What defines the essence of being Singaporean? Is it the laksa and chicken rice we eat? Our kiasu nature? Maybe it's the way we speak. Whatever it is, I’d argue nothing encapsulates our cultural identity quite like secondary school. For every Singaporean, secondary school was a crucial rite of passage. It’s a time when we are thrust into a melting pot of local culture and self-discovery. These are our most formative and tender years, which harden to form some semblance of who we eventually grow into. In a setting that perfectly embodies the wistful nostalgia and vibrance of Singaporean culture (if you’ve ever revisited your alma mater, you’ll know what I’m talking about), The Lo & Behold group decided to launch New Bahru, a project in this exact place that brings together local businesses to form an artist’s collective.
Brought to you by the folks behind Odette and Tanjong Beach Club, New Bahru repurposes the skeleton of Nan Chiau High School to create a space spanning food and beverage, retail, wellness, entertainment, education, arts and culture. The project's goal is to capture the quintessential Singaporean spirit and unleash our city's untapped creative potential. Despite the easier path of demolishing and starting anew, The Lo & Behold Group chose the more challenging one. By preserving the original framework, they've retained that intangible magic of adolescence. This essence permeates every repurposed classroom-turned-store, echoes through the hallways, and lingers in the parade square.
Home to the infamous SGD18 Nasi Lemak, The Coconut Club resembles how we imagine a Singaporean diner to be. They serve elevated local fare like the Quail Goreng Berempah, made with livestock from Singapore’s oldest family-owned game bird farm. Another standout dish to look out for is the River Valley exclusive Wagyu Beef Roti John.
For everything bedroom, check out SOJAO, a local brand known for 100% ethically made organic cotton products. You’ll find anything from bedsheets, sleepwear and fragrances—one of which White Noise, a collaboration with stillgoods, caught my nose. It’ll have you sniffing the sample paper like an inhaler (in the best way possible) due to its calming effect. I hear they’re collaborating with 50 other local brands, embracing the kampung spirit we’ve grown so out of touch with.
Hearing Nujabes playing in the background of Soilboy told me everything I needed to know about the plant studio. The atmosphere evokes a Zen Japanese garden, with blends of textures—cork on metal, smooth and textured, soft but rugged. Soilboy curates a careful selection of plants that involve intensive research and propagation. The result is a catalogue of flora you probably expect to see in somewhere like Gardens by The Bay instead. Their collection of handmade ceramics is also available for sale in their first experience store, so rest assured your plants won’t go home unclothed.
To effectively sum up what MAKE is, one can only describe it as a kitchen for clothes. Launching as an experience-based concept store, they allow customers to customise a selection of materials and fabric (the seasoning stage as I like to call it) and quite literally, steam them in an “oven” once they’ve undergone the arduous process of this or that. What comes fresh out of the oven is a creation—either a garment or a bag—complete with a beautiful pattern of pleats, a signature design of the studio.
Chef Rishi Naleendra's homage to his Sri Lankan heritage, the restaurant used to be at Wanderlust Hotel but traded it for a bigger space and a thirstier clientele. Now with a bar and a new vigour to the menu, the joint has a new lease of life. Sure, Chef Naleendra may have to travel a little further from his other two establishments—Fool and the two Michelin-starred Cloud Street, both within the Tanjong Pagar district—but you can't really beat the vibe of New Bahru.
Once an online portal, MORNING has now succumbed to having a physical retail space. It's about time though. It's hard to experience the ease of making your own coffee with MORNING's signature Morning Machine. Drop in and the retail staff will walk you through the handling of the machine, as well as, recommend the different coffee profiles that might tickle your fancy. Expect future endeavours like sampling sessions, workshops and events.
What started as an Etsy side hustle has now blossomed into a third physical space at New Bahru. As the first to introduce permanent jewellery (where a custom-fitted piece is welded close without any clasp) in Singapore, Curious Creatures at New Bahru offers fine and demi-fine jewellery collections as well as the only outlet that has a bespoke service.
Located at the Big Block, Alma House's nomenclature is taken from "alma mater" as the building was once Nan Chiau High School. It's a new-to-market serviced apartment concept that's designed by local design studio FARM. With furnishings supplied by Commune, there are six room tiers to stay at; with the Deluxe Room (18sqm) that's fitting for a single traveller or the largest Alma Family Suite (55sqm) that... well, the whole family can enjoy.
If MAKE by Ginlee is a kitchen for clothes, it only makes sense to liken Crafune to a kitchen for leather handbags and accessories. Here, they offer a series of hands-on workshops focused on leather craftsmanship, but there’s also an emphasis on upcycling. That old leather bag you just can’t bear to part with? Under Crafune's guidance, your own hands can transform it into a stylish wallet, cardholder, or any number of creative accessories.
To understand what ÁTIPICO is, look no further than the name itself. Defined as “different from all others of the same type,” ÁTIPICO has had its background as a bakery and caterer for high-end fashion brands. At New Bahru, Room #15 will be its first foray into the restaurant industry, and it seems poised to make a splash in fine dining with a fresh perspective. Based on the tantalising samples I’ve tried, I have no doubt ÁTIPICO will transition just fine into the industry—albeit a little disruptive with how unique it promises to be.
Opening its doors as Singapore’s only Makkoli bar and restaurant, Odem takes pride in its curation of meticulously handcrafted makkoli that’s been brewed with local ingredients and free of preservatives—a far cry from your typical mass-produced rice wine. As someone who struggles to finish a pint of beer, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying a flight of five makkoli glasses without much resistance. Though we must admit, we’ve always had a soft spot for makkoli. Pairing each sip with a warm and comforting bite of their Soy Glazed Brioche and Gamtae Seaweed Butter hit every spot for us.
Traditional Korean dishes are refined using modern techniques, resulting in a menu featuring comfort food such as the Gulim Mandu and Barbequed Kalbi. The ambience is bathed in soft light, creating an intimate atmosphere that’s sure to get those long conversations going. If you do decide to visit, don’t leave out the Brioche, seriously.
It's not every day a global brand establishes a fancy new testbed in Singapore, and certainly not every day for said venture to be a customer experience complete with joyrides and a star-backed restaurant. So when Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS for short) unveiled Na Oh, our keen anticipation is justified.
Add restauranteur Corey Lee, the world's first Korean chef to earn three Michelin Stars and whose casual Korean fare SAN HO WON in San Francisco earned a star in its first year, to the equation and you bet appetites are whet.
Amidst the sleek, modern surfaces and machinery of the building's interior, Na Oh distinguishes itself with softer materials like cotton and wood, instantly signaling the domestic ties we attribute to dining.
The 40-seater is pretty well spaced. High ceilings and full glass walls flood the area with natural light... subsequently giving relatively juxtaposing views to the surrounding Jurong West estate. Another contrast comes from the kitchen, where the admittedly sublime corner is quietly adorned with Korean craft and glimpses of staff movement.
But on to the bit you're more excited about.
The seasonal menu presents a hansik four-course, with the option to choose your fighter Jinjitsang; the traditional meal that is your main. The difference is that while served with a variety of sides in classic Korean fashion, the banchan match uniquely to each dish.
All three Jinjitsang deliver. Perhaps the most straightforward of the lineup is the Golden Queen Rice and Butterfish Gamasot, but the quality of the fish shows in its tender texture that nicely complements fragrant charred rice.
The Samgyetang is not foreign to most locals who make repeat pilgrimage to Korea. Here however, it is more of a hassle-free encounter with the chicken already removed from the soup and primed for picking. Even then, not much picking is required when the perfectly prepped meat peels easily from the bone.
The Pyongyang-Style Cold Noodles may be a rarer find in Singapore. The non-chewy buckwheat staple topped with uncharacteristically raw beef loin result in a delicious and unexpected treat for Naengmyeon-lovers.
Whatever your choice, do yourself a favour and order the Cheongju (clarified Makgeolli) to pair.
Though the mains be doing the most, starters hardly pale in comparison. Take your induction for example. Homemade Tofu with Aged Soy Sauce. As Chef Corey Lee points out, tofu is a dish familiar to all Asians, but it's the aged soy sauce that takes the stage.
"Honestly, how many of us have tried real, naturally-made soy sauce?" Lee raises the question with the fact that it's a highly uncommon product these days. Due to its instability, the versions we consume are often diluted with alcohol, preservatives or alternative components.
Which is why this 100 percent soybean construct is practically an artisanal ingredient; one he brought with him all the way from San Francisco so all diners here to get the chance to taste.
It's literally written at the base of your menu: Na Oh only uses jang fermented using traditional methods and naturally aged. You can actually see them stored in large clay jars at the restaurant's entrance as a set up you would understandably mistake for a cool aesthetic display.
The other two courses source their selection of greens directly from HMGICS' own smart farm. You wouldn't have missed the double-storey vertical garden on your way in, but you would be surprised to know that it has the capacity for 30kg of daily produce. The variety of ice plant, Swiss chard, kale, and more truly possess a crisp that's testifies of their freshness.
Now, the good news is that menu is priced at a worthy SGD78 per pax. The bad news is that you may try your luck getting a spot with dinner fully booked for the month ahead, and only tight slots available for lunch.
Do allocate more time to your trip down to the hub because not only is it an excursion—cue Journey to the West puns—HMGICS also offers an 80-minute CX Discovery Tour that's completely free to the public.
Guests get to attempt harvesting at the smart farm, witness the same robotics and automation technology used to make the cars tend to the garden, as well as taste the crops. Also, take a 3D VR tour of the advanced automated manufacturing operating within HMGICS itself.
Lastly and probably the fan favourite, get a ride on the 618-meter rooftop Skytrack. You'll be seated in a locally produced Hyundai IONIQ 5 with a professional driver (sadly you don't get to be behind the wheel, nor is the robotaxi commissioned for this). Our top tip is to sit behind the driver for the best experience, and stop by the rad, eco-themed gift shop before you leave.
Na Oh opens Wednesday to Sunday and is located at Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), 2 Bulim Link Singapore 649674. Reservations for Na Oh and the Discovery Tour are to be made separately.
There is one sentiment shared by everyone who dines at COTE. It is also likely the main motivation to convert from diner to repeat customer. To keep you in suspense, let’s first acknowledge the many accolades driving the hype.
Not only does the restaurant hail from New York as “America’s first Korean Steakhouse”, and notches several James Beard Award nominations under its belt. Not only has it earned a Michelin star each year since opening—literally the only Korean Steakhouse in the world to do so thus far. Not only all of that, but the one that opened here early this year marks the brand’s very first international outpost.
Apart from immediately thinking, damn this place must be really good, let’s also add the fact that Singapore is no stranger to K-BBQs. Whether we’ve tried the crème along Tanjong Pagar or authentic establishments in the country of origin, it’s safe to say we have decent standards in this arena.
At the heart of COTE’s menu are two key tasting experiences. The Butcher’s Feast features four select cuts of USDA Prime and Australian Wagyu with Korean accompaniments, while the 10-course Steak Omakase explores a grand tour of Japanese A5 Wagyu and Petrossian Tsar Imperial Daurenki Caviar.
We’ll simplify this review: Each of the four cuts in Butcher’s Feast did not disappoint. There’s no need for fancy words when the quality of beef and sides speak for themselves.
And then there are interesting dishes like Korean ‘bacon’ (house-smoked heritage pork belly), or even outlet-exclusive Korean Beef ‘Bakkuteh’ (a local spin using prime beef short rib). Still, it’s the Butcher’s Feast that gives you the best value for your money. At SGD98 per pax, it’s a steal for the entirety of your encounter.
Maybe it’s that all the meats are seasoned with a proprietary blend of British Maldon salt, Celtic sea salt, and Korean thousand-day-aged sea salt. Or that the included wines derive from over 600 selections spanning biodynamic, sustainable, vintage depth from both classic wineries and rare blue-chip producers.
The ambience of Millim Bar that greets you on arrival certainly plays a part. Setting the tone with its jazzy interior and pre-dinner drinks, it’s also where you’ll find the dramatic display of cuts dry-aged in-house for a minimum of 45 days. This extends to the dark, elegant Main Dining Hall designed by Modellus Novus with elements of wood and subtle gold.
Tables are inlaid with bespoke smokeless charcoal grills, but the nod to the OG vents mimicked by the overhead lighting is a cute touch. There are, of course, Private Dining Rooms as well as other Ventertainment spaces in the pipeline that will complete an immersive journey. And don’t get us started on service. For now though, what’s already serving awaits to surpass your expectations.
COTE is located at COMO Orchard Level 3, Singapore 229922.
New restaurants, bars, and menus perfect for a fancy date night or casual dining with friends …would be how we start this article off with a slew of SEO-keywords, can you tell? Though that’s still an honest description of these establishments, which maybe didn’t quite make the cut for a full feature (sorry?) but are nonetheless very worthy mentions that have earned their spot on this highlight. Or if you have already been eyeing these places, take this as a lowdown of key dishes to try.
Previously Fat Belly Social, one of the renowned places in town for a feather blade gets a new menu. And you know the steakhouse turns alternative cuts into exceptional ones when the Wagyu Flat Iron significantly outperforms the 65-day aged Cote De Boeuf. Don’t be mistaken; the latter is no weak contender when Australian grain-fed tender and seared with a caramelised crust. Still, having tried a Flat Iron steak elsewhere, this Wagyu cut with a marble score of 9+ had such undeniable flavour each bite you won’t need the sauces.
Mashed potato fans would appreciate the sinful, velvety Ratte Potato Puree that’s whisked with crap ton of milk and butter (do eat it fast before the gluten hardens). The Roasted Honey Saffron Cauliflower is a lighter side, and the florets are served atop a bed of homemade ricotta that has a lovely citrusy tang. A flavour punch would be the Kuju Kushima Oyster Mornay where the fat piece is quite literally blanketed in a luscious reduced cream, grana padano, and wilted spinach (we know how it sounds, but the combination works).
Vibe: That classic, neutral shophouse restaurant that’s safe to bring anyone
Wallet damage: $$$
Meadesmoore is located at 21A Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069620.
Why yes, this is the one you saw on Instagram. The one with the progressive menu, ambient lights, intimate seating, and ay, glass block feature. Perhaps expectations were high, but it did seem like drinks outperformed their culinary counterparts. For appetisers, Olives come satisfyingly enhanced with citrus and chilli, though at SGD10 before tax for the fruit (yes, it’s a fruit, we googled) may look hefty. The Trout Carpaccio and Seafood Spinach dumplings can’t be faulted apart from portion size, but we can’t help but wish the Umami Noodle and Chicken Mazemen packed more of a punch (pairing chillis were chefs kiss though).
Here, the Gin & Tonic is a signature and besides using house-made tonic, the unique frothy beetroot topping tells you why. The Pink Frog is another refreshing gin-based starter, especially for lovers of egg white foam on cocktails. Except you’re probably more up to try the unconventional koji rice fermented tomato brine Tomato, Tomato, or the machetazo duck-fat washed salmiana mezcal-centric Ducktini. The savoury two are undeniably subject to personal preferences, but if you want to double down on the pepper, order the Duck Kut Teh Mee Sua to go with the latter.
Vibe: The contemporary casual bar you want to be caught dead in
Wallet damage: $$
NOU Noodle Bar is located at 45 Craig Road, Singapore 089683.
Speakeasies are great, better yet if they are unintentional and serve solid slices. Up the subtly-lit stairway and through a shadowed doorway you find the petite nook away from street buzz. Helmed by veterans, the refreshed tipple menu is concise but has sufficient variety. Two are subjectively polarising—the Pillar to Post (think medicinal aperitivo) and the Ok Go (think boozy ice cream soda). On the other hand, Dawn Chorus is easy to nurse for Old Fashioned regulars, thanks to the comfortable balance of sweet from the cornflake-scented Tennessee Whiskey and housemade salted honey whey. Box of Stars steals the show as a Bellini-inspired, Champagne-dosed hit that is truly complex, with a pleasantly distinct aftertaste.
One primed to be completely up your alley is the customisable Sour What What. It’s your genie drink with freedom of spirit and presentation choice; just tell the trusty duo your profile preference. What makes you return though, will probably be the handmade pizzas literally pulled and toasted before your eyes. We thought ourselves strict fans of thin crust until we had a go. Something about the freshly warm, doughy goodness that’s simultaneously airy and crispy… Where were we? Right. Opt for the creative, non-mainstay options and definitely complement them with the housemade lao gan ma-style chilli that’s hardly spicy but so damn addictive.
Vibe: The super-chill post-dinner/early-supper hangout
Wallet damage: $
Puffy Bois is located at 20A Bali Lane, Singapore 189856.
Taking over Camp Kilo grounds, this pop-up lands a good spot not only because it’s pet-friendly and around till the end of the year, but also has the capacity to offer a nice multi-concept mix. First of the five homegrown brands is of course, The Goodburger, head honcho behind last year’s Gourmet Park RWS. As you devour their signatures, you kinda forget that they’re plant-based, and you get why their food-truck biz is still around today.
Another burger maestro (Chef Adam Penney of Potato Head Folk, Three Buns) makes a teaser appearance here, but with indulgent British breakfast fare Carnaby, which is set to launch at Roberston Quay later this year. Keeping up the backyard soul of the space is Meatsmith, which iconic char needs no introduction. Our biased favourite is Quattro, specifically the Cacio e Pepe amongst an array of Neapolitan-style pizzas and pastas. Finally, dessert is not left out with Backyard Bakers‘ homemade brownies. And fret not, there will be coffee and cocktails. We’re told to expect kitchen takeovers and more collaborations in coming months, so keep an eye out on their socials.
Vibe: The barbeque party you never got invited to in your late teens
Wallet damage: $$
Gourmet Park Kampong Bugis is located at 66 Kampong Bugis Ground Floor Patio, Singapore 338987.
For the past two years, this sister outlet to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Singapore has catered primo cuts (100 percent USDA Prime beef) for their burgers and steaks. Now, the joint is shaking things up with a new menu for the weekend and the weekday. Crafted by Peter Zwiener now offers a weekday lunch menu (11:30am to 4pm) and a weekend special, where the USDA Prime Black Angus Ribeye will be available all. Day. Long. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Here's what you can expect:
You have six dishes to opt from. These include three popular choices seamlessly transitioned from the restaurant’s takeaway lunch boxes. Also, each dish is accompanied with a daily cold-pressed juice.
You've the Huli Huli Chicken plate that includes a sweet smoky grilled boneless chicken leg paired with grilled pineapple, white rice and macaroni salad. The USDA Beef Bolognese Rigatoni boasts a Prime Black Angus ground beef and slatherd with tomato-based sauce. The Loco Moco has Prime Black Angus hamburg steak nestled over Japanese rice and topped with a sunny-side up egg. The Hokkaido Pork Belly Burnt Ends Plate is spice-marinated for 48 hours. You get a side of white rice, macaroni salad and Japanese Pickled Cucumbers. If you're looking for something lighter, there's a USDA Prime Rib Eye Steak Salad, a light yet satisfying salad that is served with honey mustard sauce on the side.
Crafted by Peter Zwiener got the vegetarians covered with a Mushroom Arrabbiata Rigatoni. This dish features White Button Mushrooms cooked in a savoury Arrabbiata sauce and served with Rigatoni Pasta.
As an added incentive, for those who are ordering to-go, if you bring your own takeaway containers and tumblers, you'll get SGD2 off for each ordered set. Not a bad deal—you get to save your wallet and the planet. This is only applicable for the weekday lunch menu.
Between Fridays to Sundays, the all-day USDA Prime Black Angus Ribeye (250gm) steps into the spotlight. Priced at SGD48++, you get premium cut of the ribeye and it's only available for dine-in. To further brighten up the plate, diners can pick from an array of side dishes at an additional cost. Side dishes include the Roasted Chat Potato; Mac ‘N’ Cheese; Grilled Datterino Tomato on vines; Steak or Sweet Potato Fries; Sautéed Mushrooms; Garden Salad and Grilled Jumbo Asparagus.
Crafted by Peter Zwiener has your midday and weekend hanger issues on the ropes. Other than their specialised menus, patrons can still order from the standard menus. The special weekday lunch and weekend menus won't be available on public holidays. Diners can reserve a table here.
Crafted by Peter Zwiener is located at 26 Beach Road, #B1-21, South Beach Avenue
That whole trope of the bartender acting as your psychiatrist may sing true at Spectre. Helmed by musician and MasterChef Singapore finalist, Inch Chua, and bar consultant and regional brand ambassador for Beam Suntory, Andrew Pang, Spectre’s conceit is that while they are all about the F&B, they are also for the mental TLC.
You are asked to jot on a piece of paper the thing that is weighing heavy on your mind. Then you are invited to ignite it and watch it disappear in a brilliant flash. Other than it being great visual content for your social media, the practice of “write and burn” is a way of reducing your worries and letting them go, so you can focus on enjoying your evening.
Your cocktails come with other therapy techniques. Retrospect is a mix of gin, sherry, dry vermouth, Benedictine DOM and olive oil. It aptly arrives in a simple jewellery box with a mirror. Like a form of mirror exposure therapy, staring into the looking glass helps your self-esteem. Or, at least, reminds me that when I drink on the job, it’s actually for work.
Order a Bonseki and a miniature Zen garden arrives at your table for you to rake patterns into. It’s not quite the same as the Japanese art of the same name, where you trace out landscapes with white sand on a black tray. But it helps with the waiting while your drink is being made.
When your Bonseki finally arrives, it’s in a Yixing-styled teapot that you empty into a teacup. The contents are a warm snake soup and mezcal. The taste shifts from sweetness to bitterness to a slight acidity. It’s very odd, trying to pin down an ever-changing flavour; like you’re trying to catch the wind.
(These therapy techniques aren’t substitutes for actual therapy or course. Pang, who has a background in psychology, can offer contacts of proper psychologists and help if patrons are interested.)
The food isn’t a slouch either. We had the Classic Claypot Rice filled with your usual lap cheong and chicken bits. This is a perfect balance to a session of drinks. There’s also the Signature Soup Furnace Herbal Chicken Soup, a hearty double-boiled dish with black chicken and an assortment of herbs that feels like my liver is doing a detox (it’s not but it sure felt like it).
Spectre was not without its flaws. The entrance was a bitch to locate (you need to take a lift, which is tucked behind another restaurant, to get to the bar on the second floor); certain dishes were not available. And there was a SGD500 item on the menu that was supposed to be a staycation with a hotel partner that’s still being ironed out.
But that’s the spirit of “repair and improvement”. Like Spectre’s kintsugi flooring—broken tiles repaired with gold mucilage—the establishment celebrates life in its unfiltered beauty. It’s a progression, hopefully by the time you read this, toward a better version of itself.
Spectre is located at 120 Tanjong Pagar Road, #02-01, Singapore 088532.
Contemporary Indian restaurant, Revolver, returns with Bullet 10. For its 10th seasonal showing, Revolver whips up a culinary experience full of bold flavours and spices.
With a lifetime of know-how of Indian cooking under his belt, Executive Chef Saurabh Udinia, presents a concept menu that heightens Indian cuisine. Grab a seat for a view of the open show-kitchen. Watch Executive Chef Udinia and his team labour under the heat as they utilise the custom-built wood-fire and binchotan grills and the hand-beaten tandoor.
The Bullet 10 menu starts with the innocuous-sounding Snack Box. This has a Scallop Tartlet infused with pani puri and a Chettinad pulled duck on steamed dhokla. There's also the Japanese turnips are cooked over a fire for a slightly charred exterior. Beneath the skin lies a velvety flesh bolstered by artichokes and coriander seeds.
Using Goan Recheado Masala to marinate an Australian rock lobster, the crustacean is grilled afterwards and accompanied by fragrant Goan red rice. A Spanish Dorada is served on a bed of toasted fresh coconut and black pepper and for your main, an Iberico pork pluma dish that is adorned with a sweet and sour sauce.
The paneers served for Bullet 10, are flown in from Delhi. Presented on a bed of tomato relish, cumin-spiked onion chutney coats the paneers. Baked in the tandoor, Revolver's signature kulchettes are filled with Scamorza cheese and topped with a tandoor-roasted pulled quail.
Ending off the Bullet 10 menu is a lime and lychee sorbet. The dessert is backed with a light coconut espuma and that childhood perennial favourite: popping candy.
Revolver's Bullet 10 menu runs from now until 30 September.
For more information and to make reservations, visit Revolver.
Revolver
56 Tras St
Singapore 078995
+65 6223 2812
Very little should surprise the well-travelled connoisseur. But the world of gastronomy always has little tricks up its sleeves, ready to catch a seasoned gourmand by surprise with sparks on his palate. It is a position he willingly puts himself into, over and over again, in pursuit of that intangible yet evident je ne sais quoi in taste. “A complete lack of caution is perhaps one of the true signs of a real gourmet,” the legendary food writer MFK Fisher tells us in her anthology of essays, An Alphabet for Gourmets. “He has no need for it, being filled as he is with a God-given and intelligently self-cultivated sense of gastronomical freedom.” Where then should a gastronome who considers himself an arbiter of taste go when he has tried everything? What restaurant can one go for flavours that can shock the senses?
Enter Chifa!, Resorts World Sentosa’s newest jewel in its decorated offerings of restaurants. It’s named after the word for that eclectic blend of Peruvian-Chinese food, “Chifa”, which is said to have come about after locals heard Chinese immigrants saying “chi fan” (“eat rice”) during lunch. As for the declarative exclamation mark, one need only walk into Chifa! to be confronted with its bold philosophy, with bright lights, neon lanterns and bright red furnishings that mimic the interiors of a temple.
The food is no less exciting than its exteriors, helmed as it is by chef de cuisine Rodrigo Serrano, a Peruvian native who has years of restaurant-helming experience across Peru, France, the Maldives and finally here, in Singapore. Each dish is made with Peruvian ingredients, glimmering with the Chinese and Cantonese touches that make Serrano’s dishes so unexpected, creative and explosive. The yellowfin tuna tamarind ceviche, for instance, is made with a tamarind leche de tigre (a citrus-forward seafood marinade), which dances on the tongue with its sharp sweet and sour profiles. Japanese cucumbers and daikon add a welcome crunch to the ceviche, which is balanced by the smooth fat of avocado.
Elsewhere, a hen “caldo criollo” chimichurri soup borrows Chinese techniques by long-boiling chicken broth with Chinese herbs and flower mushrooms, updating a traditional Peruvian chicken soup. What’s special is its pairing with ginger chimichurri, which adds a bright kick of freshness and spice to what is typically a simple soup with muted profiles. A kong bak bao, widely known as the Chinese version of a hamburger, is spiced up with a “chalaca” salsa, infused with mint and accompanied by sweet potatoes to round up a fuller-bodied palate.
China and Peru are on two ends of the world map, but go somewhere in the middle and you’ll find the Middle East—a land with diverse culinary histories and cultures going back thousands of years, perfumed with spices and rich flavours. It’s what inspires Morrocan-born Israeli celebrity chef Meir Adoni, whose first venture in Singapore, Aniba marries eastern and western influences in a daring declaration of Middle Eastern cooking.
Dimly yet atmospherically lit, Aniba harkens back to an archaic time with its gentle, sloping ceilings adorned with symbols, alongside a wall that stretches across the bar glittering like crystal formations on the face of a cave. The food, however, is anything but. Bringing with him all the artful expertise of world-famous restaurants Arzak, Alinea and Noma, Adoni’s menu includes gems like the eggplant carpaccio, with its fire-roasted eggplant slices served with tahini. But Adoni’s dishes are never as straightforward as that—date molasses and dried roses are unusual ingredients in our part of the world, which are expertly used to add an exciting sweetness to lift the dish. Generously drizzled in olive oil and made texturally interesting by pistachios, it’s a wonderful starter to the rest of Aniba’s offerings like the katayef, which is traditionally a kind of sweet dumpling dessert served during Ramadan. Adoni’s version is decidedly savoury, which sees grouper, pine nuts, harissa and fresh market vegetables enveloped within a preserved lemon semolina pancake. Never one to let your palate recede to complacency, Adoni serves it with an electric Thai-style vinaigrette to spark the imagination with its seemingly disparate yet sensuous blend of flavours.
Dessert is not to be missed either, with items like the malabi, a traditional milk pudding. It is updated with a plum and warm spices compote that adds a comfortingly fruity and earthy quality to the dessert, topped with a raspberry sorbet and caramelised shredded filotuile. A sprinkling of pistachio hibiscus powder and dried rose petals adroitly complete the presentation, concluding a meal that had just set one’s palate ablaze.
To add more excitement to the gastronomical experience is a trip to London, England, at HUMO with Colombian chef Miller Prada’s newest restaurant nestled in Mayfair. Prada isn’t swayed by one cuisine or the other, on closer scrutiny though, his Colombian roots and Japanese training under Michelin-starred chef Endo Kazutoshi become evident. What’s most striking about HUMO is the prominence of wood-fire cooking in Prada’s gastronomy, using different species of wood to deliver varying qualities of smoke and char. The result? Elegantly-plated dishes with bold flavour profiles for a titillating edge in one of London’s most refined districts.
Prada uses every technique in his repertoire to amplify flavours, such as ageing Ike-Jime Hampshire trout for 12 days cooked over HP18 oak, served with three month-aged caviar grilled in kombu kelp for a briny, electric start to a meal. The West Highland langoustine is undeniably a standout, which is grilled in direct contact with AB55 whisky barrels, HR2 applewood, and CM13 silver birch for an unparalleled char. Served with fermented Kissabel apple, it’s an explosion of flavours that fills one’s senses assertively. Elsewhere, Prada proves that vegetables are just as interesting as meat, with a cauliflower cooked under ash and served with Rokko Miso, yuzu, tarocco orange, nori and Spanish black winter truffle for both an acidic and umami punch.
“Gastronomy is the intelligent knowledge of whatever concerns man’s nourishment,” the great epicure Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savar indicated in his book, The Physiology of Taste. It is this savoir-faire that all chefs take to heart, even in Phuket at its corner of the world. At Hom, chef Ricardo Nunes channels the ancient art of fermentation, a notoriously tricky undertaking with vastly unpredictable outcomes and even more volatile flavours. Nevertheless, it is an art that has sustained generations through inhospitable winters and continues to nourish under Nunes’ gastronomic ethos—one that respects the seasonality and sustainability of local ingredients and strives towards a lower carbon footprint.
Jars of ferment line the bar at Hom, where cucumbers mature with bunches of dill in amber-coloured brines alongside vines of young peppercorns (or are those young eggplants, or juniper?) in dark liquids. It’s hard not to feel like you are wandering through a zoological lab with animals preserved in formaldehyde, which is probably the point—Nunes wants you to expect the unexpected. Nunes, who has several years of experience working in storied restaurants like Potong, Belcanto and Gaggan, works closely with resident zymologist Mateo Polanco to refine fermentation techniques that take centre stage in Hom’s 10-course menus.
There are no ingredients especially air-flown from different regions of the world; in the name of sustainability, it’s important to Nunes that every ingredient sourced is grown in Thailand. It also means that all ingredients are extremely fresh, allowing their pristine qualities to shine through in each dish. Take one of Nunes’ liquid amuse-bouches, starring an organic passionfruit that’s been fermented to accentuate its already-tart and acidic profiles. Served with ruby pomelo, local herbs and flowers, it’s the perfect starter to electrify the palate before taking in other unusual delicacies like the fermented wild boar belly. Never mind the novelty of wild boar meat—its fermentation is undoubtedly peculiar with an even more indescribable flavour profile, with intense notes of umami and acidity all at once.
Elsewhere, Nunes refuses to shy away from durian as he harnesses the smarting flavours of black durian with goat, pumpkin and his version of a Mexican mole, creating an eclectic blend of savoury, sweet and pungent flavours that will shock one’s palate. There’s only so much one can say, Nunes’ creations demand to be experienced, not read about; to surprise diners and engulf smell and taste so completely with the assertive maturity of fermentation, while always maintaining a balanced palate.
