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Restaurants We have selected 25 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments. Restaurants will add a 10% service charge, 3% GST (which will rise to 5% in 2003) and 1% government tax to the bill. This 14% is known as ‘triple plus’ and is mandatory. Tipping is not required on top. The prices quoted below are for a three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or equivalent; they do not include service charge or tax. Gastronomic Alkaff Mansion This elegant mansion, built in the 1920s, is one of Singapore’s finest with high ceilings, wooden beams and antique tiles. Its decadent atmosphere is enhanced by the fantastic view from the top of the hill over acres of park. Start in the Verandah Bar for an apéritif and move upstairs for the fabulous Dutch-Indonesian cuisine. In addition to the à la carte menu, there is an 11-course Rijsttafel Menu (S$60) with dishes like red snapper with mixed pickles or grilled sliced lamb loin with chilli soy sauce. All ceremoniously served with staff in traditional dress, it is a wonderful way of experiencing this cuisine. For the less adventurous, the Western Menu includes chicken bouillabaisse and tortellini with anchovies, and there is a four-course Western set menu at lunchtime for S$30. 10 Telok Blangah Green Tel: 6278 6979. Fax: 6274 0460. E-mail: reservations@alkaffmansion.com.sg Website: www.alkaffmansion.com.sg Price: S$70. Wine: S$48. L’Aigle Dor The Art Nouveau interior of L’Aigle Dor creates a cosy yet classy ambience. One of the best authentic French restaurants in town, the cuisine and service are renowned. A meal might start with snails in delicate puff pastry or pan-fried foie gras with raspberry sauce. Fish is on the menu but meat dominates the main courses, with dishes like fried rack of veal and roasted rack of lamb with herbs. Grand Marnier soufflé or the old classic, crème brûlée, are an ideal way to finish off an evening. Duxton Hotel, 83 Duxton Road Tel: 6227 7678, Fax: 6227 1232. E-mail: berhotel@singnet.com.sg Price: S$90. Wine: S$60. Man Fu Yuan Man Fu Yuan is an elegant restaurant that serves up an exquisite selection of Cantonese dishes with a unique slant. Starters include deep-fried lobster and prawn roll in filo pastry, or a barbecue platter with marinated eel and slivers of chicken liver on toast. The shark fin soup is double-boiled with shark’s bone stock. Pork spare ribs are baked and cooked with a coffee-flavoured sauce and, for dessert, the homemade beancurd with sugar syrup or the hasma with red dates are recommended. The serene setting and gracious service merely enhance the finesse of the food. Hotel Inter-Continental Singapore, 80 Middle Road Tel: 6431 1062. Fax: 6431 1139. Price: S$50. Wine: S$60. Morton’s of Chicago This slice of America is best known for its superb, succulent steaks, huge portions and unrivalled service. The atmosphere is plush yet intimate, in true gentleman’s club style with huge upholstered seats and Sinatra crooning in the background. Entrées like the Maine lobster, tender crab cakes and grilled scallops wrapped in bacon come highly recommended. The house speciality is porterhouse, a double delight with one side filet mignon and the other New York strip. Apart from huge succulent hunks of US steak, there is also a good selection of chicken, fish and seafood mains. For the sweet tooth, the Godiva hot chocolate cake is renowned. The Oriental Singapore Hotel, 5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square Tel: 6339 3740. Fax: 6337 3763. Website: www.mortons.com Price: S$100. Wine: S$80. Raffles Grill The classic French cuisine and top-class service has made the Grill Raffles Hotel’s most exclusive restaurant and well deservedly. It has previously been named as the island’s top restaurant and the current chef has won Michelin stars. The old colonial interior is innately stylish, while the food is exquisite. Sautéed duck’s liver is a house speciality, but other dishes include poached pigeon, warm smoked Atlantic salmon and suckling pig with delicious crackling. Finish up with a selection of soufflés or flambées. 1 Beach Road Tel: 6337 1886. Fax: 6339 7650. E-mail: rafflesgrill@raffles.com Website: www.raffles.com Price: S$100. Wine: S$70. Business Au Jardin Les Amis This branch of the Les Amis group surely wins the prize for the most picturesque setting. Set amid the Botanic Gardens, it overlooks lush greenery and offers fantastic views from its two balconies. Its spacious interior is particularly good for wining and dining clients. The fixed-price menu offers a three-course set lunch for S$55 and a huge six-course dinner for S$150. Favourite dishes include veal cheek and fillet of lamb tenderloin with sweetbreads. The wine list is highly reputable. Reservations are highly recommended. The group’s other branches, The Lighthouse and Les Amis, also have à la carte menus. EJH Corner House, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Cluny Road Tel: 6466 8812. Fax: 6466 8227. Website: www.lesamis.com.sg Price: S$150 (six-course set menu). Wine: S$70. Les Amis 16 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road Tel: 6733 2225. Fax: 6735 0106. The Lighthouse The Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square Tel: 6877 8932, Fax: 6877 8931. Harbour Grill and Oyster Bar With a cosy, old-world decor, ornate furnishings and an open kitchen area, Harbour Grill has enjoyed a long-standing reputation for classic French and continental food. Good starters are the garlic smoked salmon or seafood minestrone or, most appropriately, the fresh Canadian or Fines de Claire oysters. For main courses, the roast veal is cooked with rosemary and thyme, while fish lovers will really go for the grilled tuna belly with bacon and Japanese peas. For a rich dessert, warm chocolate fondue comes with biscotti, nuts and strawberries for dipping. Exquisite! A four-course set lunch costs S$45, with three courses at S$38. Closed Sunday. Level 3, Hilton Hotel Singapore, 581 Orchard Road Tel: 6730 3393. Fax: 6235 4140. E-mail: harbourgrill@yahoo.com.sg Price: S$75. Wine: S$55. Jiang-Nan Chun Award-winning personalised and helpful service and an understated chic setting makes this restaurant well suited for a business meal. The innovative Chinese cuisine features traditional dishes with a twist, like deep-fried spare ribs with coffee sauce. But classic Chinese favourites include barbecue pigeon, braised shark fin soup with crab rolls, or pork and squid dumplings flavoured with water chestnut. Four Seasons Hotel, 190 Orchard Boulevard Tel: 6831 7220. Fax: 6831 7159. Price: S$70. Wine: S$55. Mezza9 Simple Zen and urban chic makes a winning combination in this diverse restaurant of 450 seats. The restaurant serves four cuisines – Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Western – divided into nine sections, including a European Deli, Chinese steam basket, and sushi and sashimi bar. The à la carte menu has an ever-changing selection of each, including Chinese chilli crab, yakitori (Japanese barbecue) and tom yam gung. Set lunches are available during the week (S$16-60) and Sunday brunches have the full range of cuisine, plus free-flowing champagne and a chocolate fountain for S$78. Mezza9 retains its reputation as a unique dining concept in Singapore. Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10/12 Scotts Road Tel: 6416 7189. Fax: 6732 1696. Website: www.restaurants.singapore.hyatt.com Price: S$70. Wine: S$60. The Oaks Grill and Bar Set in a rather inauspicious shopping mall, this restaurant nonetheless has a bright, friendly atmosphere and a popular outdoor terrace. Specialising in Australian steaks and seafood, cooked with an Asian flavour, it originated as a wine store and so not surprisingly has a fine wine selection. A favourite starter is Australian lobster skewers, pan-seared and served with sweet and sour chilli sauce. For mains, the Kangaroo steak served with red wine sauce, the grilled ostrich steak, or the blue-eyed cod with tarragon sauce are recommended. Everything is cooked to perfection and The Oaks is a good example of how tasty barbecued food can be. Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road Tel: 6735 8611. Fax: 6735 8600. Price: S$50. Wine: S$42. Trendy Indochine This group of three restaurants serves authentic food from Indochina. Indochine Alfresco, on Waterloo Street, offers casual alfresco dining in a courtyard setting and serves light food like the famous Vietnamese beef noodles. Indochine Wine Bar and Restaurant on Club Street is more sophisticated, with dark decor and bold sculptures. It offers more complex dishes, like Loatian pork patties wrapped around lemongrass stalks. The newest addition is the trendy Waterfront, on Empress Place, with a huge terrace adjacent to the river and indoor seating behind glass panels. It boasts fusion food like Cambodian chicken with garlic, chilli and basil sauce, and an Indonesian platter including tasters of prawns on sugar cane, dried beef and spring rolls. Indochine Alfresco 42 Waterloo Street Tel: 6333 5003. Fax: 6323 2417. Price: S$50. Wine: S$58 Indochine Wine Bar and Restaurant 49 Club Street Tel: 6323 0503. Fax: 6323 2417. Waterfront 1 Empress Place Tel: 6339 1720. Fax: 6339 0420. Marmalade One of the best and trendiest restaurants on the island, this stylish, upmarket venue has stark, minimalist aesthetics. Based in the heart of the city adjacent to the Metropole Hotel, Marmalade has a small but popular modern European menu serving high-quality food that changes every few months. Starters might include pan-fried foie gras with armagnac, or pressed leek terrine served chilled with black truffle essence and champagne vinaigrette. Main courses include seriously meaty delights like grilled pork tenderloin, and vegetarian and fish dishes like eggplant tempora salad with marine sauce. There is also a five-course tasting menu at S$88 or S$118 with wines, with a vegetarian equivalent for S$78 and S$108. No lunch. Closed Sunday. 36 Purvis Street Tel: 6837 2123. Fax: 6837 2124. Website: www.marmalade.com.sg Price: S$75. Wine: S$70. Pierside Kitchen and Bar With an emphasis on seafood, the modern cuisine in this new venue (opened in October 2000) adds a dash of Japanese to its dishes. The waterfront location is a trendy area, with alfresco dining available with a harbour view. Starters include cumin-spiced crab cakes with marinated cucumber and chilli, and seaweed-wrapped tuna tempura. For main course, the oven-roasted miso cod with new potatoes and sweet peas comes highly recommended, as does the Maine lobster linguine. Simpler food is available at lunchtimes. The highlight of the dessert menu is the warm chocolate tart with a molten lava centre. With stylish decor, staff and ambience, Pierside has already made its mark as a trendy dining spot. One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road Tel: 6438 0400. Price: S$60. Wine: S$66. Saint Pierre Emmanual Stroobant, a winner of Best Chef of the Year, unites his Belgian roots and Asian experience in an elegant, simple and modern restaurant. The Modern French menu includes delicacies like pan-fried foie gras with caramelised apple in port sauce, braised black cod with white misu, and braised rabbit with mustard and wasabe. For dessert, Grandma Stroobant’s flourless Belgian chocolate cake lives up to its reputation as unmissable. Reservations recommended. No dinner Sunday; no lunch Saturday. Central Mall, 7 Magazine Road Tel: 6438 0887. Fax: 6438 4887. Website: www.saintpierre.com.sg Price: S$100. Wine: S$45. Union Restaurant and Bar One of the newest and trendiest venues in this hippest of streets, Union has an oh-so-cool bar on the ground floor with dim lights and fine cocktails and a restaurant serving modern European cuisine. If pan-fried foie grois is passé, then try the grilled mussels with lemongrass and coconut. Duck is pan-fried with a crispy skin and served with berry coulis, while the lobster risotto is deservedly one of their most popular main courses. Diners can top it all off with forest berry crêpes with honey sauce and relax in a simple, clean and spacious setting with seductive lighting and music. A good-value three-course lunch is available for S$25. 81 Club Street Tel: 6327 4990. Fax: 6327 4989. E-mail: union@gastronomical.biz Price: S$55. Wine: S$48. Budget Gorkha Grill This little gem of a dining room, tucked in the busy eating area of Smith Street, is Singapore’s first authentic Nepalese restaurant. Small and friendly, with huge murals of mountain scenery, the menu is a great sample of the flavours and spices of Nepal. Filling without being heavy and greasy, momos (meat or vegetarian steamed or fried dumplings) are a great way to start. Recommended dishes include soup made from beans simmered with green vegetables and herbs; Jheenge papita (prawns marinated with herbs and vegetables) served in a papaya boat, and the kukhura so makhani (chicken marinated with herbs, cooked with butter gravy), which is done to tender perfection. Gorkha Grill is tasty and reasonably priced – made more economical by bringing your own wine. A set lunch is available for S$6.50. 21 Smith Street Tel: 6227 0806. Price: S$25. Wine: BYO. Komala Vilas Komala Vilas is one of a plethora of small, casual eating places in the ethnic quarter of Little India. The vegetarian menu provides a whole traditional South Indian meal, with favourites such as the dosai, a vegetable-filled crêpe, and thali, a complete meal comprising rice, lentils and a selection of curries, all served on a banana leaf. A great place for breakfast, open from 0700. No credit cards. 76-78 Serangoon Road Tel: 6293 6980. Fax: 6392 9385. 12-14 Buffalo Road Tel: 6293 3664. E-mail: komala@singnet.com.sg Price: S$10. Unlicensed. Ling Zhi With Chinese food being dominated by meat and seafood, it is something of a relief to be able to enjoy pure vegetarian dishes – and at reasonable prices. Dim sum is a good place to start – the fried monkey head mushrooms with capsicum and dried chilli must be tried (despite the name), as must the honshimeiji mushrooms, which are stir fried with asparagus, capsicum and macadamia nuts in a crispy yam basket. The chefs in the two outlets have proved that it is possible to turn vegetables and soya into imaginative and tasty dishes. Because of location and price, lunchtimes are busy but generally cosy, with friendly service. Liat Towers, 541 Orchard Road Tel: 6734 3788. Far East Square, 7-10 Amoy St Tel: 6538 2992. Price: S$25. Wine: Unlicensed. Newton Circus Eating in a hawker centre is a dining experience special to Singapore, with many around the city, especially in the shopping areas. Newton Circus has always been popular with locals and visitors, mainly because it is outdoor and open 24 hours. Diners should ignore the touts who try and entice tourists to their stall and look at what each place offers, then find a table and place an order. As with most food centres, you can order from different stalls and it will all be brought to your table. It does not offer the greatest range of dishes, with few vegetarian options, nor is it the cheapest, but the atmosphere is always lively whether people gather for a late-night meal, for breakfast, or for a beer at 4am. Newton Circus, next to the Newton MRT Price: From S$4. Beer: From S$4. Orchard Maharajah This small North Indian restaurant, situated in Orchard Road’s shopping district, is ideal for those who like outdoor dining in the midst of activity. Despite its modest location and price, the food is impressive. The tandoori platter comes laden with chicken tikka, fish, shish kebab and prawns. The Raan e Maharajah is the house speciality, with lamb marinated overnight and roast in the tandoor. Vegetarian dishes include the classic saag aloo (spinach and potato) and baigan bartha (aubergine with spices). 27 Cuppage Terrace Tel: 6732 6331. Price: S$25. Wine: S$30. Personal Recommendations Broth Since opening in August 2001, Broth has already proved to be a popular place for lunch and dinner in the business district of Chinatown. The Mediterranean atmosphere of the leafy side-street is reflected in the high-ceilinged, cool interior, with only eight tables inside and two on the pavement. The cuisine is Modern European, its dinner menu favouring meaty main courses like Middle Eastern chicken or US pork tenderloin roasted with prosciutto and quince. There is more variety at lunchtime: snails on brioche with roast garlic for starters, potato and white truffle gnocchi for a main and the outstanding dessert menu – the sticky date pudding should not be missed. A suitable place for a quiet dinner, with relaxing music and friendly service. 21 Duxton Hill Tel: 6323 3353. Price: S$50. Wine: S$55. Crossroads Café The location here is the real gem. Bang in the middle of Orchard’s shopping and business district on pavement level, its relaxing, terrace-like atmosphere is perfect for people-watching. The extensive menu has snacks, meals and breakfasts with Asian and Western cuisine and the beauty lies in its variety. The Late Breakfast menu includes American pancakes and Eggs Benedict. Dinner might start with a classic Caesar salad with smoked salmon or an Asian combination platter; and move on to the popular Yong chow fried rice with pork, shrimp and chicken satay, or a five-spiced fillet of cod. There is a long list of sandwiches, side orders, as well as a desert buffet for S$10, which makes this ideal whether for an afternoon coffee, a cool beer or a three-course dinner. Singapore Marriott Hotel, 320 Orchard Road Tel: 6831 4627. Fax: 6735 9800. Price: S$40. Wine: S$50. Doc Cheng’s Specialising in cuisine known as trans-ethnic, Doc Cheng’s uses unusual combinations of ingredients, which is the restaurant’s signature. Fusion cuisine tends to be an over-used description but here is one place that offers the real thing. For starters, Doc’s pu-pu plate includes a range of appetisers like samosas, tuna tartare and pork dumplings. Mains include Sezchuan rack of lamb marinated with spices, char-boiled miso butter fish, or wok-charred big-eye Hawaiian tuna. A suitable unique dessert would be caramelised bananas baked with sticky rice ice cream. Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Road Tel: 6331 1612. E-mail: raffles@raffles.com Website: www.raffles.com Price: S$65. Wine: S$65. Esmiradas With a heavy Greek accent, Esmiradas has recently moved to this larger venue and makes for a lively night out, rather than a quiet dinner for two. The salads are full of creamy feta cheese and black olives; main courses include skewered meat and seafood served with bell pepper relish and tzatziki, paella or lamb couscous. The desserts are wonderful, with award-winning tiramisu and lemon crème brûlée. But the pièce de résistance is the Kramat coffee, where the waiters at the table prepare a flambéed coffee, loaded with Cointreau, Grand Marnier and Drambuie. Service is informal and friendly yet efficient and there is a separate huge dining table seating ten people, ideal for a more private dinner party. Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road Tel: 6735 3476. Price: S$50. Wine: S$50. Original Sin This is one of Singapore’s few European vegetarian restaurants, a stylish venue in the ex-pat suburb of Holland Village. There is a tempting choice of bruschettas, salads and starters, the best of which is the mezze plate with six Middle Eastern specialties, like babaganoush (roast eggplant dip) and koresh (pumpkin, pinenuts and cinammon), served with hunks of pitta bread. The pizzas and calzones are far from predictable, with toppings like roast pumpkin, avocado, smoked cheese and asparagus. The Italian chef excels in rissottos, frittata and pastas, and after sampling all that, there is a mouthwatering cheesecake and liqueur coffee to finish. Dishes can also be adapted to cater for vegans – and even non-vegetarians might be coming back for more! Chip Bee Gardens, 43 Jalan Merah Saga, Holland Village Tel: 6476 7782. Fax: 6476 4261. Website: www.sistina.com.sg Price: S$50. Wine: S$39. |
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