Comments on: The Vila’ge – Dining in a Village [Closed]

By: I WON A Philips Air Fryer with My Award Winning Recipe!!! | The B.L.E.A.H Blog

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:06:15 +0000

[…] of the dish: Marche’s market-style restaurent, Vila’ge (http://sparklette.net/food/the-vilage/), which previously had two branches in Singapore (Far East Square and Heeren mall) closed down […]

By: Veron

Veron — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:24:33 +0000

In reply to David. I may be wrong, but I think all the Vila'ge restaurants have closed!

By: David

David — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:06:05 +0000

The Vila’ge was closed at Heeren long time ago. Anyone knows where it moves to?

Thank you

By: Veron

Veron — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:48:57 +0000

Hey, you're a fellow ex-ACSian aren't ya? I sure do remember ya! I haven't realised that the Marché franchisee previously is also the same company that set up The Vi'lage! That sure explains why neither company has sued the pants off the other. The current Marché at VivoCity is a whole lot better than the old franchise and The Vi'lage. Read my review here! Thanks for the clarification! I have been waiting for this for a long time!

By: Alwyn

Alwyn — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:49:21 +0000

Hi, I stumbled into yr site (of which i have visited b4 yonks ago! or u can say… in days of yore!!) while searching for vilage on the net. Thought i could share some insight into some of the questions asked here. I frequent Marche at heeren & suntec a lot due to the Erdinger draft beer served.
Basically the “old” marche was a franchise licensed to a local company. When the franchise was up, the local company decided to go out on their own, therefore u see both concepts identical. :) The china sq branch was the 1st test outlet. It has since closed. So only the heeren branch is alive today. The marche in vivo is run by Marche HQ.

alwyn

By: Alwyn

Alwyn — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 01:38:32 +0000

Hey!

Just wanted to add some insight into the Marche Vs Village issue. I’m a regular at the old marche (heeren + suntec) maninly cause i like the Erdinger draft beer!! :)

Basically the marche rests were a franchise under license from Marche HQ. When the lease ran out…. the local company decided to use the concept but manage it on their own. Infact China Sq village outlet opened while the heeren marhce was still operating.

Marche HQ finally decided to move down the supply chain…..and setup their own rest to sell directly to customers.

I’ve visited the vivo city marche 2 x. I would say it’s more authentic in terms of the ingredients they use. No erdindger though…..but the Konig draft is pretty good. BTW they are all WiseBier (can’t spell)…. i.e. Wheat Beer! :)

Happy drinkin & the best is yet t be.

alwyn

By: Veron

Veron — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:44:35 +0000

Hey, that rock analogy seems to fit Singapore pretty well! The prison part especially… Not so sure about the F&B culture being a “diamond” unless you’re talking about just the hawker scene. The best food in Singapore is found at hawker centres IMO. Our restaurant dining culture and standards definitely have a lot of room for improvement.

And wow, 100+ merchants in your book already! Well done!

By: Edmund

Edmund — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:43:23 +0000

haha.. “tiny rock” is meant to be a play on the term used for Alcatraz Prison, also known as “The Rock”.. some people feel that Singaore is too controlled, restrictive and hence a ‘prison’… but at the same time, this ‘tiny rock’ is also considered a ‘diamond’ for its unique F&B culture.

Either way, life is what we make of it and i’m certainly enjoying life here in Sg, quite alot of interesting merchants, restaurants and things to do if one actually takes the time to explore and get away from work, office and stress..

As for your blog compared to my book.. well, your blog is interactive and has world-wide appeal and reach. My book is only applicable for those in Singapore, although they’ll find it useful with all the goodies and discounts provided by the 100+ merchants already featured inside ;)

By: Veron

Veron — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:02:46 +0000

I don’t think The Vila’ge bought over Marche. If they did, both parties seem pretty strong about keeping it secret (for the moment).

Edmund, I’m sure foodies would find your book to be far more useful than my blog!

And, uh, “tiny rock of Singapore”? I’ve heard “tiny red dot” or “tiny island”. But “tiny rock”? That’s a first!

By: Edmund

Edmund — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 03:26:18 +0000

yep, certainly concept cannot be sued in the eyes of the law (just think of all the similar men’s & women’s lifestyle magazines out there!), unless copyrights and trademarks are infringed.

Having said that, is Marche and Vilage really under the same management, or has Vilage bought over Marche? All i know is that the marketing manager of Marche left and is now working for Vilage (spoke to her regarding putting their restaurants in my publication)..

Anyway Veron, once again your blog is a treasure-trove of information, ideas, leads and feedback – especially for the F&B establishments. Might have to credit your blog in my book once its launched, muahaha..
~saves me from having to scour through all the latest magazines and print ads to find out what’s happening in the tiny rock of Singapore.

By: tigerfish

tigerfish — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:38:00 +0000

I did not know Marche closed its flagship in Heeren. Thx for keeping me updated…so many miles away.

By: Veron

Veron — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 07:18:11 +0000

Hey xxoos,

Oh! Looks like I missed out on those hot dogs (I had never noticed their presence. Shame!). Well the good news is, Marche is opening a restaurant at VivoCity in February or March. We can all look forward to that!

By: Veron

Veron — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 07:16:18 +0000

Hey think2ink,

I think those are just rumors! Both bosses of Marche and Vila’ge have vehemently denied that they are connected. Background checks have also shown that these two restaurants are in fact two separate entities run by different management and bosses.

By: Veron

Veron — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 07:13:13 +0000

Hey mervkwok,

It went too far though, to the extent that some people (like our scatter-brained friend above) thought that it’s still Marche!

By: xxoos

xxoos — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:52:30 +0000

there is one very very big difference (at least, to me)between vilage and marche at heeren. vilage discontinued the marche hot dog stand just outside the entrance. and the hot dogs there were good~

By: think2ink

think2ink — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:43:33 +0000

Well, just for the record, I heard both Marche and Vila’age share the same bosses, which makes sense because otherwise, the latter would have had their pants sued off by Marche years ago when the Far East Square outlet first opened!
Still, I’ve not been to either for a while. Now that you’ve posted those pictures, perhaps it’s time I go try out the sambal stingray too!

By: mervkwok

mervkwok — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 15:35:50 +0000

Brilliant. They change management and name that fools people into believing that a new makan place is in town but maintain the same look, feel, and style. Hahaha

By: Veron

Veron — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 05:39:47 +0000

Right on! Everything looks the same! And yet they try to stop people from copying their copied concept by banning photography. I was quite peeved at that.

By: Brennan

Brennan — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 05:35:35 +0000

I smell non-originality. If The Village wants to stand out from the shadows of Marche, it should create a unique theme of their own. The ambience still looks the same!

By: Veron

Veron — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:27:30 +0000

Hey scatter-brained,

LOL you are scatter-brained indeed! Oops, can I say that?

About Crystal Jade, their brand name is so ingrained in people’s minds, I don’t think any other restaurant can easily “take over” its market share. There are a number of similar Chinese restaurants, such as Din Tai Fung. But at least the concept isn’t copied as blatantly as The Vila’ge is from Marche.