There’s been a lot of buzz about the upcoming opening of the National Gallery and it includes lots of cool restaurants. We’ve already talked about Chef Julien Royer’s upcoming French restaurant and the Italian Champagne and oyster bar, Aura. Here’s what to expect ahead of the gallery’s November opening.
Fancy French fare gets a new home
After Julien Royer’s departure from Jaan, he’s teamed up with the Lo & Behold Group to open an equally fancy modern French restaurant. Named Odette, after his grandmother (aww), it pays homage to the woman who first taught him to love food. Located in the Supreme Court wing of the building, it has vast windows and will feature warm interiors, no doubt accentuated by artworks. We hear that the restaurant will focus mainly on degustation menus.
A Peranakan doyenne sets up shop
Hot on the heels of the rebranding of Violet Oon’s Kitchen, the restaurateur will open another Singapore-inspired restaurant in the gallery. National Kitchen will serve classic Singaporean dishes in an elegant environment that has both indoor and outdoor seats. While 70 per cent of the menu will be recycled from the Bukit Timah restaurant, the rest of the dishes are entirely new. The outdoor space will also serve cocktails and light bites like mini chili crab claws and vegetable stir-fry in lettuce leaves. Peranakan-style afternoon tea with nyonya kuehs are also available here.
There’s an Italian rooftop bar
The il Lido guys (the folks behind Southbridge and Osteria Art) have also been busy with a new Italian restaurant and rooftop bar. They’ve managed to snag one of the most coveted units in the gallery. Aura will be home to an alfresco dining area on the fifth floor, as well as a massive 6,000 sq. ft. rooftop terrace that houses a raw bar, gourmet salad bar and cake lounge. Come nighttime, the space transforms into a cool bar with views overlooking the Padang and CBD.
It has room for modern Indian cuisine
There will be a Duxton Hill transplant in the midst. Modern Indian restaurant Saha will be relocating to the gallery to dish out more gastronomic Indian fare like their signature Kerala vegetable istew espuma. The restaurant isn’t ditching their cocktail program either, so expect twists on classic drinks like the Curry-tini made with curry leaves.
The space isn’t complete without something Cantonese
The Park Hotel Group are getting ready for a double opening. Their upmarket Cantonese restaurant Yan is located on the fifth floor and will serve modern dishes like suckling pig and a deconstructed reinterpretation of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Upstairs, there will be rooftop bar Smoke & Mirrors with lots of craft beer, whiskey and wine. Just expect lots of theatrics, we hear the cocktails will feature lots of smoke (duh).
