Restaurants in Singapore
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A
Nagomi
The stunning but dark atmosphere at this eatery is so moody you just want to nurse sake all night. Thankfully, the food will lift your spirits. Ingredients are flown from Japan four times a week, and meals are prepared omakase (there’s no menu and the chef prepares seasonal specialities) and served in beautiful Japanese earthenware.
reviewed
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B
L’Estaminet
Done up like a rustic Belgian pub, L’Estaminet is heavily stocked with a wide selection of Belgian beers – including those potent monastery brews. It also has a selection of excellent wood-fired pizzas, which makes it worth coming for dinner, as well as drinks. The seating areas out the back and on the left are kid-friendly.
reviewed
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C
Braise
Braise typifies the new Sentosa, serving up refined nouvelle cuisine in a minimalist interior (sorry, space ), with white walls, high vaulted ceilings, bare brick and full-length glass maximising the beachfront views. Seafood monopolises the starter menu, while meat dominates the mains. Don’t come in your beach gear.
reviewed
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D
Armenian Kopitiam
Scungy walls, red plastic chairs, exposed plumbing, cigarette butts, rattling ceiling fans, irritable cooks and clattering woks - this joint celebrates everything Singapore has tried so hard to purge. Grab some char kway teow (broad noodles, clams and eggs fried in chilli and black-bean sauce) and a kick-ass Chinese coffee.
reviewed
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E
Jia Wei
Top spot in the East Coast area for dim sum, popular with business lunchers. Don’t be put off by the remarkable ugliness of the hotel building – the service and the food here is excellent and there are some splendid views over the sea. If you’ve acquired a taste for durian, try the fried ice-cream for dessert.
reviewed
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F
North Border Bar & Grill
Part of the hip Rochester Park scene, the North Border makes the most of its colonial bungalow setting, offering southwestern American food with the occasional modern twist in a relaxed alfresco setting. The flavours are bold and hearty and the emphasis is firmly on flesh: grain-fed steaks; grilled prawns, baby back ribs, chops.
reviewed
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G
House of Sundanese Food
A beacon of low-key amicability on hyper Boat Quay; dine under the riverside boughs or upstairs surrounded by artefacts. Tickle your tonsils with the ayam bumbu (mildly spiced chicken in semisweet lemon gravy) or west-Javanese grilled seabass, saturated with a quenching lime juice. There's another outlet at Suntec City.
reviewed
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H
Samundar
It boasts one of those vast menus that can drive you mad with indecision, but stick with the tandoor menu and you won’t go wrong (unless you’re vegetarian – but even then you have 15 choices). Order three days in advance for the special sikandari raan (marinated leg of lamb) – a snip at $84.
reviewed
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I
One on the Bund
The Marina Bay waterfront is hardly like the real Bund, but that’s not stopping restaurateurs from calling it so. Housed in the former Clifford Pier, One on the Bund has replaced boat services with Shanghainese food service. The cavernous atmosphere is a little too art gallery/mausoleum but the smoked duck helps warm you up.
reviewed
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J
Imperial Herbal Restaurant
Located in new premises, it still retains the scorpions on the menu and the in-house Chinese physician who checks your pulse, examines your tongue and then prescribes something on the menu to rebalance your yin and yang. Boost your libido, lose the zits, or stop the grey-hair onslaught – something tasty will save the day!
reviewed
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Brotzeit German Bier Bar
Sausages, pork knuckle and German beers galore, with soothing views over Sentosa and the harbour. The sausages are superb (the knoblauchwurst was a favourite, and not just for the name) and the draft Paulaners are dangerously easy on the palate. Service swings wildly from outstanding to hopeless, depending on your luck.
reviewed
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K
Cork Cellar Kitchen
This stretch of the CBD is a bit of a culinary vacuum, so it’s not surprising this wood-and-glass bistro gets packed with businesspeople during lunchtimes, when the chatter echoing off the minimalist walls can be deafening. Instead, go in the evening, when the excellent food and wine list can be enjoyed in peace.
reviewed
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L
Unique Seafood Market
When they called this unique, they weren't lying. Set in the grandstand of the old racecourse, it features a seafood market where you choose your victims from more than 50 tanks, before retiring to either the Hong Kong-style Ah Yat or pan-Asian Owen seafood restaurants. A memorable experience, particularly at weekends.
reviewed
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M
Sanur
It's hard to ignore Sanur's beef rendang (beef simmered in coconut-milk curry sauce), a classically-hewn Indonesian indulgence; the fragrant ayam bali (chicken in lemongrass curry) might take your mind off the Fountain of Wealth outside. There's another branch at Ngee Ann City on Orchard Rd.
reviewed
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N
Sungei Rd Laksa
Selected by the Makansutra street-food guru as Singapore's best laksa - and who's to argue? Apparently this laksa master uses only charcoal to keep his precious gravy warm and, unlike other successful hawkers, refuses to open other branches. Get there around 11:30 or after 14:00 to avoid the lunchtime rush.
reviewed
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O
Chef Chan’s Restaurant
Eponymous chef gets sick of cooking for over 200 people in his large restaurant, closes shop and opens tiny restaurant with seven tables, serving from a daily changing set menu. The restaurant is decked out with Chef Chan’s exquisite antique furnishings, which still pale in comparison to the food. Book ahead.
reviewed
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P
Gordon Grill
With its old military club atmosphere, complete with ‘family’ portraits, and its famed steaks, the Gordon Grill is an olde worlde oasis in the middle of ultramodern Orchard Rd. It’s as much an experience as it is a meal, so it’s worth splashing out on the wagyu, ordered by weight.
reviewed
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Q
Korean Hot Stone BBQ
A popular alternative to the area’s ubiquitous Middle Eastern fare, this no-frills shophouse is nearly always packed at night with Singaporean diners, clustered hungrily around the tables, feasting on bibimbap (rice with pickled vegetables and chilli sauce), hotpot and other Korean classics.
reviewed
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R
Blu
Top-notch sophisticated Western cuisine against a backdrop of posh condominiums, all bathed in a seductive low blue light and serenaded by some decent lounge jazz make this a good option for the fashionably minded. The tables are well-spaced to give a feeling of privacy and the service is notably excellent.
reviewed
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Shiraishi
Don’t let the casual izekaya appearance fool you. This restaurant is strictly for those seeking an exquisite Japanese dining experience (and who have the cash to spare). Prop yourself at the sushi bar and watch sushi chefs bark orders before proceeding to make masterpieces from hunks of raw fish.
reviewed
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Sin Hoi San Eating House
The pre- and post-clubbing crowd love to pile onto the plastic chairs and load up on a variety of sze char (cooked to order) dishes. If you want to splash out, try the chilli crab. Yes, the crabs and seafood are taken from one of the many aquarium tanks that line the walls of the restaurant.
reviewed
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U
Chilli Padi
Outstanding Peranakan food in its spiritual home of Joo Chiat – and so popular it’s spawned a range of home-cook pastes. Try the sour assam fish head and or sambal sotong (squid), and don’t miss the kueh pie ti (flour cups filled with prawn and turnip).
reviewed
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Naïve
The cosy dining room has communal tables, so you can rub shoulders with other diners enjoying a feel-good vegetarian fix. The menu features meatless variations on local favourites such as Golden Oat, where tofu (instead of prawns) is deep fried and coated with sweet oats. Portions are a little small.
reviewed
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W
Kopitiam
One of the top spots in the district for a late-night feed, this branch of the Kopitiam chain is brisk and blindingly bright, so if it’s a late boozy night grab a table outside, where the light is more friendly. The food is uniformly good and you won’t pay much more than $6 for a meal.
reviewed
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X
French Stall
A cross-cultural gem! French chef Xavier Le Henaff married a Singaporean and set up this place for regular folks – the best of France (good wine, great food, better desserts and lilting accordion music) merged with Singaporean affordability and no-frills outdoor dining. No reservations; cash only.
reviewed