Where To Eat & Drink: $1 Sushi Promo, Instagram-Worthy Artisanal Cakes & More
Our round-up of great dining spots to check out, fab drinks and the latest in food news this week
By Michelle Lee SM -
Always on the hunt for new dining spots? We bring you sound bites on where to eat, including new restaurant and eatery openings, the best places for your after-work tipple, and what’s new in the food scene.
This week: Sushi-Go opens at Amk Hub, (and catch its $1 sushi promo!), Mad About Sucre has launched a summer menu of stellar savoury and sweet creations, and MasterChef Singapore Season 2 runner-up Leon Lim has a special collab with Furama Singapore.
If heading West to Sushi-Go's first outlet Jurong Point is out of the way for you, the sushi brand is now at Amk Hub, with a futuristic aesthetic and a slew of robot assistants called Go-bots.
The experience starts at the entrance, where adorable robots will lead you to your seats. There, make your order via the mobile ordering system, and freshly made sushi will be whizzed to your table via Go-bots.
There are over 150 mainstays, alongside 20 new items, available at both outlets and price start from $1.80++. The Salmon Dragon Roll ($8.90++) is one to order, with soft unagi enveloped by sushi rice, seared salmon slices, and lots of spicy mentaiko mayo. If you favour sashimi, go for the fresh thick-cut Atsugiri Salmon Sashimi ($7.50++). The Lobster Salad-Go ($4++) with chunks of firm lobster meat, creamy Aburi Mentai Mayo Corn Inari ($2++), as well as the Torotaku Gunkan ($2.30++) with fatty minced tuna sharpened with pickled, are also worth sampling.
There are novel items on the menu, such as the Parma Ham & Cream Cheese Sushi - but we think the ham and rice are best enjoyed separately. There are also butter-topped creations like the Aburi Shoyu Butter Hotate Sushi ($2.80++) with plump juicy scallops, though the butter works better with its ebi counterpart.
Don't miss dessert: the Matcha Warabi Mochi ($3.50++) coated with earthy matcha powder and brown sugar syrup is a soft, subtly sweet delight.
To celebrate the opening of the AMK Hub outlet, there'll be a two-day promo on July 30 and 31, 2022, with unlimited $1 sushi all-day long, valid for 30 nigiri items (U.P $1.80-$3). While stocks last.
Sushi-Go is at#04-02 AMK Hub, 53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, Singapore 569933.
Best known for its handcrafted cakes and artisanal chocolates, Mad About Sucre also knocks out a line-up of stellar Pan European savouries, which you can sample with its newly launched summer menu. Originally decked in black and white, the restaurant now boasts an intimated space dressed in an array of bold hues and mesmerising light projections.
Its menu places emphasis on using natural ingredients, with inclusive options that are gluten-free, dairy-free and plant-based. For starters, we were blown away by the sweet, rich and full-bodied Stew of Tomato ($14++), made with three types of tomatoes and chunks of succulent crab meat. You'll be glad to know that the caviar-crowned French Foie Gras with Grilled Wild-Caught Prawn Salad ($44++) uses organic foie gras (produced without force-feeding). It's drizzled with a subtly tangy sauce of French mustard, egg whites and olive oil. The Kilppfisk Nordic Salted Cod Katafi enveloped in crispy katafi is a standout, with a soft fluffy interior, paired with a thick savoury uni sauce.
For mains, we tried the Filet of Sea Barramundi, ($39++). While smooth and firm with a crisp skin, the fish didn't quite stand out on its own. That's until I tried it with the pickled fennel which brightens the dish. It sits atop chewy pearl couscous that's been slow-cooked in a rich shellfish stock. For a vegetarian option, the lightly charred and smokey Baked Cauliflower ($34++) is drizzled with thick moreish miso sauce. Roasted nuts and seeds lend extra crunch and texture.
Of course, come here for the desserts, which are artfully created by chef-owner Lena Chan. They use organic gluten-free flour and unprocessed raw sugar and are exquisitely crafted to resemble the fruits they're made from. For a refreshing end to your meal, go for Hey Peachy, with peach mousse made of peach juice, and paired with an earthy oolong mousse. The egg- and dairy-free Kakao ($17++), shaped like a cacao pod, is a divine treat made with vegan chocolate in two textures. Inside, whiskey and calamansi ganache cut through the richness. The mango-shaped Spunky ($15++), layers sweet fresh mango with salted caramel and a rich luscious Madagascar vanilla cream.
Mad About Sucre is at 27 Teo Hong Rd, Singapore 088334. Visit its website for more information.
We get it. Selecting a cuppa from Bacha Coffee's library of 200 coffees can be rather overwhelming — I mean, where do you even start? For one, decide if you prefer a single origin bean, or a brew from its range of flavoured fine-blended coffees, concocted with various beans. While Bacha serves its coffees with Chantilly cream, raw sugar, and vanilla, its recommended that you try yours black first.
Guizhou Plateau Coffee from Guizhou, China yields a fruity and bright cup with citrusy notes. Similar to it is the Pang Khon Coffee from Chiang Mai, Thailand, though its citrus notes are punctuated with a more chocolatey flavour profile and a rounded, caramel finish. And if you like a full-bodied brew, the Java Blue Coffee from Indonesia is likely to be up your alley with its rich, earthiness. We also enjoyed this with cream and some sugar.
Processed using the more traditional dry-wash method, the Monsoon Secret Coffee from India, Cochin produces a more herbal and umami coffee. Interestingly enough, while it's a bit too bitter on its own for us, a dollop of cream changes its flavour profile, giving it a rich velvety note that's enjoyable with cakes and pastries.
Our favourite of the lot's the Mount Everest Coffee from Nepal, Nuwakot. You'll detect a subtle smokiness, and the cup is the perfect balance of fruity and bold with a burnt caramel note.
For interesting flavours, try the brand's fine-blended coffee. Some of our personal favourites are the Via Toscana which presents a berry fragrance that's almost like a tea, while the 1910 Coffee is perfumed with the fragrance of strawberries and cream.
Enjoy your coffee with its selection of pastries and cakes - the croissants are freshly baked and buttery. Each month brings a new croissant flavour, but the Raspberry mainstay gets our thumbs up.
Dine-in coffee prices are from $10++ per pot (good for two, minimum one order of coffee or pastry per person). Bacha Coffee is at multiple locations. Visit its website for a list of locations.
If you're in the mood for Italian, head to Gary's at Rochester Drive, housed within a romantic two-story black-and-white heritage bungalow.
Taiwan-born Singaporean chef Gary Wu brings to his namesake restaurant his brand of contemporary Italian-Japanese fare. Kick off with starters like a Red Prawn Tartare ($26++), a zesty concoction of Botan Ebi and Gambero Rosso prawns, as well as uni and ikura, or Iconic Gary’s Garden Salad ($26++), with seasonal vegetables, US asparagus, and heirloom carrot artfully arranged atop a bed of mashed potato to resemble Singapore's skyline,
If you're embracing carbs, there's the Signature Seafood Pasta ($28++) that sees homemade tagliolini and a medley of seafood sitting in a slow-cooked seafood stock that's been flambeed with brandy, or the Scottish Bamboo Clam ($36++) — this comes with squid ink pasta served together on the shell, and is flambéed with white wine.
Otherwise, sink your teeth into juicy Iberico Pork Jowl ($38++) or the 150-day Grass-fed Tenderloin ($42++) that's chargrilled, then finished with veal juice and a red wine reduction.
Gary's is at 41 Rochester Drive, Singapore 138582. Visit its website for reservations or more information.
Can't decide? There's a seven-course Italian Omakase from $198++ per person.
MasterChef Singapore Season 2 runner-up Leon Lim collabs with Furama Singapore
MasterChef Singapore Season 2 runner-up, as well as Creatr Cafe's chef-owner, Leon Lim has teamed up with Furama RiverFront and Furama City Centre for two limited-time pop-ups.
Over at Waterfall Lounge at Furama RiverFront, tuck into an afternoon tea spread of nine sweets and savouries on Aug 8 and 9, 2022. Start with savouries like Otah Mushroom Parcel with Cauliflower Mash (one of chef Leon's winning dishes in the MasterChef kitchen), alongside Breaded Oyster with Sriracha Aioli and Black Pepper Seafood Pie Tee. For sweets, there are the Calamansi Meringue Tart with Sour Plum Dust, Roasted Black Sesame Cheesecake with Sesame Florentine, Gula Melaka Coconut Mochi and more.
Each afternoon tea set serves two and is priced at $45++ per person. Click here for reservations and more information.
If you're planning on a dinner affair, make your way to Furama City Centre's Tiffany Cafe for Master-Demo-and-Dine Four-Hands Dinner, available only on Aug 17. The evening kicks off with a masterclass by Leon, where you'll learn to cook up a Chilli Crab Tartelette and Curry Salmon. Afterwards, tuck into a four-course dinner put together by Leon and Tiffany Café’s culinary team, which focuses on familiar local flavours. Think Seafood Tartelette with Chilli Crab Sauce, Baked Salmon with Creamy Curry Sauce and Roasted Greens, and Chilled Durian Pengat Shooter and Warm Butterfly Pea Durian Pancake.
On Aug 17, 2022. The “Master-Demo-and-Dine Experience” at Tiffany Cafe is at $70++ per person. Click here for reservations and more information.