It was billed as a mega emporium with markets and restaurants, a gourmet paradise catering to Singaporeans' love of all things Japanese, but the fate of Emporium Shokuhin at the Marina Square Shopping Mall now hangs in the balance.

Epicurean Concepts Marina Square, the company at the core of the emporium, filed for judicial management last week, saying it was unable to pay its debts of more than $1 million. It indicated it had a potential investor for the business, and its application for judicial management would protect it from its creditors in the meantime.