Most cosmopolitan Neapolitan
Enoteca L’Operetta
This Italian restaurant’s walls are lined with Warholesque prints of The Beatles, pretty piles of fake roses and, bizarrely, a row of death masks – you wouldn’t expect a Japanese chef to be serving up paddles of vera pizza napoletana. Yet the traditional pie is one of chef Seita Nakahara’s signature, and best, dishes. A popular choice is the Bismark ($28) – ham, mozzarella, mushrooms, eggs and parmesan laid on made-in-house tomato sauce. Distinctive Italian ingredients are handled with refined Japanese sensibilities, as in the case of the lingua di manzo tonnata appetiser – a necklace of finely sliced beef tongue speckled with capers and a gentle but prominent wasabi dressing. Nakahara’s conscious restraint and reverence for good produce comes from his 11 years’ experience of cooking Italian cuisine. 78/79 Boat Quay (6438 2482, www.operetta.sg). MRT: Raffles Place. Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm; Sun 6-10pm. Main courses $26-$54. DW
Best hotel dine
The Glasshouse
Nestled among the greenery of the park, Fort Canning Hotel remains somewhat under the radar, but we think The Glasshouse should be just the ticket to put it on the map. Admittedly, the menu does contain some Western dishes, but the local standards remain closest to our greedy little hearts. Don’t miss the dry
mee siam, a dish rarely seen outside of Malaysia, here made with a sweet and slightly spicy paste, its wok-hei fragrant noodles lifted with half a Boston lobster-on-the-shell ($24). Other favourites include the tender chicken curry ($15) with a medium-thick gravy fragrant with ginger, turmeric and lemongrass. The best part? The simmered potatoes aren’t mushy.
11 Canning Walk (6559 6770, www.hfcsingapore.com). MRT: Dhoby Ghaut. Daily 7am-10.30pm. Main courses $12-$30. CA
Best toss-up
The Green Bar
This fast-salads bar with serene green-hued walls, mirrors, mod white chairs (some splashed with psychedelic prints), and chandelier dripping with extremely thin metal chains from the middle is known for adopting some of its customers’ recipes into its menu. Among owner Ca-ryn Lim’s 12 mainstays, the Smoked Duck Surprise rocks the most with its tender smoked duck slices glazed with truffle oil-infused balsamic vinegar, rosemary potatoes – crisp outside, fluffy on the inside – and roasted pumpkin cubes on a bed of mesclun greens ($11.90). Portions are hearty, the dressings are made from scratch and the greens imported fresh from Australia daily. You’ll definitely get full on this – we did. #01-16/17 Hitachi Towers, 16 Collyer Quay (6493 6948). MRT: Raffles Place. Mon-Fri 11am-8pm. Main courses $8.90-$12.90. CA
Most kid-friendly rooftop
Kebabs & Curries
Sitting above the street chaos that surrounds Mustafa, Singapore’s latest rooftop restaurant can be visited in flip-flops, shorts are not frowned upon, the bill doesn’t dig deep into your wallet and children are kept happily amused by jumping fountains. Kebabs & Curries achieves a perfect balance of tacky and charming, with the dining space divided between an indoor space under a glass and steel dome filled with fake flowers and bright neon lights, and an open-air wooden deck offering views of the busy Little India streets from above. The menu is filled with northern and southern Indian staples. Two kitchens keep separate the prep and cooking of vegetarian and meat dishes: garlic- and butter-slathered naan and skewers of tandoor spiced chicken roast in the kitchen’s clay oven, while the creamy dahl makhani simmers and crisp dosa is rolled in a meat-free setting. Kebabs & Curries is booze-free; all the better to toss back the perfectly tart, chilled mango lassi ($3) sprinkled with dried coconut – we’ve anointed it the best lassi in town. #07-00 Rooftop Mustafa Centre, 171 Syed Alwi Rd (6419 0750). MRT: Little India. Daily 5pm-2am. Main courses $5-$8. AK
Best move
Kha
While we miss the verdant views of its former HortPark setting, Kha has managed to salvage the restaurant’s romantic atmosphere in its new River Valley set-up. The rectangular dining hall is lent an intimate feel by low- and spotlighting features, black walls and a lofty, raw concrete ceiling. The sense of Thailand pervades: the poster of an enlarged stamp depicting the Thai King Bhumibol is displayed prominently, while the kitchen, ably helmed by Thai chefs, keeps things authentic. We were impressed by the fiery, tart tom yum goong ($18) served medium-hot (you can ask for it milder or hotter), whose flavours intensified with every sip; chef Papa Adun does a brilliantly crisp and smooth phad tow hu (deep-fried tofu, $14) with home-made curds; and curry lovers should order the medium-rich kheaw wan gai – green chicken curry with apple and pea eggplants and coconut flesh ($27). The latter, when bit into, would have you think it was a giant flake of white fish meat. 38 Martin Rd (6476 9000, www.kha.sg). Take a taxi. Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6-11pm; Sun 6-11pm. Main courses $13-$58. CA
<< Previous 10 | Next 35 >>
TOS RSS feed
TOS Twitter
TOS on Facebook
Print
Email
