World City Guide

Restaurants

The selected restaurants have been 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, 5% GST and 1% government tax to the bill. This 16% is known as ‘triple plus’ and is mandatory. Tipping is not required on top. The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal for one person and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they do not include service charge or tax.

Gastronomic

Jiang-Nan Chun
Award-winning, personalised, helpful service and an understated chic setting make 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 barbecued pigeon, braised shark fin soup with crab rolls, or pork and squid dumplings flavoured with water chestnut. Its dim sum lunch menu includes steamed dumpling filled with shark’s fin and seafood, and fluffy honey-glazed barbecued pork bun.

Four Seasons Hotel, 190 Orchard Boulevard
Tel: 6734 1110. Fax: 6733 0682.
Website: www.fourseasons.com
Price: S$70. Wine: S$65.

Les Amis
Re-opening after extensive renovation in 2003, Les Amis is the flagship of this restaurant group, and resident chef Gunther Hubrechsen creates modern French food with classic techniques. Using the best ingredients from Europe, America and Asia Pacific, signature dishes include carpaccio of scallops with fresh black truffles, roast pigeon with soya, and pan-roasted clams with cep mushrooms, ending with chocolate soufflé with Tahiti vanilla ice cream. A three-course business lunch is good value at S$48, plus vegetarian lunch for S$42. The décor, by a Japanese interior designer, is tasteful and minimalist using natural materials, and there are two private dining rooms in addition to the main restaurant which holds up to 44 diners.

2-16 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road
Tel: 6733 2225. Fax: 6735 0106.
E-mail: lesamis@lesamis.com.sg
Website: www.lesamis.com.sg
Price: S$140. Wine: S$65.

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 lemon 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. There are also 20 varieties of dim sum, perfect for a Sunday brunch. Reservations recommended.

Hotel InterContinental Singapore, 80 Middle Road
Tel: 6431 1062. Fax: 6431 1139.
E-mail: sinhb-dining@interconti.com
Website: www.singapore.intercontinental.com
Price: S$60. Wine: S$62.

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 its new chefs, the internationally renowned Jaques and Laurent Pourcel, will undoubtedly keep the restaurant very much on the culinary map. The old colonial interior is innately stylish, while the food is exquisite. Signature dishes include tomato crustacean bisque, pan-seared duck’s liver and roasted rack of veal. Diners should finish up with a selection of soufflés or the warm bitter chocolate tart. No lunch Saturday, closed Sunday.

Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road
Tel: 6412 1185. Fax: 6337 3787.
E-mail: rafflesgrill@raffles.com.sg
Website: www.raffleshotel.com.sg
Price: S$110. Wine: S$80.

Saint Pierre
With awards and fine reviews galore, chef Emmanual Stroobant unites his Belgian roots and Asian experience in an elegant and modern restaurant, proving that fine French cuisine does not have to mean a formal and stuffy dining experience. The menu includes delicacies like pan-fried foie gras with caramelised apple in port sauce, crispy duck leg confit with yuzu-mandarin, and roasted veal tenderloin with seared red tuna and marmalade of wild mushrooms. For dessert, Grandma Stroobant’s flourless Belgian chocolate cake lives up to its reputation as unmissable. Reservations recommended. No lunch Saturday, closed Sunday.

Central Mall, 3 Magazine Road
Tel: 6438 0887. Fax: 6438 4887.
Website: www.saintpierre.com.sg
Price: S$90. Wine: S$50.

Business

Au Jardin Les Amis
Surely one of the best settings for Singapore dining, in the midst of the Botanical Gardens, Au Jardin has won many awards since opening in 1998, including Restaurant of the Year 2004 at the World Gourmet Summit. Set in an elegantly restored 1920s black-and-white residence, it offers fantastic views from its two balconies, over lush greenery and cascading waterfalls. Its unique charm and intimate dining space (it has just 12 tables) is particularly good for wining and dining clients, with contemporary haute French cuisine. There are several fixed-price menus, including the Provencal Sunday Brunch for $58 and various choices of Degustation menus (S$150). Favourite dishes include pan-fried sea scallops with black pudding, coq au vin and pan fried foie gras with glazed port wine. The wine list is as respected as its food. Reservations highly recommended.

EJH Corner House, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Cluny Road
Tel: 6466 8812. Fax: 6466 8227.
E-mail: aujardin@lesamis.com.sg
Website: www.lesamis.com.sg
Price: S$150 (six-course set menu). Wine: S$70.

Doc Cheng’s
Specialising trans-ethnic cuisine, 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, appropriately enough in a colonial-meets-Euro style setting. A typical starter would be Indochine crab cakes and peanut-crusted jumbo prawns. Signature mains include Szechuan rack of lamb marinated with spices, char-boiled miso butter fish, or tandoori pigeon breast. Desserts include roasted vanilla pineapple. There is a five-course set menu for S$130 (with wine) or S$85 (without wine).

Raffles Hotel Arcade, 328 North Bridge Road
Tel: 6412 1264. Fax: 6337 3787.
E-mail: docchengs@raffles.com.sg
Website: www.raffleshotel.com.sg
Price: S$60. Wine: S$55.

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 continental food and of course its oysters, flown in fresh from all over the world. Starters include Scottish smoked salmon and traditional Caesar salad, with popular main courses like prime rib and melt-in-the-mouth rack of lamb. The dessert menu changes regularly, but usually includes a soufflé, like mango or chestnut. The range of set meals includes a four-course set lunch at S$40, and five-course dinner at S$110. No lunch on Saturday, closed Sunday.

Level 3, Hilton Hotel Singapore, 581 Orchard Road
Tel: 6730 3393. Fax: 6235 4140.
E-mail: singapore@hilton.com
Website: www.hilton.com
Price: S$80. Wine: S$75.

Mezza9
Simple Zen and urban chic makes a winning combination in this diverse restaurant with 450 seats. The restaurant serves four cuisines (Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Western), divided into nine dining experiences, including a European Deli, a Chinese steam basket and a sushi and sashimi bar. The à la carte menu has an ever-changing selection of each, including beef tataki, grilled duck and steamed live prawns. Saturday Samplers are available at lunchtimes, with all their famous creations at S$9 a dish, and their famous Sunday Munch draws in the crowds for a buffet from their full range of cuisines plus free-flowing champagne (S$98).

Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10/12 Scotts Road
Tel: 6416 7189. Fax: 6736 3064.
E-mail: mezza9.sg@hyattintl.com
Website: www.restaurants.singapore.hyatt.com
Price: S$65. 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. Dishes like the Maine lobster, tender crab cakes and baked 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 small 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.
E-mail: cm.msg@mortons.com
Website: www.mortons.com
Price: S$150. Wine: S$80.

Trendy

Coriander Leaf
Newly relocated to newly renovated premises at Clarke Quay, Coriander Leaf bills itself as a casual and stylish bistro dining experience, an Asian food hub which incorporates cuisines from throughout Asia and the Middle East. The menu includes mezzes like fish kibbeh and fried haloumi, with an assorted mezze platter ideal for two. There is a great variety of meat, fish and vegetarian options for main course, like tandoori chicken and wok-fried karahi prawns, rounded off with desserts including vanilla bean ice-cream and banana parfait. The two set menus offer a choices of four-course meals. The great view of the river is matched amply by the high quality of the food and ambience. No lunch Saturday, closed Sunday.

3A Merchant Court, River Valley Road, Clarke Quay
Tel: 6732 3354. Fax: 6732 3374.
E-mail: info@corianderleaf.com
Website: www.corianderleaf.com
Price: S$55. Wine: S$50.

Ember
The small-but-perfectly-formed Ember restaurant, in the renowned new Hotel 1929, is fast becoming a favourite venue for trendy yet discerning diners, and especially busy at lunchtime. Cuisine is modern European with an Asian twist, with dishes like pan seared foie gras with prune and armagnac, roasted Chilean seabass with ginger and soy broth, and roasted marinated spring chicken with blood orange and thyme jus. The décor, like the rest of the hotel, is stylish and quirky, with wooden floors, Japanese globe lamps and a wall of tessellated mirrors. The whole atmosphere is easy-going, friendly, and has quickly become trendy without being pretentious. The restaurant is separated from the noisy Chinatown street only by a pane of sand-blasted glass. No lunch Saturday, closed Sunday.

50 Keong Saik Road
Tel: 6347 1928; Fax: 6347 1925.
E-mail: restaurantember@hotel1929.com
Website: www.hotel1929.com
Price: S$60. Wine: S$50.

IndoChine Waterfront
As part of an ever-growing restaurant group with many outlets, IndoChine Waterfront has a huge terrace adjacent to the river, plus indoor seating amidst crystal chandeliers, huge Buddha statues and antiques. Its cuisine is modern Indochinese, with specialities from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and it is best known for its beef carpaccio, seafood galangal soup and Cambodian tiger prawns. A truly Asian take on a European speciality is the unusual lemongrass crème brulee. A popular venue to eat and drink, this gets very busy at weekends.

Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place
Tel: 6339 1720. Fax: 6339 0420.
E-mail: fadlee.ibrahim@indochine.com.sg
Website: www.indochine.com.sg
Price: S$60. Wine: S$55.

Pierside Kitchen and Bar
The Pierside Kitchen and Bar’s trendy waterfront location allows alfresco dining with a harbour view. The modern cuisine has an emphasis on seafood and includes a dash of Japanese. Starters include cumin-spiced crab cakes with marinated cucumber and chilli, and seaweed-wrapped tuna tempura. For main course, the snapper pie, smoked tomato and white truffle oil is highly recommended, as is the Maine lobster linguine. 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. No lunch Saturday, closed Sunday.

One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road
Tel: 6438 0400. Fax: 6438 3436.
Website: www.piersidekitchen.com
Price: S$60. Wine: S$70.

Space @ My Humble House
Space @ My Humble House is one of the finest new restaurants to open recently, serving delicious and innovative modern Chinese cuisine in somewhat compact surroundings. The top quality ingredients (and hearty portions) are evident in dishes like bak kut teh, using tender New Zealand lamb rack, Shiitake mushrooms, wolfberries and bean curd skin. Other favourites include deep-fired roast duck cigar roll served with chilli sauce and achar, and Mama Leong’s chicken rice (inspired by the director’s mother). Specialising in huge one-bowl meals, this differs greatly from its sister restaurant, next-door’s My Humble House, and instead is renowned for its quick and hearty meals ideal for a pre or post performance meal at the Esplanade.

2-25 Esplanade Mall, 8 Raffles Avenue
Tel: 6423 1881. Fax: 6423 1551.
E-mail: myhumblehouse@tunglok.com
Website: www.tunglok.com
Price: S$40. Wine $58.

Budget

Komala Vilas
Komala Vilas is one of a plethora of small, casual eating places in the ethnic quarter of Little India, serving up cheap, filling and delicious Indian food in a fast-food setting. 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.
E-mail: komala@singnet.com.sg
Website: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~komala
Price: S$10. Unlicensed.

Branch:
12-14 Buffalo Road
Tel: 6293 3664.

Madras New Woodlands Restaurant
Little India is a wonderful place to find a huge selection of good cheap places to sample south Asian food, and Madras New Woodlands is one of the tastiest. With a purely vegetarian menu, weighted towards south Indian cuisine, its thali is a satisfying complete meal with several varieties of spiced vegetables, curd, dhal, sweet raita (chopped vegetables in yoghurt) and papadum. The dosa, a typical south Indian dish of a huge thin pancake stuffed with spiced vegetables and assorted sauces, is popular. No credit cards.

12-14 Upper Dickson Road
Tel: 6297 1594. Fax: 6299 2334.
Price: $10. 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 0400.

Next to the Newton MRT
Price: From S$3 per dish. 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 Maharajah Raan-e ghosht 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).

39 Cuppage Road
Tel: 6732 6331. Fax: 6733 1902.
Website: www.maharajah.com.sg
Price: S$26. Wine: S$35.

Va Va Voom
A tiny café with a casual ambience and very reasonable prices, Va Va Voom has a delicious range of Vietnamese dishes. With over 30 house specialities and substantial drinks menu (the fresh lemongrass vodka is recommended), this new venue is seemingly unpretentious and attracts local office workers, those after a late-night refuel, and arts lovers. Favourite dishes include grilled pork chop with tossed vermicelli, spicy green mango salad, deep-fried silken tofu in sweet chilli sauce, and of course spring rolls in dark hot sauce. The café offers a light, healthy and affordable take on traditional Vietnamese cuisine and is proving to be very popular already.

470, North Bridge Road, #01-05
Tel: 6336 1248. Fax: 6883 0105.
Price: S$20. Wine S$30.

Personal Recommendations

Broth
Since opening in 2001, Broth has been 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 lamb loins in herb sauce, and sirloin steak with bearnaise sauce. There is more variety at lunchtime: truffle and mushroom ravioli with spinach sauce, and chicken pie, leaving room for 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. Closed Sunday.

21 Duxton Hill
Tel: 6323 3353. Fax: 6225 0726.
E-mail: broth@singnet.com.sg
Price: S$60. Wine: S$63.

Crossroads Café
The location here is the real gem. Bang in the middle of Orchard Road’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 traditional English fish and chips. There is a long list of sandwiches and side orders, as well as a dessert 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: 6735 5800. Fax: 6735 9800.
Website: www.marriott.com/sindt
Price: S$40. Wine: S$40.

Flutes at the Fort
Occupying a century-old house on the slope of the historical Fort Canning Park, once the residence of the local fire chief, Flutes at the Fort’s beauty is that rare Singapore opportunity of eating good food alfresco amidst lush greenery. Once you have endured the steep walk up the hill, relax whilst dining on Australian dishes like baked lamb, slow baked half duckling and pan fried black cod. The outdoor veranda is stunning, and there is seating for up to 100 indoors with spectacular views. But save room for dessert, as the chocolate cabernet pudding is unmissable. The atmosphere is romantic and cosy, and the restaurant is building a reputation as a great place to propose marriage.

21 Lewin Terrace, Fort Canning Park
Tel: 6338 8770. Fax: 6338 8780.
E-mail: flutes@flutesatthefort.com.sg
Website: www.flutesatthefort.com.sg
Price S$60. Wine S$58.

Michelangelo’s
For a healthy dose of Italian romance, encouraged by ambience and a beautiful mural inside, with some pasta and lamb chops for good measure, Michelangelo’s has been a gem of a restaurant for years. Its larger-than-life chef and owner, Angelo Sanelli, is amazingly popular, and cooking fresh food to perfection further earns him a loyal following. Favourite pasta dishes include clams in white wine, garlic and angel hair pasta, and fettucine with salmon and artichoke hearts. Carnivores will love the grilled veal with horseradish sauce, and grilled venison sausage with apples and herbs, plus a decent choice of fish. The wine list is excellent, and the restaurant ‘closes when the last guest leaves’. No lunch Saturday.

Block 44, 1-60 Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens, Holland Village
Tel: 6475 9069. Fax: 6475 4319.
Website: www.michelangelos.com.sg
Price: S$55. Wine: S$60.

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 aubergine dip) and koresh (pumpkin, pine nuts and cinnamon), served with hunks of pitta bread. The pizzas and calzones are far from predictable, with toppings like marinated portobello mushrooms, smoked cheddar and caramelised onions. The Italian chef excels in risotto, frittata and pasta, and after sampling all that, there is a sinfully mouth-watering 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! Closed for lunch Mon.

Block 43, 1-62 Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens, Holland Village
Tel: 6475 5605. Fax: 6475 4416.
E-mail: reservations@originalsin.com.sg
Website: www.originalsin.com.sg
Price: S$50. Wine: S$47.