfection.
What are the best places to shop nearby?
As an interior designer, I always have my eye on boutiques and shops that sell home décor textiles and the like, so I love checking in on the many options in the iconic big blue guy: the Tan Boon Liat Building.
Whimsical little shops also delight me; Woods in the Books is a local bookstore that moved into New Bahru recently, so that’s a regular stop. It’s always full of beautifully curated children’s books and toys along with adult books as well.
The Cheese Shop is dangerous for me because whenever I pop by, I always end up walking out with enough to host a cheese and wine night. The cheese selection is fun to poke through and the loaves of rustic bread they sell are always a hit at home.
What are some fun or interesting things near Rivergate Condo?
It’s lovely and novel to take guests on the boat tours that come up and down the river and out to Marina Bay. People tell me they used to ferry people all the way up but now you can walk to the closest stop at Clarke Quay and jump on.
Since I enjoy design, I love to walk down a few of the streets that have old shophouses to see how people have decorated out front. Fort Canning is always a lovely space to spend time – beautifully green, shaded pathways to walk and you might even run into monkeys there (I did not too long ago!). See if you can find both the Sang Nila Utama gardens, named after the first ancient king of Singapore, and the Pancur Laragan (or Forbidden Springs) water fountains – I promise you won’t be disappointed.
What’s one thing you’d never change?
I would never change Fort Canning! Sometimes it’s so quiet when you’re in the middle of it, you can’t hear the city noises. How valuable is that kind of peace?!
How about one thing you would change?
The traffic can be a little fast at times for all the bikers, pedestrians and families with kids moving about, so I’d slow traffic speeds if I could.
If the city gave you a million dollars to soup up your street, how would you use it?
Interesting question! I would love a public bus to come down our street and more green space closer to us, so a bus route and a park would be ideal.
Things to do in Singapore
What are your favourite Singapore spots for taking out-of-town guests?
It’s fun to get way out and see places like Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle, with the only operating Dragon Kiln in Singapore and roosters running around at your feet while you browse all the ceramics.
The interior designer in me loves Little Social, Peranakan home dining. The two-floor venue is stunning in its décor and the food is so delicious – a true night of local flavours you won’t forget. All in all, it’s an experience guests (and locals) will remember!
Temple hopping is a nice way to see parts of Singapore when guests come to town. There are so many to check out but my favourite is the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple on Ceylon Road, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery and of course the Buddha Tooth Relic. Be sure to observe the rules and enjoy the beautiful architecture and colours!
When you’re in need of a dose of culture, where do you go?
I love going to productions at Wild Rice Theatre or Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. Lots of variety to choose from, and thought-provoking shows – and both are cosy, intimate venues.
If you’re missing home, what do you do?
I usually seek out another American and throw around some IYKYK-type of American cultural references over a coffee. That tends to do the trick!
Do you love your neighbourhood? Share it with others – just email us at [email protected] with “Street Talk” in the subject line. Include your name and street, and we’ll be in touch.