Nex

Women shopping for bras at a «Crazy Sale» (see pic). US$ 1.55 for a bra? Incredible.
They stared at me funny when I (a guy) started pulling some bras from the pile to check out bra and cup sizes and to ensure these bras conform to standard specifications. I was going to offer some women here some fitting advice, but I doubt that would have gone down well.

I come here quite regularly and even though I’m used to the layout, I still find it complicated at times when walking around, not the most shoppers-​friendly layout especially during crowded period. It can be a challenge trying to use the escalator especially the ones near Snigger shop.
On the positive, there are many shops in this mall and you be spoilt for choices, especially «makan» (eating) time. This mall and Serangoon MRT station has definitely made Serangoon Central more exciting than before and not only this, you can also bring pets to this mall using the allocated lifts to the top floor and there is a library too.
So there should be something for everyone! Avoid coming on weekends, it can be very crowded. In fact, avoid driving to this mall, Take either a bus or MRT there instead. Driving there will probably drive you nuts. Drove them once and never again!

Okay, hear me out. Based on the stores and food options, Nex is 3 stars, as it’s just like any other neighbourhood mall in Singapore. It’s huge and it really caters to the people who live in Serangoon; everything that they have here, you can find in town.
However, I was surprised at some of the amenities that are included in this mall, specifically on the rooftop level:
1) There is the Serangoon Public Library. Mid-​day on Tuesday it was busy, with people of all ages gettin’ some knowledge. I couldn’t help but notice there were also a lot of school kids waiting outside the movie theatre one floor below… who wants to guess that they told their parents they’re «at the library»? :-P
2) Similar to Westgate, there is a small water park for kids to play in! If I were a 5 year old I’d be begging my parents to take me there every day. :-)
3) They even have a dog park! Yes, on the roof of the mall! But I was a bit sad that it was only for «small dogs». Not sure where they draw the line for bigger dogs, though they did have a sign that showed what kind of dogs had to be muzzled at all times. So that’s why there are designated pet lifts throughout the mall…
On top this, they have a movie theatre and even a Party World KTV, which is open until 2 AM daily.
Nex is conveniently located above the Serangoon MRT, where the Circle Line and North East Line meet. Pretty good neighbourhood mall, considering the amenities!

Conveniently located above the Serangoon interchange. Nice mall with a good selection of shops, food court and restaurants. Nothing spectacular but great for picking up every day needs. The parking during weekend is terrible but so is everywhere else…

It’s great that they finally allow us to bring pets to shopping centers, alas, I feel that more can be done to make it even more pet friendlier.
Firstly, to get to the dog park located on the roof area, you’ve got to take a special designated lift to get there. And once you get there, you’ve got to be careful of other dogs who are running lose, despite signs saying that they’ve to be leashed.
The most annoying thing about the dog park, is that parents just allow kids to come in unsupervised. Which is dangerous as they might provoke the dogs unknowingly. The artificial grass there is also fairly dirty as there’s not much effort to clean up the place and the onus falls on owners to keep it clean.

The place is a-​maze-​ing. Hur hur.
Everytime I’m there, I feel like I’m surrounded by hoardes of people and shops and more people. I can find my way around the mall to save my life. There’s a lot of escalators that lead you to various parts of the huge mall and every trip there for me feels like a navigation exercise. Haha.
But I must say, there’s a huge range of shops here to fulfill your every need. From food to entertainment to clothes.

It’s nice that Serangoon interchange has a big mall connected to it — I used to have to walk into the HDB estate just to pick up dinner if I wanted to buy food back en route home…
Nex is HUGE and easy to get lost in. I like that it’s connected to both the MRT and the Bus Interchange and you can get just about anything you want here. Packed on weekends with families, so make reservations at popular restaurants then!
For something a little different, there’s also a water park for kids and a dog park on the roof. Parking within Nex can be a bit tricky and usually fills up fast, so I prefer to park in the multi-​storey HDB next door above the old bus interchange, which is conveniently linked to Nex by a sheltered pathway.

Previously, the nearest mall would be Bishan Junction 8 or AMK Hub around this neighborhood. I was excited when Nex first opened up as it is about time that Serangoon Central gets a shopping mall.
Well, it is not one of the best mall in terms of the layout but it is pretty self-​contained. Previously, I thought ION Orchard is confusing, this is one even confusing mall in terms of the layout. Once you get familiar with the place, you can navigate to the stores easily. Its almost a all under one roof type of shopping complex as they have a wide range of shops that serve the neighborhood pretty well. There is at least 40% of food outlets, major banking institution and facilities, supermarkets and retail boutiques. Not forgetting that, there is a bus interchange, national library and cinema in there too.
The mall does serve its purpose and it is very crowded on weekends. One tip, park at the nearby hdb carkparks or take a train to this shopping mall as the parking is limited in the mall.

I had high expectations for NeX when it was still under construction and when I returned to Singapore after a year abroad, I was pretty excited about checking it out. Unfortunately, it failed to appeal to me on many different levels.
Essentially, the shops they have there are not great. For a mall this size, I expected at least a couple of rather established retailers and brand names to come in. Sadly, the selection of shops were very disappointing and are rather similar to other neighbourhood malls. There are a ridiculous number of restaurants and choosing a place to eat is very much a headache. Too many choices are not always a good thing, especially when the place is laid out in a horrible manner.
Coming to that, the mall is a gigantic maze, and not a pretty one. The lay out is one of the worst I have seen in Singapore and feels like the shops were randomly thrown wherever they could find space. Very messy, absolutely devoid of aesthetic appeal, it is such a waste of precious land.

I think this is one of Singapore’s biggest malls, and its layout is pretty confusing. I only managed to figure the place out after two or three visits.
You won’t have any lack of restaurants to check out at nex. There’s so many place to eat! From the Food Republic food court to restaurants like Din Tai Fung to Baskin Robbins, there should be something for everyone here.
There’s also a cinema, but it’s run by Eng Wah, not exactly everybody’s favourite.
If you have the time, head up to the roof for a stroll. You can also find a water playground there with lots of kids, so avoid that if you don’t want to get wet. The Serangoon library is also on the roof.

Having been away from Singapore for awhile and living in the east, Nex shopping mall at Serangoon MRT is relatively new to me. I have been there twice now and am still rather impressed by its size. There seemed to an endless number of food stores to one side of the mall from the first to the fourth level, and every single type of shop available on the other side of the mall. On the food side at level 3 in particular, there are a number of small ‘street stalls’ with finger food. The fourth level also has a Shaw cinema, an arcade and a LAN gaming centre among other things. The library is above the fourth level, next to the Skypark and other businesses that appear to be mostly classes for children.
Although it had seemed daunting to find my way when I first entered from the MRT, Nex is surprisingly easy to navigate as it is effectively oval-​ish with a bridge for ease of travel between the two long sides. There is also a longer escalator on the second level serving as a shortcut to the theatres and the arcade on the fourth level, but this is somewhat hidden on one side and I didn’t notice it until my friend pointed it out.
Nex is certainly characteristic of the new malls that have been popping up of late in both its scale and the range of food and services. It is a good place to go to for food, shopping or anything at all.