Bucking the trend

Ion Orchard feels very much like one of those huge Shanghainese malls, with all that space and extravagant decor and multitude of luxury brand stores. It somewhat reminds me of the shopping mall at Taipei 101 as well. Nowhere else in Singapore gives me the same glorious feeling. It is not a Takashimaya or Paragon where you find all the upmarket chi-chi stores on one level, make a wrong turn and you end up at the poorer side of the mall that looks just like another heartland shopping centre. Ion has a much more consistent theme. Even at the basement, the soft lighting puts an atas spin on the mid-market area, and the usual places like Burger King are specially polished to acquire a more pretentious look. Upstairs, there aren't too many shops clamouring for attention, just the important ones, and at a place where less is more, Ion hit the spot again.

So I'm glad we finally have a new mall that has a distinctive character after so many disappointing ones and that it isn't built on that prime piece of land for nothing. Plus, it connects Orchard MRT directly to Wheelock Place - and that becomes another tick in the "Yes, I am definitely coming back" column.