As always, be assured that safe distancing and other precautionary measures are in place across our attractions, retail, F&B and service outlets for your health and safety. Don’t forget to observe good hygiene measures and practice safe distancing during your time at Changi. Stay safe!
If you haven’t heard, the latest talk of the town is the opening of the Changi Airport Connector - a 3.5km cycling and jogging path that links Changi Airport to East Coast Park and the rest of Singapore’s Park Connector Network. If you've been to Changi recently or stopped by the Changi pit stop while using the connector, you may have noticed the Hub & Spoke Café, a new glasshouse casual dining spot located just outside Terminal 2, opposite the Hub & Spoke Car Park (the former South Car Park). Apart from its extensive menu, there are a few things not a lot of people know about the café. We share some of these open secrets with you so the next time you’re there, do take some time out to appreciate the beauty surrounding the café. After you’re done exploring, head over to the terminals and Jewel for a fun-filled day with our eat, play, shop guide!
The ‘Hub & Spoke’ name has a double meaning
Look closely at the logo design – what do you see?
If you take a closer look at the logo of the café, it may have given you a hint about how its name came about. But alright, enough teasing. The name ‘Hub & Spoke’ has a double meaning to signify its function as a cyclist facility in an airport. How? Most major airports operate on the ‘hub & spoke’ model where airlines fly to ‘hub’ airports and from there, they serve smaller cities, also known as ‘spokes’. This is how Changi operates as well, being the hub airport that connects airlines and passengers to smaller, spoke cities. But what does that have to do with cycling? Well, on a bicycle wheel, a wheel hub is the centre of the wheel, and wheel spokes extend outwards to support the wheel rim – see below image for a better visualisation.
It is operated by home-grown brand Roast & Toast
Looking for affordable yet delicious western food? You’re in for a treat.
Not feeling western? Go for their classic local delights.
While cafés in Singapore are aplenty, it is not common to find cafés that offer a mix of western and local food choices as part of their menu. Operated by Roast & Toast, a relatively young start up founded by entrepreneur Jaryl Sim in 2018, they started off with their flagship café in Buangkok Square that serves quality and traditional coffee and tea paired with local delights. Led by a young and motivated team who are always pushing the boundaries, the Hub & Spoke café was born as an open kitchen concept café with a colonial-styled interior and where classic local delights meet with modern gastronomy.
Flip through their menu and you'll be spoilt for choice. Regardless of whether you’re craving for a piping hot bowl of laksa (S$6.90 pictured above) or simply feeling something more... brunch like post work out, the Hub & Spoke Café has something that caters to everyone. Other must-try items include the Chicken Chop (S$13.90 pictured above), and Prime Ribeye Steak ($19.90) - 200g of grilled, dry-rubbed steak served with chipotle maple glaze, roasted corn, and lemon and chimichurri sauce. As for drinks, their good ol’ Kopi (S$1.40) never disappoints. Or if you’re feeling something more refreshing, go for their range of Specialty Tea, or hop onto the bubble tea bandwagon and treat yourself with their Signature Taro Milk Tea (S$4.20) or Gula Melaka Avocado Shake (S$4.90).
The café is surrounded by beautiful flora and plants
Choose the seats outside and immerse yourself in nature with a cuppa.
Try to spot the large rounded fruits on the Cannonball Tree!
It wouldn’t feel like a part of Changi Airport if horticulture isn’t part of the experience. In true Changi fashion, the café is surrounded by a lush tropical landscape. Take a leisurely stroll through the garden just outside of the café and you will be able to spot many familiar and unique free-flowering plants. Keep a look out for the Cannonball Tree – a species native to Trinidad and the northern regions of South America. What’s unique about this tree is that the flowers and fruits bear along the trunk while most trees bear their flowers and fruits on the branches instead (and yes, the large rounded fruits look very much like cannonballs and thus the name!). Hang around a little longer from mid-morning to late afternoon during the warmest and sunniest time of the day and you’ll find butterflies, dragonflies, honeybees and caterpillars resting and having a field day on the plants.
You can live it up for the gram at these charming spots around the café
One of three green walls at Hub & Spoke.
For those of you who live for the gram, this is for you. While the café itself with its glasshouse exterior and colonial-style interior is already Instagram-worthy, there are a couple of other charming spots around the café where you can up your Instagram game. During the day, head over to the three green walls located just outside of the café which serve as an excellent backdrop for your next Instagram update. Fun facts: There are a total of 2,700 plants on the three green walls combined and our national flower ‘Vanda Miss Joaquim’ is among the landscape so try and spot it! At night, the café transforms itself into an intimate, romantic setting with lush carpet grass and fairy lights to complete the look. If you’re there for dinner, it’ll be worth it to snap a few shots if not for the gram, then for memories.
There is a full suite of amenities catered for cyclists and users of the park connector just next to the café
Showers are available for you to refresh and clean up post work out.
Showers, along with other amenities are located just outside of Hub & Spoke.
Looking for a place to recharge after your workout? Located just outside the Hub & Spoke Café, you’ll find shower facilities you can use to freshen up for a nominal fee (S$3 for one-time entry, S$5 for two-time entry). There is also a full suite of amenities for cyclists such as bicycle lockers which you can reserve up to two hours in advance. Bicycles can be stored for up to 10 days each time (S$5 per day). If you’re an avid cyclist, you can lock your bike in these secured lockers before you head over to the terminals or Jewel to shop and dine. Stopping over at the Hub & Spoke Café for a meal? You can use the complimentary bicycle parking to park your bike while you dine in peace. Other useful amenities include a D.I.Y bike pump and repair station, bicycle washing point, and even a vending machine that sells bike parts. Talk about a cyclist haven!
Secure your bike at the bicycle lockers while you explore the rest of Changi Airport.
Rinse dirt and grime off your bike at this washing point.
A bike pump and repair station is available if your bike needs a quick fix.
Bonus: Directions to Hub & Spoke
Getting to Hub & Spoke is not that straight forward as it’s not located within any of the terminals. If you’re thinking of visiting, follow these simple directions:
- If you are driving, head towards Terminal 2 and follow the signs in brown to Hub & Spoke (Jurassic Mile). Park at Hub & Spoke Car Park (the former South Car Park).
- If you are coming by public transport, Hub & Spoke is located nearest to Terminal 2 and you can follow the directional signs on ground.
- If you are cycling in or jogging from East Coast Park, head in the direction of the National Service Resort and Country Club (NSRCC) and MOE Changi Coast Adventure Centre. From there, continue your journey on the Changi Coastal Park Connector Extension and follow the park's directional signs.
Apart from visiting the terminals and Jewel, you can now explore Changi Airport in a different light – via wheels! With good food from the Hub & Spoke Café and life-sized dinosaurs at the Changi Jurassic Mile along the Changi Airport Connector, working out has never been so exciting and fun! Grab your family and friends and we’ll see you there!
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