restaurants

With its move from the Palais Renaissance to Orchard Ion, the mood at The Marmalade Pantry has changed dramatically from light-hearted and bright to dark, intense and sexy. Staking out by the escalator, you’d expect this space to be pretty scene-y, with every bite of your warm spinach salad or sticky date pudding as delish as the pack of publicists-in-black to your left and the good-looking twosome waltzing in to your right. The Marmalade Pantry is your modernist larder offering good things to eat.

Walking into The Marmalade Pantry's recently unveiled flagship at ION Orchard, one will be instantly drawn to the airy open atrium space at the newest ‘it’ mall. Designed by Albano Daminato, the outlet features the iconic Alvar Aalto-designed dining chairs and a sleek, glossy, black interior with molded glass finishes. This transformation from its predominantly white interiors at Palais Renaissance is a clever one, standing out against its largely light-hued surroundings at ION Orchard, while oozing a sophisticated, sexy Parisian vibe.

Despite the refreshed visual elements and revamped architecture, the brand’s identity hasn’t changed. The Marmalade Group decided to further develop their original concept of the quintessential modernist’s larder while staying true to their fundamental principle of serving good things to eat. Shareen Khattar, Managing Director of The Marmalade Pantry, explains that the new menu was designed to reflect what people are eating now: healthier, smarter and more variety.

To highlight this, there is an expanded list of yummy salads. The menu offers a tasting sampler of any three salads to share. The baby artichoke salad—with shaved fennel, pine nuts, parsley and lemon—had bright citrus flavours which makes a perfect palate-whetter. The nutty wild rice salad with chargrilled zucchini, granny smiths, cranberries, sunflower seeds and herbs packs a textural and flavour punch, bound together with an aromatic olive oil dressing. Another notable option is the beetroot salad; the juicy, crimson root is elevated with creamy ricotta and chevre, and sharp sweet slivers of onion and caramelized walnuts.