The Mustafa Experience
a shopping hub, or haven?
Foreign Exchange service @ lvl 1
Image by: Mustafasingapore.net
You don’t so much as see a grand entrance on level 1 of Mustafa, as with other shopping malls. Instead, one sees the neon pink sign of the Mustafa Foreign Exchange just beside Exit 1. The money-changer is the most commonly-used service of Mustafa, and is located indoors – on basement 2 – and outdoors – on level 1. This strategic placement serves tourists well in case of last minute budget expansions, while not neglecting locals, who go for better exchange rates. In 1973, the Mustafa Foreign Exchange became the first-ever service to be offered, at the same time Mustafa moved into Serangoon Road and increased its range of products (Bhattacharya, 2011, p. 275). Perhaps this marked the start of the expansion – of the now retail giant – to other travel-related services, to cater to the tourism sector, and particularly tourists from the Indian subcontinent (Bhattacharya, 2011, p. 278). Most of these post-expansion services can be found on basement 2, alongside children’s toys and electronics.
Mustafa is a Shopping Hub;
 Mustafa Cafe |
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Mustafa Cafe @ lvl 1
Image by: TripAdvisor Singapore
A collection of retailing and consumer services designed to provide convenience and efficiency under the same roof. One such service available is the dining options: The Mustafa Cafe, with its outdoor seating that lines the walkway of outer-Mustafa, offers mouth-watering deep fried snacks; Kebabs’n Curries is available as a fancy alternative. For a moment, we couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same Mustafa we were at three levels down. This full-service rooftop restaurant features a glass dome, and doubles as an elegant venue for wedding events. The walkway leading to the restaurant rest in the water, and dim yellow lights with red velvet chairs radiate luxuriance. Here, time seems to slow down, and one cannot help but disconnect from the rest of Mustafa and its grab-and-go image. The restaurant, which serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian fusion food, serves as the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the retail scene beneath. As a waiter walked up to us, a thought came to mind: would it be a good time to be dine here? We considered not – perhaps another time, when we are dressed proper.