A Christmas menu and décor under one roof!

There’s a place in Tanglin Mall – well, actually four places under the same umbrella – that will give you a great coffee, a delicious lunch and also heaps of options for gifts, tableware, home décor and even cool stuff for kids. And all of this is conjured up and curated by a lady called ANNE-JEAN LIÉTAER.

Coming up to Christmas, we talk to her about the journey to House of AnLi, which occupies two of the mall’s largest retail spaces, and take a look at the gift ideas you’ll find in them; plus, we see what’s on the Christmas menus at La Veranda.

From Belgium to Singapore

A very long time ago, Anne-Jean was my neighbour in Seletar. After moving out, she invited me to her new black-and-white house on Mount Pleasant Drive – and I saw a glimpse of the origins of her home-decorating dynasty!

Her family, and her grandmother especially, loved entertaining. Growing up, they would have huge, sumptuous dinner parties at the family home in the Belgian countryside – and still do. There would be one long table to fit about 40 people; it was always decked out with beautiful tableware and decorations. Food was obviously important, but the whole setting for entertaining was key.

After basing herself in Singapore, Anne-Jean came to realise there was nothing like these Belgian brands here. So, back in 2011, she set up a shed in her Mount Pleasant garden – and the House of AnLi story began.

She also wanted to provide classical furniture that was more traditional and better quality than the pieces available in Singapore, so she started importing the Flamant style of Belgian furniture. This was furniture that Anne-Jean had grown up with, that would last forever, and that you could take to wherever you lived next.

The visual aspect of the merchandising came naturally, both at Mount Pleasant and then in the two shops in Tanglin Mall. “We have a lot of people who just want to buy the whole table setup as it’s displayed. It’s so important to get the table setting looking how you want it when you’re entertaining,” she adds.

Sourcing stock for House of AnLi

Anne-Jean loves the sourcing side of the business – going to different places in Europe to see what might work here. Many of her brands are from Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and France, for example. “I also have a store in Greece, and I test things out there – if they’re a hit, I buy for Singapore too!” she says.

This applies not only to homeware but to other items you’ll find in House of AnLi, such as the Frank and Lucie reading glasses and sunglasses from Holland. They were so popular in Greece, she just had to bring them here.

She also shows me the gorgeous coffee cups that they use in La Veranda, the upstairs café in Tanglin Mall, and also sell in-store. They’ve been a hot favourite for over six years.

Elsewhere in the two retail spaces, you’ll find all kinds of homeware and gifts, lifestyle products, cooking books, tableware – including beautiful cutlery from France – and much more. In the upstairs space, Anne-Jean has incorporated The Little Showcase into House of AnLi, which means there’s also an overlap of products into children’s gifts and party supplies for birthdays, including from brands like Meri Meri.

As for goodies for the upcoming festive season, there are Christmas decorations for sale, along with great gifts like wine openers and accessories, and gifts for men, and there will also be a Christmas wonderland market upstairs.

The feedback she gets from those who dine in the restaurants is that the quality is the same as they’ve experienced in Europe; she had a couple just the other day who commented that their Carbonade Flamande in La Veranda was exactly like one they’d had in Florence.

The Christmas Menu at La Veranda

So, what’s on the plate for Christmas? Take a look at the La Veranda Christmas menu above – and head online for more information and bookings!
houseofanli.com

This article first appeared in the December 2025 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!