E!hub At Downtown East

It was definitely good news that E!hub finally opened to the public. A new mall with cinemas was certainly something to rave about for people living in Pasir Ris, as the nearest movie theater had previously been a train ride away. E!hub is just a short walk, about 10 minutes, from the Pasir Ris MRT station.

The cinema is the newest under Cathay's umbrella of cineplexes in Singapore and with the delightful experiences I had with Cineleisure Orchard and The Cathay at Handy Road, I went there with high expectations. Watching movies is one of the things I like to do. Especially so during the lazy, rainy days where jogging or biking is out of the question unless I was determined, for some strange reason, to end up in bed with flu.

We took Bus 354 in the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange and got off at the first bus stop. (As an alternative, you can take Bus 358 EAST LOOP. The west loop takes you to the opposite direction.) We went to the fourth story of E!hub mall where the cinemas are located. I was a bit worried about missing the first few minutes of the movie because there was a queue at the counter designated for online bookings. Turns out the lady behind the counter was also entertaining patrons who chose to buy tickets right there and then. As the person in front of me made up his mind on what time to watch the show, I vowed to myself to be there ahead of time during my next movie date.


Everything was great after that. We made it on time and the movie was good. The cinema smelled fresh and clean, the seats were comfortable and there was ample leg room — the things you expect cinemas to get right. The only minor inconvenience I found is that there are no toilets inside the theater and you have to lose five precious minutes of movie time if you really had to go.

At first I was complaining that there weren't too many things to see at this particular mall — not too many shops, not too many restaurants, etc. — until I realized it was simply living up to it's name. As an entertainment complex, the E!hub is a winner. Here are the reasons why:

• Ferris Wheel - The sight of this 25-m high, candy-coated-like structure definitely gives kids a reason to cry until their parents let them try it out at least once.
  
  
• nEbO City - Located at the 4th level, nEbO City was designed as a place for the youth to hang out with friends. There's Zone X for the arcade game players. There are internet kiosks for those who can't get enough of the cyber world. There also trading posts for young entrepreneurs who wish to showcase and sell stuff.
  
  
• eXplorerkid Indoor Family Park - Located at the 3rd level, this is a themed indoor playground for children under 12.
  
  
• K Box - "K" is for karaoke. Sing you heart out! But make sure to place a reservation ((+65) 6581 3113) so you can attend your own jam-packed concert.
  
  
• Orchid Bowl - Where there's bowling, there's billiards. Buzzzzzzzzzzz! Wrong! At least you can concentrate on practicing your bowling technique and go for breaking Paeng Nepomuceno's World Cup and Guiness records.

If you like sunsets, simply head to the parking area when the time is right.