There are always so many restaurants opening around town. And with more than half the year over, here are the best openings in Singapore so far this year. There’s a brand new oyster bar, a new restaurant by the Moosehead people, a serious French creperie (with buckwheat!) and lots more.
Chef’s Table
Chef Stephan Zoisl has struck it out on his own with this kitchen and bar serving modern European food that highlights produce sourced from farmers around the world. The restaurant works on a degustation-style set menu where you can pick between three-, four-, six- and eight-course dinners ($68-150). But if you’re in the mood to sample according to your mood, there’s a menu comprising small and big dishes like fried pig’s ears, beef tagliata with aged parmesan and the Doughnut Pte Ltd, donuts fried in duck fat with duck confit, thyme, poached egg, apple cider-infused jus, braised shallots and rocket leaves—only eight portions are available per night.
Cure
After heading up Esquina and The Study, Chef Andrew Walsh has partnered with Joel Fraser of Cufflink Club to open a bistronomy-concept restaurant. While the clean but welcoming space isn’t anything to shout about, the menu is. It’s ever-changing and works on a degustation basis. During the day there are two-, three- and five-course lunches, while the nighttime sees larger five- and six-course meals. The menu includes dishes like quail with garlic milk, leg kiev and parsley, as well as scallops with cured duck ham, daikon and English peas.
The Daily Roundup
This pretty pastel-tinged and light wooden space specializes in French Brittany-style sweet crepes and savory galettes, with 13 different flavors and toppings like the Nutella-inspired hazelnut crepe ($10) and the salted caramel crepe ($10) with Tonka beans. Just in case you don’t have a sweet tooth, there are tons of savory galette options made with buckwheat flour. We’re particularly drawn to the delicious sounding chorizo galette ($14) with Iberico chorizo and comte cheese, as well as the fresh Italian burrata galette ($16) with cherry vine tomatoes, arugula salad and pesto.
Delicacy
This tapas restaurant and wine bar by The Food & Wine Merchants specializes in all things gourmet and European. They’ve got Chef Victor Caballe, formerly of Bomba and Vida Vino, in the kitchen churning out small sharing plates of grilled prawns with chili flakes and soya cream sauce; walnut croquetas with walnut truffle mayo; grilled lamb cutlets with aioli and lots of platters of cheese and cold cuts. The three-in-one space functions as a deli, brunch place and tapas & wine bar come nighttime. Plus, they’ve got lunches starting at $15.
Humpback
This 40-seater seafood restaurant focuses on fresh live oysters from America, namely the country’s western coast off Washington (think Hama Hama and Kumamoto oysters). In addition to the raw bar that serves other dishes like hamachi ceviche, the restaurant will also serve cooked seafood like mussels with pork belly and black cod, as well as wines and white spirit cocktails by Aki Eguchi.
Lollapalooza
The second and sister outlet of Ann Siang Hill’s Lolla, this open concept restaurant is decked out in light wooden tones with an open kitchen. The industrial-looking space has a daily changing menu of sharing plates like pork rillette, crab and grilled avocado salad and roasted lamb rack with spiced yoghurt, but also more adventurous items like lamb tongue, pig’s ears and escargot stew. The space also has a wine list that focuses more on Old World wineries.
Maca Restaurant
This modern restaurant at the cozy Tanglin Post Office serves innovative, contemporary and seasonal sharing plates of chargrilled baby octopus with smoked miso, prawn ceviche with black tomatoes and kombu, as well as pork with parsnips in apple cider sauce. Communal dining is the name of the game at this industrial space, complete with exposed pipes and faded chairs, which is all about the clean concrete lines and light wooden furniture.
Maggie Joan’s
The father-and-son team behind Moosehead expands their Mediterranean reach with this hidden restaurant. We don’t blame you if you can’t find the entrance as it’s located in a back alley of Gemmill Lane behind a non-descript metal door. The modern Mediterranean food by Chef Oliver Hyde, formerly of Pollen, seems interesting enough to warrant a visit, with fresh dishes of yellowtail sashimi with brandade ($22), egg with dukkah and saffron mayo ($6), roast bass with pesto ($28), and grilled Iberico pork jowl with prunes and cauliflower ($34). Having said that, the space is pretty lush—dotted with potted plants, ceramicware and even chandeliers.
Open Farm Community
Chef Ryan Clift teams up with urban farmers Edible Gardens for this farm-to-table-inspired restaurant. The expansive 5,000 sq m space has its own herb and vegetable garden, as well as an airy dining room serving hearty and fresh pastas, salads and meat dishes. Don’t skip the creamy rigatoni with local mushrooms, as well as the charred lamb rump with garden peas and mash. The place also encourages people to picnic in the garden while playing a game of lawn bowling or ping pong, too.
Osteria Art
The il Lido group opens this fine Italian restaurant that takes cues from traditional osterias and bars found in Italy. The menu is all about classics with dishes like beef agnolotti pasta with truffles, pappardelle with pork cheek in red wine and veal osso bucco with gremolata and potato puree. The sexy and dimly-lit space is awash with lots of dark wood, marble top counters and a storied library-like vibe. If you’re there for something lighter, head to the bar and fill up on antipasti like burrata with grilled vegetables and home-cured salami with a cheese platter.
Sorrel
This bistronomy (or approachable fine dining) concept in Boon Tat is helmed by the young chef Johnston Teo who pushes out artfully plated dishes at a more affordable price point (meaning nothing over $118). You get the full fine dining experience, complete with snacks, amuse bouche and palate cleansers, without the stiffness. Everything is based on market fresh produce, so don’t be sad if the menu full of dishes like sakura ebi with langoustine changes often.
