Housed within the inconspicuous Singapore Polytechnic Graduates Guild, or SPGG as it is lovingly known, is a surprisingly refreshing casual western diner next to the clubhouse’s 25m free form style swimming pool with a cascading waterfall. Called Oasis Hideout, both the name and the location befit its overall laid-back concept and hidden location. At once a place to hide away from the bustle of city living, the diner also serves as a daily meeting point for the city’s working professionals who head to its poolside location in seeking an oasis to quench their thirst.
First conceptualised by a group of 4 friends who came together to create a more affordable yet of a better standard Western menu than currently found at low- and mid-tier prices, Oasis Hideout is the fruit of their labour and brotherhood, and also the starting point for greater things to come.
“Oasis Hideout is a place that allows me to be myself and to use business as a means of expression and to expend my energy into. As a fully standalone F&B outlet, we are in charge of the entire space – we have to be creative in marketing it, caring for it, cleaning it and manage a full range of activities that a full-scale restaurant would require. It is very different from our other stalls within coffeeshops or hawker centres where the landlords would take care of many aspects of F&B service,” reflects Antonio Tay, Chef-Owner and Managing Director of GALO, the parent company of Oasis Hideout. Thrown into the deep end of the pool with no prior experience except in running two hawker stalls, Antonio and his friends had to quickly learn what this 60-seater outlet required of them, and to execute those plans in order to survive. As the business grew, Antonio, his friends and his team likewise grew in their own capabilities. They became better chefs, better marketers and better operations managers.
Antonio adds, “Over time, I also realised that Oasis Hideout would be a perfect training ground for some of our loyal employees who wanted to learn more and upgrade themselves. Some of them saw Oasis Hideout as the pinnacle of their careers – to serve in a full-fledged restaurant. I could not expect them to serve in the hawker stalls or coffeeshops for all their lives, right? So this gave me renewed energy to do better and truly build up this company into one that offers a full range of F&B outlets that different staff could find fulfilment and career satisfaction in.” Galo is the parent company of Oasis Hideout and two other outlets in coffeeshops under the Antonio’s brand that employ about 30 staff at present, with a majority of low-wage workers with barely any education. Galo plans to franchise the Antonio’s brand and provide livelihood for more low-wage workers, and to open more outlets of mid- to high end-tiers market in order to continue providing stable livelihoods for their workers and families.
Oasis Hideout – A Special Blend of Western and Asian Flavours of Hawker Heritage
Oasis Hideout’s menu is a special blend of Western and Asian flavours developed in part due to Antonio’s hawker heritage, such as the Premium Meltique Beef on Sizzling Hot Stone served with sautéed potatoes and stir-fried brinjal and long beans with sambal, and the ever-popular Laksa Seafood Pasta – a seafood Aglio Olio drizzled in shallot oil and fried with Laksa spices then topped with sunny side up egg and the Tom Yam Seafood Pasta, a creamy rich tom yam broth mixed with pasta to create a spicy, sour, sweet and savoury taste. The full menu is comprehensive with over 100 items, and the team constantly innovates to find new recipes and winning combinations that align with their customers’ palates.
“Creating the Western menu was a good challenge for myself and my chefs. It was something new, something interesting for us to play with and improve ourselves as chefs. I hope that more Singaporeans will find our oasis and support us. We welcome feedback and are game to try new ideas and recipes. Who knows? We may end up with 10 new F&B concepts that will help us build Galo and fulfil our mission to provide advancement opportunities for F&B staff. F&B is a tough business, but I believe that if one keeps innovating and learning, one will ultimately succeed,” enthuses Antonio.
