Ann Siang Hill

Original Photo here

by Reizz

I always wanted to visit this area. Today I got the chance because I am drawing a map of the place. And this is where I found K Ki, which has been blogged about by so many people. Now I know why it is so well-liked.

I liked the place the moment I enter the place. The MUJI style of furnishing gives a soothing, calming effect, this is a quaint cafe with a touch of rustic Zen filled with artistic creativity. The beverages are not expensive with affordable prices around $3-$4. Their cakes are more pricey though, $5.50 for a Cheese Souffle to $8.00 for the famed Antoinette/ Mont Blanc.

Alot of effort seemed in be put into the cakes even to the point of putting them into the displkay cabinet. There is this man with beard probably the owner who puts the cakes onto the display counter carefully. He does not mix different cakes together when unlike some bakeries.

The cakes looked very pleasant, I see some effort was being made to make them tiny pieces of art. (they are literally tiny, but I can't wait to try them). I wasn't here to eat though because of time constraints. So I bought one as a gift for my teacher.

Despite gathering a certain amount of fame in the food realm. The service here is very friendly and thoughtful, I was being greeted by the staff even when one of them was busy. The man with beard (how I wish I know his name instead of using calling him the "man with beard") asked me whether I would be travelling for a long time outside in the sun when I mentioned it is a take-away and told me that the Antoinette would melt if it wasn't consumed within 2.5 hours outside in the hot weather. He also offered to add an ice pack and and pasted the cake's base (the gold coloured card holding the cake) onto the box in order to prevent it from sliding. The box is custom made and is quite beautiful (my art teacher loves it).

I will definitely come back to K Ki again for an afternoon tea. Even the lady at the Drom Store was very friendly. I read that the rents at Ann Siang Hill has risen again, hopefully K ki is doing well admist the rising rents.

Ann Siang Hill has other restaurants too. LÁngelus, Senso, Seven On Club, Le Carillion, The Screening Room etc are all located here.

The hill itself is a historical site once covered with the Clover and Nutmeg plantations.

Genmill Lane is the home to Singapore's first public water fountain which was been moved to National Museum.

There is this Chinese Weekly Entertainment Club established since 1891 and there are alot of shophouses that are worth looking at, some with the old Art Deco style, some with roof balconies etc, it is a architecture haven.

I want to use this opportunity to share tiastudio's sketches of Club Street.

"Ann Siang Hill was originally known as Scott's Hill and was owned by Charles Scott who cultivated a nutmeg and cloves estate on it. He sold it to John Gemmil who re-christened the place as Gemmil's Hill.

The hill's name was changed again when it came to be owned by Chia Ann Siang, around the turn of the 20th century and the hill was renamed as Ann Siang Hill. A Cantonese burial ground, one of the oldest Chinese burial grounds in Singapore, used to be located at the foot of this hill where it met Mount Erskine and was in use until 1867. This graveyard was exhumed in 1907 and a portion of it was developed as a part of the Telok Ayer reclamation project.

In the 1890s, when this hill was known as Gemmil Hill, a Malay college and high school was moved to this place from Telok Blangah to provide education to the son of the Temenggong of Johor and other young tungkus and ungkus.

Apparently Ann Siang Hill and Ann Siang Road, being situated atop a hill, did not probably share the camaraderie of the 19th century Chinatown with its hustle and bustle and was a rather quiet, predominantly residential, place. The roads, presently, are under the Chinatown conservation area. "

- http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_329_2005-01-20.html