Surrey Hills Grocer is a new Australian grocer and cafe located in west Singapore, opposite the SAFTI military camp. We stopped by to see what Australian food is available in store and on the cafe menu.
It was a long drive to get to Surrey Hills Grocer. It is 8 minutes walk from Joo Koon MRT station. It is located in a complex named D’Arena. It seems to be an oasis of colourful commercial activity in the middle of the grey Jurong industrial zone. D’Arena houses some serviced apartments and a range of f & b and leisure businesses. Gym, go-karting, swimming, badminton halls are some of the sports and recreational options there. Several cafes and restaurants are available eg Tung Lok Seafood, Dips cafe, Douraku Sushi, Ha Ha Hotpot and of course the Surrey Hills cafe. I suppose the residents in the area will benefit from having a grocer at their doorstep.
The Surrey Hills Grocer
Surrey Hills Grocer is smaller than we had expected. Being located in such a far-flung location we had expected a mega mart type of place which would benefit from lower rentals. But it turned out to be a compact and cosy grocery store.
Some of the fresh food and produce are from Australia. The Aussie vegetables such as eggplants and fennels look lush and fresh. Australian yogurt is also available as well as a range of herbs and spices.
We were not expecting Australian abalones. But they stood out in the shelves with the deep red packaging – very appropriate and timely as Chinese New Year gifts. There is a section of Australian wine, but the range of wines was surprisingly small considering the popularity of Aussie wines in Singapore.
Surrey Hills Cafe
The Surrey Hills Grocer cafe occupies the space right outside the store. It has a casual, relaxed feel of an Australian cafe. Although it is an all day cafe, the real food is served only during meal hours of 11am – 3 pm and 6 to 9 pm. Only snacks and drinks are available in between.
Here is a picture of the Surrey Hills Grocer cafe menu. It is a short menu containing some cafe food staples such as sandwich, burgers and pasta. They serve Proud Mary coffee which, I understand, is famous and well-regarded Down Under.
Food and Coffee
We visited during an off peak period and our food choices were limited to these pastries on display. There is a large coffee and pastry combo deal for $10. We had a cinnamon chocolate pastry with a large cappuccino combination and a regular coffee ($5). The pastry tasted good but not exceptional. We had high expectations of the Proud Mary coffee and it did not disappoint. It was rich and creamy without any bitter or sour taste.
Overall, The Surrey Hills Grocer cafe is a pleasant place to eat or have coffee in the Jurong area. We don’t think we will travel all the way there to buy our groceries or to eat but it will be a destination that comes to mind if we happen to be in the area.
Surrey Hills Grocer is re-located to The Woodleigh Mall (11 Bidadari Park Dr, #01-52/53,
Singapore 367803) and opens on Mondays – Sunday (10am to 10pm).
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
Share this:
Discover more from The Ordinary Patrons
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.