5 new restaurants offering exciting menus in Singapore
By: Alyssa Chung
Vue
For a great night out, head to Vue, Singapore’s latest rooftop bar and grill destination located at the penthouse level of OUE Bayfront. Enter via a dramatic walkway, and be greeted by glittering views of Marina Bay and the city's skyline. You can choose to sit at the main dining room with its eye-catching arched copper ceiling or enjoy sunset drinks at the al fresco pavilion which houses a spritz bar. Here you sip pre-dinner drinks such as Reiwa Highball made of umeshu and rum laced with shiso and mint. Or the signature Vue Royale—a lively cocktail of Champagne and umeshu with a hint of bourbon. From 5pm to 7pm, spritz cocktails come with complimentary servings of canapés.
Vue's menu focuses on binchōtan-grilled premium meats and seafood. One of the highlights is the grass-fed A4 Emperor ‘Kokuou’ Wagyu from Kumamoto – grilled over binchōtan and seasoned with rice salt flakes. Complement the tender beef cuts with sides such as creamed spinach with parmigiana, onion tempura, grilled mushrooms, sweet corn fritters, roasted bone marrow, steak-cut fries with truffles and gruyere, and more.
Meat aside, there are creative seafood items such as orient clam with squid ink tempura in smoke eel emulsion, and crispy red tilefish with purple cabbage and pil pil sauce. Vegetarian options include grilled purple cabbage with purple shiso and piquillo pepper puree, and Jerusalem artichoke veloute with zucchini, asparagus and creme fraiche. Tasting menus are also available for dinner, which you can pair with fine wines from the wine cellar. Vue is currently open only for dinner from Mondays to Fridays, from 6pm to 10.45pm. It is slated to commence lunch service in January 2020.
Oue Bayfront, Level 19, 50 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049321
Tel: +65 8879 0923
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La Scala
La Scala Ristorante at Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski is a new Italian join whose name is inspired by La Scala Opera House, the world-renowned theatre in Milan. Choose a table at this casual joint and tuck into pastas, pizzas and freshly made appetisers such as burratina and pomodorini - mini burrata served with rocket leaves, sweet cherry tomatoes and basil, or grilled octopus tentacles with saffron mashed potatoes.
If you like a classic hearty dish, go for the lasagna with Italian meat ragout. If you prefer seafood, try the spaghetti costiera with prawns, shellfish reduction and grated mullet bottarga, or squid ink pasta cooked with mussels, squid, clams, prawns and crayfish in a rich tomato sauce. There’s also a vegetarian option that comes in the form of a half-moon green ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach, cooked in butter, sage and grated parmesan cheese.
La Scala offers 10 freshly baked pizzas to boot. Munch on Pizza Calabrese, thin crust pizza topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni salami, roasted black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Or the house specialty of Pizza Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. Complete your meal with mini cannoli filled with sweet ricotta and candied fruit.
Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski. 13 Stamford Road, Singapore 178906
Tel: +65 6715 6877
Burger & Lobster Raffles Hotel
After the launch of the first outlet at Jewel Changi Airport, Burger & Lobster unveils its second outlet at Raffles Hotel Singapore last month. Burger & Lobster Raffles Arcade is three times larger than its Jewel sister and also offers a wider selection of lobsters and burgers. Settle onto one of the comfortable leather banquettes and contemplate the menu. This Singapore outpost reflects the London brand’s dedication to quality. This means the same live lobsters from Nova Scotia and Nebraskan beef patties are used in the various creations.
Aside from the restaurant’s mainstay of Original Lobster Roll dressed in lemon mayo, 1.5LB Lobster served with fries and lemon-garlic butter, and The Mayfair Burger, there’s a range of items exclusively offered here. For something a little luxe, go for the Uni, Lobster & Caviar Lobster Roll – uni-infused buttered lobster meat is nestled within toasted brioche roll, and garnished with caviar, dill leaves and more uni. Or sink your teeth into the unique Spicy Miso Burger, featuring a miso-glazed grilled Nebraskan Angus beef patty topped with smoked provolone cheese tucked in toasted brioche bun, and partnered with lightly spiced guacamole, kale crunchy kale and chilli flakes. For a spicy local flavour, slurp up the Laksa Lobster whose coconut-based broth is infused with aromatic laksa leaves, ikan bilis and red chilli.
At this outlet too is an outdoor bar and a fresh seafood counter where you get to enjoy items like Fresh Seafood Platter, an assembly of freshly shucked oysters, king crab legs, chilled Dutch mussels, poached tiger prawns, and half a lobster, on a bed of ice.
#01-25, Raffles Arcade, Raffles Hotel Singapore, 328 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188719
www.burgerandlobster.com/contact
Yi by Jereme Leung
Well-known Master Chef Jereme Leung makes his long-awaited return to Singapore with contemporary Chinese restaurant, 藝 yì by Jereme Leung at Raffles Hotel Singapore. Raised and educated in Singapore, the chef built his culinary career in Hong Kong and later in top hotels around Southeast Asia. He moved to Shanghai in 2002 and has since opened over nine restaurants worldwide. Yi by Jereme Leung is his first restaurant in Singapore. “yì” means art in the Chinese language, and the restaurant’s beautiful interior décor reflects this creative flair. As you enter, you’d notice an art installation decorated with 1,000 handcrafted and individually strung floral strands.
This elegant restaurant delivers regional Chinese cuisine with a modern spin. Start with a glass of wine at the intimate cocktail bar, designed to mimic a ‘living room’, and munch on snacks like Sichuan spicy chicken and luncheon meat as well as Sichuan spiced crispy fish skin.
Unique dishes to feast on include the golden roasted duck, served with a house-made rose fermented bean sauce which contains hand-pressed Yunnan’s Dali rose extract. This creative dish comes with a five-coloured pancake, infused with spinach, sweet potato, squid ink and pumpkin puree. There’s also tender braised beef cheeks, tendon and oxtail steeped in sorghum grains and wine, and a well-executed fried rice with char siew, pork belly and pickled long beans to feast on. Desserts are one of a kind. Think: locally-inspired satay-spiced ice cream with peanut dust, fruits and nuts. Available for lunch is dim sum offerings such as chilli crab xiao long bao, swan-shaped durian pastry stuffed with pure creamy durian and handcrafted into the shape of a swan.
328 North Bridge Road, Raffles Arcade, #03-02, Singapore 188719
Tel: +65 6337 1886
Social Place
Social Place launched its first outlet in Singapore at Forum The Shopping Mall in October. This Hong Kong brand is best known for its contemporary Chinese cuisine, and casual chic setting. This outpost is decked out in marble-topped tables, vintage patterned flooring and a glossy feature wall made of mahjong tyles.
Menu-wise, one the mainstays is the cold hairy crab in Chinese wine, prepared by steeping the crustacean in a special sauce perfumed with Hua Diao. There’s also the unique wagyu char siu – marinated, grilled and finished with black pepper, and roasted quail, braised in a proprietary concoction infused with more than 10 different spices and herbs, and roasted till crispy. A showstopper here is the ‘Flamin-ple’. A whole pineapple is served tableside, set aflame, and the top is lifted to reveal an aromatic curry gravy – a vibrant combination of beef brisket with fresh pineapple purée, and sweet pineapple bits.
Another special dish is the Sweet & Sour Pork on Ice. Fried pork is tossed in sweet and sour sauce, then topped with melon and blueberries. The meat is served with crushed and cubed ice to ensure the battered pork remains crisp and glossy. For something comforting, try the Seafood Crackling Rice Soup with its umami-rich seafood broth, diced scallops, jasmine rice and orzo pasta, scattered with crispy rice grains.
Original dim sum creations to feast on include savoury sweet charcoal custard bun, elegantly adorned with artful gold brush strokes. And the Black Swan Pastry: charcoal-tinged buttery pastry filled with chicken and mushroom and shaped into black swans. Alternatively, munch on deep-fried lobster glutinous puffs that come in the form of mangosteen-shaped morsels filled with crab meat cooked in lobster broth.
#01-22 Forum The Shopping Mall 583 Orchard Road, Singapore 238884
Tel: +65 8870 2288
