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In May I was approached by my friends at Ink Publishing to shoot the cover feature for the July/August 2014 edition of Tiger Airways' Tiger Tales Asia inflight magazine.

My creative brief was to photograph five food and beverage establishments that have a "dual personality" -- that operate as local hawker stalls by day and then transform into high-end restaurants and bars at night.  As writer Celine Asril says, "Kopi-O or craft spirits?  Mee pok or a fancy omakase set?  In parts of Singapore where old-school kopitiams and high-end F&B outlets share the same space, it all depends on which time of day you turn up."

Not only is multi-purposing spaces a clever idea, it has become a business imperative in parts of Singapore such as Tiong Bahru, where operating costs have rapidly increased in recent years.  As Celine explains, "Built in the 1930s, Tiong Bahru recently underwent a makeover that saw it ascend to the ranks of the Lion City’s hippest enclaves (including making Vogue's recent list of 'The World's Coolest Neighbourhoods').  But the area’s gentrification didn’t come without a cost.  In the face of forays by businesses catering for the affluent, the modest eateries that put the neighbourhood on the map in the first place

were in danger of being pushed out.  Rather than enter into a conflict that would have proved beneficial to no one, however, a compromise was reached.  By splitting the cost of renting their retail spaces with high-end bistros and bars, the owners of these time-tested stalls managed to stay in business while simultaneously helping preserve the area’s old-school flavour."

The first location I photographed, the iconic coffee shop at 56 Eng Hoon Street, which becomes Two Face Pizza & Taproom every evening at dusk, was the first of these dual-purpose food and beverage outlets to open.  However, as owner Victor Tan says in Celine's article, "I felt the use of the space could be improved.  I never thought I’d be starting a trend.”

But start a trend Victor did...

I photographed four more F&B establishments that serve two uses, depending on the time of day one visits: Tiong Bahru's Dough & Grains (bakery) and Backdoor @ Seng Poh (pub), Hua Bee (hawker stall) and Bincho (yakitori-ya restaurant), Tanjong Pagar's Manicurious (nail salon) and Jekyll & Hyde (cocktail bar) and Shoebox Canteen (eatery) and Bitters & Love (cocktail bar) in Chinatown.

It was a fun assignment to shoot as it gave me an opportunity to capture the same places twice -- both before and after their evening transformations -- which was an enjoyable creative challenge for me.  It was also fantastic to meet so many young and interesting local entrepreneurs who are following their passions and dreams in Singapore's competitive hospitality industry.

Read the entire 'Double Happiness' cover feature in Tiger Tales Asia.