pianomania: One Holland Village

Saturday, 19 September 2026

SINGAPORE'S BUONA VISTAS: ONE HOLLAND VILLAGE

One Holland Village by night.
The old market and food centre is on the right.

This used to be a very big open-air car park. Bordering it was the Buona Vista / Holland Drive Swimming Complex and the chic district of Holland Village. After years of building and construction, One Holland Village has come up, an upmarket shopping and residential complex, one with interesting views of the old precinct and the HDB estates around it.

A sure sign this place is pet-friendly.

Our favourite canned food upsized.

Wait till you see this at night!

American glass artist Dale Chihuly's
Singapore Sun (2020).

The back of Lorong Mambong shophouses.

Third floor vista of One Holland Village.

One Holland Village itself is very photogenic, and its pet-friendly premises has art-pieces worth looking at the second time. Its social spaces extends to a common garden on the fourth floor where many young people are seen chillaxing - chilling and relaxing amid greenery.

Now for the fourth floor views.

Holland Village, old and new.

Star Vista is seen below the crane.

The views here are quite lovely, northward to the old Chip Bee estate and the condominiums rising beyond. Southwards, there is more construction taking place and one can catch a glimpse of the gigantic complex of Star Vista. The old Holland Village is barely recognisable now, but at least there are nice views to enjoy.

See what I mean about
being better looking at night?

Friday, 18 September 2026

SUKA MAKAN: VIETSMITH @ ONE HOLLAND VILLAGE

One Holland Village is a new big retail-residential complex occupying what used to be the big car park space that once served the Holland Village lifestyle district. Holland Village is far more gentrified than the Bohemian years of the 1970s and 80s which was a haunt of mine during my student years. One Holland Village is emblematic of that upswing in lifestyle, and prices have definitely gone northwards.

After deliberating on our dinner choices, we decided to go for Vietnamese cuisine, and VietSmith looked like the place which has pretty much all the dishes we liked. The Art of Pho proudly proclaimed a neon sign inside, and the pho bo did not disappoint.

I went for a hotplate steak dish served with a bread roll, and it resembled an all-day breakfast (sausage, egg, mushroom) with steak thrown in - quite delicious. We topped this with a squid stuffed with minced pork in a creamy curry sauce which went very well with the bread. Very filling too.