The Vila’ge – Dining in a Village [Closed]

Tucked at the basement of The Heeren, The Vila’ge sits where Marché used to. Most people would probably not even notice the difference since the two restaurants share an identical look and concept. The Vila’ge is pronounced “vee-lah-jey”. Until very recently, I had thought it was simply pronounced and spelled “the village”! But firstly, here’s a bit of history behind these two restaurants. Marché opened its first restaurant at the Heeren in 1997, boasting a European village dining concept, and a second one at Suntec City Mall some time after. 7 years later, The Vila’ge opened its first restaurant at China square with an identical concept. It became Marché’s direct competitor. In 2006, Marché closed its flagship restaurant at the Heeren, and The Vila’ge took over the same floorspace. So, how different from Marché would The Vila’ge be? As it turns out, not too different! Both restaurants employ a similar “cashless” system where every diner is given a bar coded card. When we order our food and drinks from any of the twenty-ish stations, our purchase is recorded onto the card. Payment is made only upon leaving. The similarities do not end there. I had dined at Marché (the Heeren [...]