The U Factory

Pop up stores are gonna be the hot thing in 2014 and what’s sizzling right now is The U Factory at Gillman Barracks. Little known to the public, Gillman Baracks is a gem that houses renowned art galleries and couldn’t be a better fit for The U Factory, a temporal experimental platform that cuts across art, film, music, food, design and culture.
From Nov 2013 to Jan 2014, the people behind Underscore magazine together with creative consultancy HJGHER have curated a series of activities exhibitions, events, workshops, parties and ‘happenings’ in the three blocks of space, Block 37 — 39. I recently checked out what they have to offer, starting with the Boiler Room at Block 39, which houses the f&b outlets Maison Ikkoku, Rakusaba, The Travelling C.O.W., and the Bakers League. Food first as always.
The Travelling C.O.W has come up with their version of the Ramen Burger, which consists of two golden crisp ramen patties and filled with some succulent meats, paired with a secret dressing. The Bulgogi Beef burger is a crowd pleaser, a mild sweet juicy burger. I liked the Spicy BBQ Chicken, which is more savory than spicy. The sauce provided the right amount of flavors for the otherwise bland noodle patty. More could be done to the consistency of the fried noodles, but when golden brown, it goes great with the saucy gravy. Skip the Mushroom Fricasse, instant mushroom noodles would have tasted better. Burgers are going for about $ 9.
Somen with Laksa Dipping Sauce by Rakusaba. So here is a wheat and egg noodles, served with a super lemak (coconut) dipping sauce that is very creamy. Interesting texture from the noodles but the sauce was lacking in flavors. Of the condiments, Preparazzi’s signature salmon otak otak gratin and a soft boiled egg topped with «heibi hiam» (spicy dried shrimps) were delicious. I expected the same umami charsiew flavor in the pork belly but found the meat bland and on the tough side. The finishing prawn and pork broth that was added to the laksa sauce after the meal was bland as well. But overall, an interesting dish. Just not sure if it warrants the $ 22 price tag.
Mind you, there are limited bowls of noodles. We were made to share 1 bowl because there weren’t enough and all bowls were sold out at 3pm on a Saturday. I’m not sure if they do replenish for dinner.
The Monocle Shop, Control Tower, Block 37
Not to be missed is the Monocle Shop, the largest pop up in the world. Get your hands on the Monocle x Porter bags, along with their Monocle’s Guide to Better Living.
Assembly Hall, Block 38
Get an art education at Assembly Hall, Block 38, which houses international exhibitions by Shigeki Fujishiro and Design Hotels, as well as local installations by Aiwei Foo, Lekker and Kult.
I really liked the vibe of Gillman Barracks and i think the concept of U Factory is great. If you don’t fancy the food here, you can always pop by the Naked Finn which is located in the same area.

The U factory is a pop-​up space curated by Underscore Magazine spread across 3 buildings in the Gillman Barracks. There are a series of workshops, talks, and exhibitions going on at any single given time.
During my first visit, there was a store selling Ramen burgers and someone else selling a modern interpretation of Laksa. There is also coffee available in the Monocle pop-​up (Building 37) as well as as the Maison Ikkoku popup (Building 39).
Do come here before their lease is over. You’ll probably find something new and interesting that you might never encounter elsewhere in Singapore.