[Sponsored] With a myriad of cuisines ranging from Asian flavors to European and Mediteranean fare at The Dining Edition, kick off your culinary expedition and savor these must-try dishes.
Suki-Ya
Chinese & Japanese
Hamanoya (#02-106)
The place: For those who like a bit of fiery action with their Japanese food, this casual wood-and-stone robatayaki lets you choose from a selection of meats and seafood before the chefs grill it up as you watch. For the ultimate comfort meal, there’s also hotpot.
The food: Various cuts of meat aside, the highlight here is the decadent seafood flown in from Japan: scallops, salmon, unagi and a whole lot more.
Order this: Get the Hamanoya Yakitori platter—a selection of their signature charcoal-grilled skewers such as Pork Belly, Beef and Minced Chicken with Onsen Egg.
SG50 Promotion: Order a set dinner for two for $50 (normally $60), which includes hotpot, yakitori and a veggie hotpot platter.
Hifumi (#02-106A-B)
The place: It may be casual, but its tatami-themed decor offers a calming ambience. Their main draw is Teishoku (Japanese Set Meals)—they’ve got a variety of choices at affordable prices. It’s no surprise they have a line out the door at mealtimes.
The food: All main courses come with free flow appetizers, which include seasonal items like pumpkin salad, tofu gratin and fried fish.
Order this: The luxurious Ishikari Miso Hotpot includes salmon, scallop and prawns in a flavorful miso broth.
Menzo Butao (#02-180)
The place: Ramen fans will not want to miss out on this traditional Hakata tonkotsu ramen restaurant with roots going back 80 years. Menzo Butao is a fuss-free spot specializing in three main types of broth: butao (white), kuroo (black) and akao (red).
The food: There are about 20 ramen dishes, across three soup bases. To bring out the flavor and essence of the broth, the butao is simmered for 14 hours with pork bones.
Order this: Cooked in the original sauce, the Taro Ramen’s braised pork belly is remarkably tender and goes well with the creamy Tonkotsu broth.
Suki-Ya (#02-183B-C)
The place: Everybody loves hot pot, and Suki-Ya does a great one, with the added bonus of a warm ambience, surrounded by elegant lattice screens, Japanese lanterns and lots of pine wood.
The food: There are four soup bases to choose from for your hotpot: the classic Sukiyaki, Shabu-Shabu, Touyu Miso, Butaniku and Wasabi. In addition to finely sliced meats, there’s an all-you-can-eat buffet with a spread of sauces, vegetables, mushrooms and tofus.
Order this: Look out for the Chicken Cheese Balls from the Suki-Ya Healthy Bar. At first bite, the melted cheese oozes out, creating a flavor explosion in your mouth. Beware, it’s hot!
Yechun Xiao Jiang Nan (#02-181-2)
The place: It’s dumplings and noodles galore at this Chinese restaurant specializing in Huai Yang cuisine. It is also the first and only Chinese restaurant that offers healthy multi-grain food in Singapore.
The food: Lamian dishes aside, there are lots of steamed dumplings like xiao long bao and purple potato vegetable dumpling. Heartier stuff includes double boiled minced pork ball soup and pork belly with stewed abalone.
Order this: Start the meal with an order of the steamed minced pork & crab roe broth dumpling. The giant hearty dumpling comes with a straw so you can slurp up the broth with bits of crab and pork.
Saigon Lotus
Southeast Asian
Bangkok Jam (#02-105B-C)
The place: With its modern Bangkok inspired motifs and slightly industrial decor, Bangkok Jam is an intimate bistro perfect for both lunch and dinner.
The food: Thai classics are the order of the day here, from the fiery tom yum talay (Red Tom Yum with Seafood), the gai yang song krueng (Grilled Chicken Thigh with Lettuce Wrap) and of course the green papaya salad, made here with soft shell crab.
Order this: Iconic dishes aside, order from the selection of Thai-inspired spaghetti stir-fries. The spaghetti with yellow curry and soft shell crab is especially good.
SG50 Promotion: Enjoy 50% off every second main course you order at dinner. Valid Mon-Thu. Other terms and conditions apply.
Saigon Lotus (#02-100A-B)
The place: It’s a bright and cheerful vibe at this Vietnamese place, with orange walls, colorful paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and plenty of natural light.
The food: Saigon Lotus has great and pretty affordable set lunches featuring savory bowls of beef pho, fresh shrimp spring rolls and other options. But the menu also features more authentic and unusual dishes like the mi vit tiem, braised duck egg noodle soup.
Order this: The hu tieu, pork noodle soup, is particularly comforting and hearty, as it comes not only with sliced pork and herbs but also quail egg and prawns.
The Manhattan FISH MARKET
European & Mediterranean
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (#02-103A/104)
The place: The famous coffee and tea chain is the go-to place for great house-roasted coffees and curated teas, along with a wide range of sides and sandwiches.
The food: It offers a pretty sizeable, all-halal food selection of salads, burgers, pastas, all-day breakfast and sandwiches, along with its cheesecakes and other desserts.
Order this: Get the seafood wrapped in cartoccio—scallops, lobster and mussels in a tomato sauce, baked in parchment paper and served with fettuccine.
The Manhattan FISH MARKET (#02-183)
The place: Named after Lower Manhattan’s famous Fulton Street fish market, this restaurant—with over 60 outlets around the world—is all about American-style seafood served in a casual, colorful atmosphere.
The food: The dishes here are usually poached, grilled, baked or fried, but the star of the show is their impressive tableside flambe. They also pride themselves on their signature sauces.
Order this: Don’t miss the Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter, their top dish on the menu, which comes with battered oysters, calamari and, with a top-up, your choice of fish fillets.
Pita Pan (#02-183A)
The place: A much-needed, soild vegetarian place, Pita Pan is a quick-service restaurant specializing in Mediterranean standards such as (vegetarian) shawarma and falafel.
The food: The highlight here has got to be the salad bar with Mediterranean favorites like sundried tomatoes, olives and pickled vegetables.
Order this: Few places in town do the shakshuka, poached eggs cooked in a tomato stew spiced with cumin and chilli. Wash it down with a cup of hot mint tea.
SHALLOTS (#02-101)
The place: Decked out to feel like a homey French bistro, SHALLOTS has whitewashed bricks on the walls, an open kitchen and an alfresco area. The menu is all about Western comfort food paired with solid wines.
The food: There are options for any time of the day, with highlights including hearty mains like Lobster Chilli Crab Pasta, Wagyu Beef Rum and Barramundi with Miso Mousse.
Order this: The all-day menu is great for when you just want to snack with a glass of wine. Get the garlic prawns tapas and the SHALLOTS chicken wings with your aperitif.
St. Marc Cafe
Cafes & Desserts
Ma Mere Boulangerie (#02-184-5)
The place: Inspired by the artisanal Japanese baking trend, this new bakery uses imported flours and no preservatives to produce fresh breads and pastries every day.
The food: They do all the classic breads like baguettes, boules and loafs, and pastries like croissants, eclairs and other goodies.
Order this: It’s hard to go wrong with a pain au chocolate paired with a hot cup of tea.
ST. MARC CAFÉ (#02-105)
The place: The decadent dessert spot has over 300 outlets in Japan, but the bustling branch at Marina Square is one of just four in Singapore and it’s a great place to cool your heels after work or after a shopping spree. The centerpiece of the cafe has got to be the enormous glass display of all their desserts and famous Chococro.
The food: They do their baking fresh daily, dishing out pastries and breads. They also fix up waffles cones and parfaits. The Little Fuji, for example, is made with a warm Butter Danish topped with cool vanilla soft serve and drizzled with caramel sauce.
Order this: ST. MARC CAFÉ’s famous Chococro, of course, a delicate croissant with chocolate made of cocoa beans from Ghana and Ecuador inside.
SG50 Promotions are valid from Jul 10-Aug 10, 2015. Other terms and conditions apply.
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