Tembusu

2026 opening record. Confirm current status

Tembusu is a 'Borderless Straits' dining house in the Ginger Garden of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, at 1 Cluny Road — Singapore's first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the newest concept from Fleursophy Group, founded by Nicole Chen. It soft-opened on 3 August 2026; the press release gives an official launch of 3 September 2026 and a main menu served from 8am to 9pm. The name is not decorative. The native tembusu appears on the reverse of Singapore's five-dollar note, and the best-known specimen in the Gardens is estimated at more than 200 years old. The group describes the interior as 'Straits Maximalism': illustrated surfaces climbing the walls and pitched ceiling, dark beams cutting through scenes of foliage and figures, woven pendants hung at different heights, sculptural fans and monumental timber columns rising through the rooms. A crimson-and-cream painted passage wraps walls and ceiling between rooms, and the house opens into a garden-facing conservatory framed by tall black window grids. The opening menu starts with Homemade Kaya Pullman Toast and Tembusu Nasi Lemak — chicken leg berempah, blue-pea basmati rice, house sambal, achar and a sunny-side egg — then travels: Squid Ink Claypot Rice with pacific abalone, sakura ebi, beijing cabbage and sweet white corn; Udon Laksa with Andaman sea prawn, surimi, sakura ebi and quail egg; an Otak-Otak Slider with kaffir lime aioli on a toasted brioche bun; and deboned Stuffed Chicken Wings, grilled and served with Hainanese chilli. Modern Nanyang Brews use Gia Lai Highlands beans roasted in Singapore. A launch gift programme runs in two acts, while stocks last: a hand fan with S$60 spend from 3 to 17 August, then a tote bag with S$80 spend and a foldable umbrella with S$180 spend from 3 to 10 September. Fleursophy's own site confirms Nicole Chen as founder and lists sibling brands Café de Nicole's Flower, Le Jardin, Under Der Linden, Ce Soir, Ember and Yānhuo. Two caveats belong with this listing. Forkin found no dated independent editorial coverage of Tembusu's opening as at 11 August 2026, so the description above rests on the venue's own material. And the NParks Singapore Botanic Gardens dining page, last updated 7 August 2026, does not list Tembusu; for the Ginger Garden it lists The Bloomhouse by Little Farms, which CNA Lifestyle reported on 29 July 2026 had taken over the former Halia restaurant space. Forkin therefore records the address without a unit number and makes no claim about which structure Tembusu occupies, or about any previous tenant. No editorial stamp and no Forkin Score has been issued.