In this fast-paced day and age, a modern marvel that hardly gets the praise it deserves is the humble convenience store. There are a couple of chains out there on the Little Red Dot, but the unmistakable orange, green, and red stripes of 7-Eleven have come to this writer’s aid more times than he can count.
From quelling late-night belly rumbling to providing thirst-quenching relief from the heat with their daily $1 deals, their stores might be small, but they’ve always been a reliable one-stop shop for almost all your needs. So when we were invited to have a tour of their massive The House of Eden outlet, we were in for a treat.
Here’s everything we saw on our trip to the 2-story-tall outlet, and the new offerings you can expect to discover at your local 7-Eleven store in the near future.
Getting to the 7-Eleven outlet at The House of Eden is easy, especially if you work in the vicinity of the CBD. It’s located right outside Raffles Place MRT station, beside The House of Eden; simply exit the station via Exit F, and you’ll be right at the doorstep of the convenience store.
If you’re taking the bus, you’ll be glad to know that there is a bus stop, Raffles Pl Stn Exit F (stop ID: 03031), outside the 7-Eleven store. Buses that make stops here include bus no. 10, 70, 100, 107, 130, 196, 648, and 650 to name a few.
The 7-Eleven store at The House of Eden might look unassuming at first glance, but you’ll notice a flight of stairs on your left the moment you enter, leading up to a Chill Out Zone. But let’s have a gander at what this zhng’ed up convenience store has to offer on its ground level first.
For those who’ve got a whole night of partying ahead of them, perhaps pre-drinking here isn’t a bad idea at all, considering the fact that the store has a DIY drinks bar. The selection is pretty impressive, so there’s plenty to throw into your personal concoctions here. Don’t scoff at the mini bottles of liquor; the ones by 99 Bananas and 99 Apples are about 49.5% ABV.
For some fruity flavour, cut open a sachet of Korean pouch drinks, which have garnered much popularity in convenience stores back in Korea. Mixers such as Red Bull and Schweppes make the liquid courage that much easier to go down the hatch, and there are cans of 7-Eleven’s own Strong Sours to chug if you don’t feel like getting experimental.
Unfortunately, Japan’s legendary FamiChiki has yet to land on our soil, but 7-Eleven’s got us covered with a yummy alternative. Bigger 7-Eleven outlets here in Singapore house a heated food section, with warmer displays enticing customers to grab a paper bag to dabao snacks to munch on.
The House of Eden outlet’s displays had sumptuous bites like spicy and non-spicy Chicken Cutlets ($3), Chicken Nuggets ($4), as well as sweet treats such as Mini Donuts (from $2.50/5 pieces). They’ve even got a small dim sum section, with Paus from $1 each and Chicken Siew Mai costing $0.80 each.
Keep an eye out for promos such as this Mix & Match Value Combo deal from just $3.50 that’s sure to leave you satiated.
Of course, we’ve got to give 7-Eleven’s impressive range of ready-to-eat meals a shout-out too. You can’t go wrong with their iconic Egg & Cheese Sandwich ($3.60) for a bite on the go in the morning, and for something more substantial, heat up their Butter Chicken Biryani ($5) or Macaroni & Cheese ($5) meals.
We were told that 7-Eleven is stepping up its efforts to place more heated food sections at more of their larger outlets, and that they’re constantly innovating when coming up with new recipes for their instant meals. For instance, they’ve changed up how they prepare their Butter Chicken Biryani, recently refreshing a recipe that’s not been altered for years.
You’ll need a spot to eat your nosh, and thankfully there’s a small seating area on the first level of The House of Eden’s 7-Eleven outlet, in case the ones above are all occupied. There are only 4 seats here, so things might get a little crowded during peak hours, but we can’t really complain as most convenience stores don’t even have dedicated seats for customers to dine in.
But should you chance upon these seating areas within 7-Eleven, you might notice that they’ve been turned into Take 5 Spots; pick up these countertop stands to see for yourself.
You’ll find Take 5 Spots at over 60 7-Eleven outlets in Singapore with dine-in spaces.
The Take 5 Spot is a new initiative by 7-Eleven to make your visit to their stores that much more meaningful. Since you’re already here, they’re inviting you to linger a little longer to catch your breath and steel yourself for whatever you’re hustling for. It also ties in nicely with the upcoming World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated on 10th October annually.
As such, pick a stand and follow its instructions to perform simple breathing exercises by tracing a finger on the arrows. With how overbearing work or school can get in Singapore, we could all use the mental reset. There are also QR codes to scan that will lead you to HealthHub’s MindSG website, which is filled with tools and resources to help you manage your mental well-being.
We counted at least 9 barrel-like tables to chill at.
If you’re looking for a cosy spot to hunker down for a bit, head upstairs to the store’s Chill Out Zone. Done up in collaboration with Coca-Cola, it’s essentially a lounge area with even more seats where you can dig into your meals or bust out your laptops to get some work done.
The space occasionally gets decorated with new Coca-Cola promotional materials; on our visit, we saw a huge photo spot with BTS’ V, who was named a brand ambassador for the soft drink. There’s also a cheeky installation near the stairs, with a replica road sign and a faux vending machine showcasing Coke bottle designs over the years.
When it comes to unusually large 7-Eleven outlets in Singapore, the one at The House of Eden can’t be beat. But even if you’re not patronising it, you can look forward to the new Take 5 Spots that might be coming to a 7-Eleven store near you. After all, taking a moment to gather your bearings while chowing down on a freshly heated meal is perfect for combating a hectic day.
For more things to do in Singapore:
Photography by Shirlynn Koh & Ashley Hoon.
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