By Verne Maree
Issue 88 - November 2009

You’ll recognise many of the products on the shelves of Cold Storage’s latest baby – ThreeSixty Market Place at swish new ION Orchard. Spokeswoman Veronica Zuzarte showed me around.

Why ThreeSixty?
The idea is to give our shoppers a 360-degree view of the world of food through an extensive and comprehensive range of international gourmet products – Albert Menes, Stonewall Kitchen, Canterbury Naturals, Green Grove Chocolates, Jules Ice Cream, Dean & Deluca, Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients, Georges French unpasteurised cheeses, Rougie foie gras and Fauchon, to name just a few.

I’m already salivating. Who is this beautiful place for?
It’s for the foodie who wants to pick up some special ingredients for a dinner party, or for when you are looking for a gourmet gift – there’s no better present than a comestible one. We stock all the everyday groceries and fresh produce, too, so you can also pick up your milk, your loo paper and a bag of apples for the kids at the same time.

I recognise most of the deli items from other Cold Storage outlets. But what’s this joint of Iberico black ham doing on top of the counter?
ThreeSixty has turned up the gourmet quotient a notch or two – you can get Parma ham at other Market Places, but Iberico only here, and it will be expertly carved off the bone for you. Next to it is a jar of Altauseer stone salt at $7.99 for 100g, one of our wide range of gourmet finishing salt.

Why is this kind woman pressing dark chocolate upon us?
She runs the Valhrona brand’s first store-within-a store in Asia. This is some of the best chocolate in the world. Again, it makes a wonderful gift. 

Tell me about this vast array of popcorn.
All the well-known brands are available, as you can see, but we also have the ZaraMama all-natural gourmet range of twelve different varieties of popping corn. They even have microwaveable cobs – kids love the way the corn pops right off the cob.

My goodness, $168 for a melon? Granted, I’ve never seen such exquisite patterning on the seven-dollar ones.
You’re looking at our seasonal Japanese fruit counter. Musk melons are traditionally given as gifts by the Japanese. They come in five grades, and this one, yama, is the second-highest grade.

Wild-caught fish? And what are those fleshy things suckered to the inner wall of the fish tank?
This counter looks different every day, depending on the catch, which is flown in four times a week from Australia. Today’s live oysters are from Coromandel; we also stock the French Fines de Claire and others. Those other shellfish are South African abalones, and those giant crabs in the tank below them have delicious flesh. And if we don’t have what you want, you can ask Amy here if she can source it for you.

Anything special for meat lovers?
On the exotic side we have venison and kangaroo fillet, and our dry-aged beef is exclusive to this store. What’s more, you can get your knives sharpened for free; along with highly trained and knowledgeable staff, home delivery, and lending you wine glasses for a party, it’s just part of the service.

ThreeSixty is on Level 4 of ION Orchard. If you’re driving, park on either Level 4 or Level 5,
and if you need help with your shopping bags, a staff member will carry them to the car for you.