Meet the founders of Fura, a new sustainable bar on Amoy Street

Jul 25, 2023

Read how Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa are creating new ways to eat and drink more sustainably with their new cocktail bar, Fura

Fresh off the closure of their first plant‑forward bar concept Mallow at Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay, Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa are ready to introduce their second venture: Fura. Meaning “pine” in Swedish, the new cocktail bar has opened on Amoy Street on August 1, with plans to launch its more food‑focused restaurant later on.

Championing what the pair calls “collaborative survival”, a term and philosophy distilled from their time operating Mallow, Fura leans on a conscious way of living. Apart from being aware of provenance and including more plant‑based options in meals, the business and life partners want to bring the conversation further by adding to their repertoire invasive species that have thrown ecosystems off‑kilter.

Bringing along with them the previous format of an à la carte and tasting menu to go with batch‑made concoctions using spirits from EcoSpirits, Fura will continue to showcase both their expertise in equal parts. In R & D, both are not confined to their respective vocation and help each other with completing a dish or a cocktail. “You feel [that the menu] is cohesive because both of us have worked [on] both ends,” says Rasmussen. But this time, they are shaking off labels such as “plant‑based” and “plant‑forward”, and giving a new genre to their cuisine: “future foods”.

Read more: 16 most sustainable restaurants and bars in Singapore

Motivated by her mother’s obstinacy to change practices stemming from traditions and culture, Wijidessa wants a space unfettered by history and rituals. “We want to create new ways of eating and drinking that make sense of the climate we have now,” she explains. Apart from meat, dairy and eggs, there are no limits to the alternative forms of protein they are open to using. From widespread crop destruction due to desert locust infestation spawned by heavy rainfall from Cyclone Mekunu to the increasing jellyfish blooms disrupting marine life, the planet is showing the strain in resources and the couple have taken notice. Rasmussen’s dishes will incorporate insect proteins, while Wijidessa has been researching on using jellyfish in her tipples.

Leading by example, their approach to Fura’s operations and design put sustainability front and centre. They are speaking to producers, both locally and regionally, who participate in vertical farming or hydroponics to grow vegetables, mushrooms and cacti, and can deliver with less packaging waste. Inside, the 40‑seater watering hole may feature plant leather upholstery, with furnishings made from coffee husks or sawdust, and even lampshades made out of red cabbage.

Driving their relentless pursuit of an authentically sustainable business is their shared sense of justice for a better world—one of the reasons for their magnetism to each other and compatibility at work. Both are no strangers to sustainability: Rasmussen was head forager at René Redzepi’s restaurant Noma before joining The Ark Collection, a Danish plant‑based, conscious dining group, while Wijidessa headed Operation Dagger, a cocktail bar in Singapore with a sustainable ethos, before flying to Copenhagen to join Empirical, a flavour company co‑founded by a former head of R & D at Noma.

In all aspects of their lives, they have adopted the practice of reducing waste, from using bamboo cutlery sets when they dine out to opting for an engagement ring made of recycled gold and conflict‑free, lab‑grown diamonds. At Fura, they apply the same discipline to the cause, but know it is not for everyone. “We don’t want people to change their lifestyle or diet, [we just want to introduce the] understanding that everything you do and touch has an impact on earth,” says Wijidessa.

And the first step to changing mindsets, no matter how incremental, is to serve the message with a big spoonful of fun. Modelled after their exuberant selves, the atmosphere in Fura will be “casual and fun”, with the occasional DJ set and collaborations with like‑minded creatives within the industry and beyond. Their hope: to popularise living consciously and with intention.

The space will take on a sense of fluidity as it evolves in shape and form in response to global environmental movements. For now, the cocktail bar is the duo’s trojan horse to accomplish the monumental task of re‑educating the masses and they remain optimistic. “Whoever wanted it to be easy?” jokes Rasmussen.

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Credits

Images

Cover photo: Frenchescar Lim

Images

Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa

Grooming

Angel Gwee

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