Kushikatsu (deep-fried Japanese skewers), traditional Sunday roasts, and a new style of Japanese BBQ are amongst our top picks of new openings this month.
Baked Greek Spinach Pie at PS.Cafe One Fullerton ($27)
PS.Cafe’s ninth outlet at One Fullerton may be its most chic and scenic restaurant yet. The gorgeous, light-filled space overlooks the marina while the bespoke furniture echoes its waterfront setting. You’ll find your usual PS.Cafe signature dishes here, but the new items like this Baked Greek Spinach Pie might just become your new favourites. Each plate comes with little parcels of puff pastry filled with ricotta and feta, topped with mint, house pesto and orange slices—light yet flavourful with lots of texture. 1 Fullerton Road, #02-03B/04 One Fullerton.
PS.Cafe’s ninth outlet at One Fullerton may be its most chic and scenic restaurant yet. The gorgeous, light-filled space overlooks the marina while the bespoke furniture echoes its waterfront setting. You’ll find your usual PS.Cafe signature dishes here, but the new items like this Baked Greek Spinach Pie might just become your new favourites. Each plate comes with little parcels of puff pastry filled with ricotta and feta, topped with mint, house pesto and orange slices—light yet flavourful with lots of texture. 1 Fullerton Road, #02-03B/04 One Fullerton.
Tostada de Atun at Lucha Loco ($15)
We’re loving Lucha Loco’s new look and Mexican beach vibes at their newly revamped space on Duxton Hill. On balmy evenings, sip a tequila or mezcal-based cocktail in the outdoor tropical garden, landscaped to look and feel like a beach shack in Tulum. Along with the cosmetic changes, the menu also sees new additions like this Tostada de Atun, a tortilla topped with torched tuna, crispy fried onion and avocado, cut through with a tangy lime mayo. 15 Duxton Hill.
We’re loving Lucha Loco’s new look and Mexican beach vibes at their newly revamped space on Duxton Hill. On balmy evenings, sip a tequila or mezcal-based cocktail in the outdoor tropical garden, landscaped to look and feel like a beach shack in Tulum. Along with the cosmetic changes, the menu also sees new additions like this Tostada de Atun, a tortilla topped with torched tuna, crispy fried onion and avocado, cut through with a tangy lime mayo. 15 Duxton Hill.
Chilled Yellow Roe Crab at Joyden Treasures (Market price)
Crab purists need to try this Teochew-style cold crab dish served with an appetizing sauce of vinegar and minced ginger. These Yellow Roe Crabs are savoured for their creamy, golden roe and firm sweet meat, best shown off in a simple preparation of poaching with ginger and spring onions before being chilled. Joyden Treasures uses crab that is close to molting so you can eat the soft shell that is starting to form as well. 5 Stadium Walk, #02-42, Leisure Park Kallang.
Crab purists need to try this Teochew-style cold crab dish served with an appetizing sauce of vinegar and minced ginger. These Yellow Roe Crabs are savoured for their creamy, golden roe and firm sweet meat, best shown off in a simple preparation of poaching with ginger and spring onions before being chilled. Joyden Treasures uses crab that is close to molting so you can eat the soft shell that is starting to form as well. 5 Stadium Walk, #02-42, Leisure Park Kallang.
Japanese scallop, saiko miso, scallop consommé, roe sauce at Saint Pierre (part of 19-course Adventure menu at $258)
'J' is for Japanese scallop. Sweet, plump Hokkaido scallop to be exact. Michelin-starred Saint Pierre’s signature degustation Adventure menu—which features 26 artful little dishes in 19 courses, named for each letter of the alphabet—is being refreshed for fall. On the menu is autumn’s bounty: Figue de Solliès (purple figs) from France, Kabocha pumpkin from Hokkaido and new harvest oscietra caviar, among others. Highlights include this delicate dish of live Hokkaido scallop seared with almond- butter, served with saiko miso, scallop consommé and creamy roe dressing, umami and bursting with the sweet flavours of the sea. 1 Fullerton Road, #02-02B One Fullerton.
'J' is for Japanese scallop. Sweet, plump Hokkaido scallop to be exact. Michelin-starred Saint Pierre’s signature degustation Adventure menu—which features 26 artful little dishes in 19 courses, named for each letter of the alphabet—is being refreshed for fall. On the menu is autumn’s bounty: Figue de Solliès (purple figs) from France, Kabocha pumpkin from Hokkaido and new harvest oscietra caviar, among others. Highlights include this delicate dish of live Hokkaido scallop seared with almond- butter, served with saiko miso, scallop consommé and creamy roe dressing, umami and bursting with the sweet flavours of the sea. 1 Fullerton Road, #02-02B One Fullerton.
Lobster Bisque at Racines ($28)
The brand-new Racines in Sofitel Singapore City Centre may have a French name and French executive chef Jean-Charles Dubois at its helm, but its roots (‘racines’ is French for roots) are firmly and distinctly planted in both Gastronomie Française and refined local Chinese cuisine, prepared by two distinct brigades of chefs overseen by chef Dubois. A must-try though—and regulars of chef Dubois’ at his previous restaurant Balzac Brasserie would know this—is his signature lobster bisque. This version at Racines is creamy and rich, with a splash of bright-red coral oil that the chef infuses with the shell of the lobster. This rich broth is poured over ravioli stuffed with Emmental and basil which provides an herbaceous lift to the decadent dish. 9 Wallich Street, Sofitel Singapore City Centre
The brand-new Racines in Sofitel Singapore City Centre may have a French name and French executive chef Jean-Charles Dubois at its helm, but its roots (‘racines’ is French for roots) are firmly and distinctly planted in both Gastronomie Française and refined local Chinese cuisine, prepared by two distinct brigades of chefs overseen by chef Dubois. A must-try though—and regulars of chef Dubois’ at his previous restaurant Balzac Brasserie would know this—is his signature lobster bisque. This version at Racines is creamy and rich, with a splash of bright-red coral oil that the chef infuses with the shell of the lobster. This rich broth is poured over ravioli stuffed with Emmental and basil which provides an herbaceous lift to the decadent dish. 9 Wallich Street, Sofitel Singapore City Centre
Baby Lamb Chops from The Hitsuji Club, $12/piece
Marbled slabs of pork belly or premium beef cuts are usually the meats of choice at most Asian BBQ outfits. But over at The Hitsuji Club, it's all about lamb in varying cuts. Tucked along Circular Road, the intimate 20-seater restaurant helmed by 29-year-old Eiji Yoshida specialises in jingisukan, a popular Hokkaido dish where mutton is grilled over a skillet. Here, the oft-gamey smell of lamb is non-existent, thanks to chef's insistence on using only grain-fed baby lamb flown in chilled, never frozen, from Australia or New Zealand. Particularly good are the tender baby lamb chops with a juicy trimming of fat at the side. 65 Circular Road.
Marbled slabs of pork belly or premium beef cuts are usually the meats of choice at most Asian BBQ outfits. But over at The Hitsuji Club, it's all about lamb in varying cuts. Tucked along Circular Road, the intimate 20-seater restaurant helmed by 29-year-old Eiji Yoshida specialises in jingisukan, a popular Hokkaido dish where mutton is grilled over a skillet. Here, the oft-gamey smell of lamb is non-existent, thanks to chef's insistence on using only grain-fed baby lamb flown in chilled, never frozen, from Australia or New Zealand. Particularly good are the tender baby lamb chops with a juicy trimming of fat at the side. 65 Circular Road.
Chicken breast and perilla with mountain caviar from Ginza Rokukakutei, part of an omakase menu from $134++
Deep-fried items aren't usually high on the list of healthy foods. But at new kushikatsu restaurant Rokukakutei, the deep-fried skewers boast a batter so light and crispy one can almost be tricked into forgetting it has been dipped in a pot of sputtering oil. The menu here is omakase-style, where you get up to 20 skewers of wagyu, scallops, fresh vegetables and seafood battered and expertly fried, along with a bowl of refreshing sweet vegetables that help cleanse your palate during the meal. Ask for the chicken breast and perilla skewer topped with tonburi (wild mountain caviar) if it's on the menu. 331 North Bridge Road, #01-04 Odeon Towers.
Deep-fried items aren't usually high on the list of healthy foods. But at new kushikatsu restaurant Rokukakutei, the deep-fried skewers boast a batter so light and crispy one can almost be tricked into forgetting it has been dipped in a pot of sputtering oil. The menu here is omakase-style, where you get up to 20 skewers of wagyu, scallops, fresh vegetables and seafood battered and expertly fried, along with a bowl of refreshing sweet vegetables that help cleanse your palate during the meal. Ask for the chicken breast and perilla skewer topped with tonburi (wild mountain caviar) if it's on the menu. 331 North Bridge Road, #01-04 Odeon Towers.
Sunday Roast from Club Street Social, $28
Brunch takes on a new lease of life at Club Street Social, under the hands of new chef David Philpot, whose resume includes The Ivy in London and Soho House in New York. English classics such as Scotch eggs, eton mess (a traditional dessert of strawberries, heavy cream and meringue) and Sunday roasts take pride of place on the menu, following Philpot's British roots. His Scotch egg, in particular, comes with an interesting story on how chef Philpot beat out other top chefs in a UK Scotch egg Twitter war with his classic rendition. The Sunday roast here is also good value for what you get — slices of tender beef, with a golden-brown Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower mash and carrot puree. 5 Gemmill Lane.
Brunch takes on a new lease of life at Club Street Social, under the hands of new chef David Philpot, whose resume includes The Ivy in London and Soho House in New York. English classics such as Scotch eggs, eton mess (a traditional dessert of strawberries, heavy cream and meringue) and Sunday roasts take pride of place on the menu, following Philpot's British roots. His Scotch egg, in particular, comes with an interesting story on how chef Philpot beat out other top chefs in a UK Scotch egg Twitter war with his classic rendition. The Sunday roast here is also good value for what you get — slices of tender beef, with a golden-brown Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower mash and carrot puree. 5 Gemmill Lane.
Potato and Truffle 'Gratin" from Esquina, $20++
The popular Michelin-recommended Spanish restaurant has been buzzing with activities lately, celebrating its fifth anniversary with a series of four-hands collaborations with chefs such as Julien Royer from two-Michelin-starred Odette. Now, the team behind Esquina have come up with a fun way of dining. The Tasting Room, held every first Tuesday of each month, is an intimate dinner event where guests who book seats get to try chef Carlos Montobbio's R&D dishes and give their feedback on what tastes good and what should never make it on the menu. Particularly interesting on our most recent trip there was a potato and truffle gratin, with burnt onion sauce, slices of salty iberico ham and an organic yolk. Montobbio is also a secret ice cream-genius; count yourself lucky if dessert for that night features his silky smooth and rich saffron or chocolate sorbets. 16 Jiak Chuan Road.
The popular Michelin-recommended Spanish restaurant has been buzzing with activities lately, celebrating its fifth anniversary with a series of four-hands collaborations with chefs such as Julien Royer from two-Michelin-starred Odette. Now, the team behind Esquina have come up with a fun way of dining. The Tasting Room, held every first Tuesday of each month, is an intimate dinner event where guests who book seats get to try chef Carlos Montobbio's R&D dishes and give their feedback on what tastes good and what should never make it on the menu. Particularly interesting on our most recent trip there was a potato and truffle gratin, with burnt onion sauce, slices of salty iberico ham and an organic yolk. Montobbio is also a secret ice cream-genius; count yourself lucky if dessert for that night features his silky smooth and rich saffron or chocolate sorbets. 16 Jiak Chuan Road.
Premium Slow-Roasted Char Siew from CHAR, $20 per portion
There's always been a touch of Western flair in the Asian roast meats menu at Michelin-recommended modern Cantonese restaurant CHAR. Their new premium slow-roasted char siew is no different. Here, a 2kg slab of kurobuta pork belly is cooked low and slow over charcoal and lychee wood, following an American style of BBQ that gives the meat a caramelised black rind and a distinctive pink smoke ring. The result is wonderfully juicy slices of char siew laced with a smoke-kissed aroma. Limited to just 10 portions a day for dinner only. Pre-orders are recommended. 363 Jalan Besar Road.
There's always been a touch of Western flair in the Asian roast meats menu at Michelin-recommended modern Cantonese restaurant CHAR. Their new premium slow-roasted char siew is no different. Here, a 2kg slab of kurobuta pork belly is cooked low and slow over charcoal and lychee wood, following an American style of BBQ that gives the meat a caramelised black rind and a distinctive pink smoke ring. The result is wonderfully juicy slices of char siew laced with a smoke-kissed aroma. Limited to just 10 portions a day for dinner only. Pre-orders are recommended. 363 Jalan Besar Road.
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