The latest brainchild from The Lo & Behold Group implemented by the talented Hui Designs studio, OverEasy Orchard marks the second chapter of the ongoing flourishing story written under the name ‘OverEasy’. Without being too traditional, designer Lim Siew Hui and her team have succeeded in creating a space that delivers the diner vibe and works equally well throughout the day, from serving breakfast at 11am to serving beer and cocktails in the evening.

The vibrant 1980’s seem to be an endless source of design inspiration, and OverEasy Orchard is a perfect example of this trend: curved ceilings and wooden seats, swivelling diner bar stools, illuminated round mirrors and upsized booth seats feature heavily in the interior, all of which have been custom-designed especially for this project. Influenced by the Memphis Design Movement, the Hui Designs team carefully incorporated elements such as linoleum tiles, a bubblegum colour scheme, graphic pillar wraps and a giant wall mural with geometric shapes of the once-hated 1980’s style into the roomy space. The distressed walls and columns add an element of contrasting roughness to the otherwise smooth interior. “Inspiration was drawn from the original silver trailer metal and Formica type diners, such as the Empire Diner in NYC, and borrowing elements and colour palette from the 1950’s and marrying them with 1960’s design sensibility, for a more mature appeal,” the designer points out.

And what makes OverEasy Orchard even more iconic? The fact that the same space used to house Singapore’s very first McDonald’s (which to this day holds the Guinness World Record for serving the highest volume of hamburgers on an opening day). As for the food, chef Jason Chong’s creative team is guaranteed to surprise with colourful decadent milkshakes that appear to be the shop’s ultimate hit along with the crowd’s straight favourite: the Beer Can Chicken. Mouth-watering diner classics and retro American-inspired cocktails complete the picture, offering an elevated yet cult diner experience.

Hui Designs and the The Lo & Behold Group have managed to merge the nostalgic all-time-classic diner era with the modern, current reality of a city that never sleeps, with the help of design and aesthetics. After all, no diner experience would be complete without a bright neon sign reading ‘‘Shake ‘Em Buns’’ hanging over the bar and a modern day jukebox allowing you to pick your own sentimental tunes via a mobile phone app.