Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? As much as we love the spate of new F&B joints popping up everyday, there’s some respect to be had for a restaurant that’s stood the test of time in tumultuous Singapore, and continued to keep things fresh for its loyal fans. Every month, we scope out some of your best-loved places for the new menus they’re bringing to the table.
Ginett (Through Sep 30)
A seasonal truffle menu at Hotel G’s Ginett is brief—with just four items—but mighty. While the restaurant identifies as French cuisine, the exclusive menu showcases fresh black truffles cultivated and harvested in Australian winter. Available as a la carte dishes you can add to your regular order, the menu comprises 62deg Slow Cooked Egg ($24) in black truffle puree, an indulgent Homemade Foie Gras Ravioli ($35), and Roasted Bresse Chicken ($42) in black truffle butter and ratte potatoes—the right balance of moist French chicken and finely grated black truffle. Our vote however goes to the unassuming soup: the deconstructed Artichoke Jerusalem Veloute ($19) that’s a creamy, almost paste-like chowder teased to life with croutons and a generous dumping of black truffle shavings. 200 Middle Road
il Cielo
Hilton’s snazzy rooftop Italian restaurant gets a brand new, permanent omakase menu. From $158 for seven courses, you’ll get a personalized experience with il Cielo’s Japanese-inspired Italian, tailored to your interactions with Chef de Cuisine Yohhei Sasaki. In keeping with Chef Sasaki’s mantra for freshness, the omakase menu revolves around fresh, seasonal ingredients—go now, and you can taste a menu of summer ingredients like summer black truffle in the amuse bouche, Hokkaido sea urchin and Ayu, a sweet river fish found only in the summertime.
Main courses include dishes like Octopus Carpaccio drenched in a three-sauce gazpacho and served with olive oil “popcorn”; as well as Grilled Scampi Pasta with baby zucchinis from Sicily. One standout dish is Chef’s signature Welcome to the Sea broth—an exquisite, multi-layered twist to miso soup incorporating abalone, sea urchin, Asari clam gelato and sakura ebi crumble. Be sure to ask for the Dessert Caprese, made of 100 percent milk yuba, yoghurt gelato, mascarpone and basil granite; sounds weird but it works. Wine pairing is an additional $60—the seafood goes best with the restaurant’s selection of Italian whites that cleanse the palate after each course. 581 Orchard Road
Lucha Loco & Super Loco
Chefs may be continually reinventing their food menus, but we’re equally happy to see new drink items too. And at The Loco Group’s establishments—Super Loco Robertson Quay, Super Loco Customs House, and the OG Lucha Loco on Duxton Hill—there’s even more reason to visit now with a new range of craft beers exclusively available at their shops. Made by local brewery Trouble Brewing, there are four new beers (all $13) to try: there’s the crisp and refreshing Tulum Verano summer ale; the zesty and hoppy Nuevo Gringo pale ale; the robust and complex Pesado; and the Mayan Dark, a dark ale boasting smooth cocoa and coffee notes. Time to gather the amigos. Various venues
SKIRT (Sep 20-29)
For a luxe new take on your usual fine dining, head to SKIRT at W Singapore—Sentosa Cove to try the exclusive four-course whiskey pairing menu, which marries the restaurant’s indulgent European dishes with renowned triple-distilled whiskey from Glasgow, Auchentoshan. To start, there’s a hilarious but tasty Bacon Fashionable, made of Auchentoshan American Oak infused with bak kwa, maple and Old Fashioned bitters; a slice of the meaty treat sits at the bottom of the glass for you to enjoy after. Move on to the starter—Argentinian Wild Ted prawn tartare with truffle and tomato reduction, paired with a fruity Auchentoshan 12 Years. The distinct citrus taste of the tomato water juxtaposes well with the salty capers and bitter bite of caviar; the sweeter flavors also diffuse the alcohol taste in the whiskey, cleaning your palate for the next scrumptious bite.
Next is the Cape Grim Smoked Beef Tongue, braised for 24 hours and slow-cooked for another 24; a more contrasting Auchentoshan 18 Years is paired to let the tongue shine. The highlight main course is an American oak Dry-Aged Sher Wagyu Striploin MS4-5—juicy and complemented perfectly with the woody Virgin Oak. Even dessert isn’t spared; the Golden Gay Time is a dolce du leche ice cream with honeycomb paired with a refreshing Threewood. Ask for a spray of bitters to go with your dessert whiskey—it immediately transforms with a fragrant chocolate aroma that seals the deal. Available for an extremely limited time, the entire menu is, indeed, aged to perfection. 21 Ocean Way
Sky22 (Through Sep 30)
Seafood in the sky is our kind of meal—and probably everyone else’s. Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena’s affordable buffet restaurant has a new seafood-themed buffet, happening every weekend for the month of September. For $48 (lunch) and $56 (dinner), load up on all-you-can-eat fresh servings of poached salmon, smoked tuna and marlin, sushi, seafood-on-ice and piping hot bowls of clam chowder. To ensure freshness, a cook-to-order a la carte buffet feature lets you pick from more than 17 main courses and sides—and order them as many times as you wish. There’s the Surf & Turf Platter of braised short ribs and grilled lobster, Green Lip mussels Pomodoro, pan-seared seabass, and divine oyster platters. You can even get Asian seafood dishes like chilli crab with mantou, black pepper prawns, and lala beehoon. 99 Irrawaddy Road
