Where To Eat & Drink: A New Food Park At Sentosa, Elevated Southeast Asian Dining & More
There are new food trucks with Michelin-star names at Resorts World Sentosa
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.
What to check out: The new Gourmet Park at Resorts World Sentosa, Southeast Asian flavours at Restaurant Fiz, the 2023 edition of the Singapore Food Festival, and more.
New to the Tanjong Pagar enclave is fine dining outfit Restaurant Fiz. Helmed by chef-owner Hafizzul Hashim, it celebrates Southeast Asia's diverse cuisines, indigenous ingredients and traditional cooking, with many from Malaysia's coastal regions, where he was raised. Inside, the space is understatedly luxe, with elements that nod to the region. Only tasting menus are available, which the restaurant introduces as 'Episodes', and are rolled out every three to six months.
The first is a love letter to his Malaysian hometown of Lumut, with cleverly engineered plates rooted in tradition. A quartet of snacks opens the meal, including Murasaki uni in a savoury fish broth and aromatic kesum oil, as well as aged firefly squid with coconut milk espuma and punchy sambal tumis served as a kueh pie tee. Or dive into Amur caviar cleverly paired with white miso petai egg yolks on a delicate kuih loyang crisp.
Starters take their cue from Hashim's favourite pastime: frequenting pasar malams. There's the ayam percik-inspired Quail — think unctuous hand-minced Coturnix quail shaped into a ball with a chicken leg bone, as well as huge grilled, thinly sliced Hokkaido akagai or blood cockles laced with a sambal of roasted macadamia nuts and turmeric leaf oil.
Moving on, you get a rich velvety yellow crab-infused curry (an ode to Chef’s late grandmother's gulai lemak cilipadi) with succulent chunks of blue swimmer and Australian spanner crab meat. This was just a tad too salty, but great for mopping up with the crisp homemade mantou.
Lamb (add-on $38++), a contemporary take on rendang, sees tender Jopser-cooked Lumina lamb cutlets dressed with a combination of rendang sauce, kerisik (pounded dry toasted shredded coconut), and tahi minyak (coconut crumbs).
For mains, there's the communal Hidang course, with a spread of dishes and dips portioned to suit the number of diners at the table. Dive into plates of aged seabream, seasonal vegetables (we had a moreish and refreshing water mimosa salad), and a Jungle Vegetables dish of bamboo shoots, fiddlehead fern, and Josper smoked beef tripe in a spicy, slightly tangy curry. To go with the flavoursome dishes are two types of rice — jasmine-scented short-grain Adan rice from Sabah, and coconut-infused red, semi-polished Sia rice. Even the condiments shine, like an addictive Ikan Kurau Acar with salted Indian threadfin.
For dessert, you get dainty kuih presented in an antique basket alongside Goreng Pisang, which showcases bananas done two ways: smoked pisang emas ice cream (lady finger banana) served with fresh pisang emas brulee. It's sprinkled with kerimis, a fried mixture of tempura flour with light coconut milk and turmeric powder that's the cherry on top.
$288++ for eight courses, exclusive of supplement. Restaurant Fiz is at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-01/02, Singapore 088444. Visit its website for reservations or more information.
It's hard to miss the new Gourmet Park that's located within the Bull Ring at level one of Resorts World Sentosa when you're in the area, which is now home to a bevy of food trucks. Here, you can savour plates by Michelin and award-winning chefs as well as trendy food concepts at wallet-friendly prices amidst a casual setting.
Visitors can look forward to dishes by celebrated culinary heavyweights such as Michelin-starred chef Rishi Naleendra of Kotuwa, who's doling out elevated takes on famous Sri Lankan street food. If Spanish is what you're craving, head to the Queic & Olivia Market food truck for tempting tapas and small market dishes curated by award-winning chef and co-founder, Alain Devahive, of the popular Olivia Restaurant & Lounge. Then there's chef Ivan Yeo of the well-known Asian grill and smokehouse restaurant Blue Smoke.
As part of RWS’ Taste Tank initiative that champions local entrepreneurs and food brands with a social enterprise component, Gourmet Park is also showcasing two local offerings — Chun Noodle Bar and Mad Roaster. Other F&B names include Dickson Nasi Lemak, Luke's Lobster, Blue Lotus, and vegan ice cream brand Coolhaus.
Admission is free. The Gourmet Park is open from 11am till 8pm on weekdays and 9pm on weekends. Visit its website for more information.
Singapore Food Festival (SFF) is back for its 30th edition, and happening from 19 to 30 July.
There'll be the largest-ever Festival Village at the Bayfront Event Space that spans across various zones – SG Food Walk, Food Cartel, Sweets Alley and Cafe Boulevard. The first is a nod to Singapore's heritage food, with festival exclusives like curry chicken fried popiah from Mr. Popiah, and calamari nachos with a belimbing remoulade, a collab between sustainability-focused restaurant Kausmo and local fish farm Ah Hua Kelong.
Over at the Food Cartel zone, catch pop-ups to bar concepts and masterclasses, including ones helmed by renowned chefs. Or catch a cuppa at Cafe Boulevard, which features fine coffee and bakes from homegrown names such as oat milk brand Oatside and Le Matin Patisserie. And finally, quell that sugar craving at Sweets Alley. Here, dive into both traditional and modern desserts such as Chinese desserts from traditional dessert shop Yat Ka Yan, Nonya kueh from Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh and artisanal ice cream from Creamier, which is doling out exclusive flavours.
Also be sure to check out the island-wide activations like culinary tours, workshops and chef masterclasses; as well as exclusive finds specially created for the event.
Entry passes to the Festival Village start from $8. For more information, visit Singapore Food Festival's website.
After debuting with a soft opening in June, Pan Pacific Orchard has now unveiled its two dining concepts: Mosella and Florette.
The hotel's signature restaurant is Mosella, located on the lobby floor and overlooking the Forest Terrace. Here, you can expect Mediterranean fare inflected with Peruvian flavours. There's a comprehensive a la carte menu that runs the gamut from vibrant ceviche to Josper-grilled meats and seafood with classic spice blends and marinades. Or if you can't decide, go for the three-course set lunch ($78++) or dinner ($98++) that's frequently rotated. The restaurant also serves an international buffet breakfast daily.
Perched on the Garden Terrace is destination bar Florette. Slurp on fresh oysters, while sipping on craft cocktails that explore the delicate flavours of botanicals as well as a carefully curated list of Champagne from growers, rare vintages and the classics. Try the herb-forward Chicory ($23++) or the aromatic and fruity Lavender ($24++). For bubbly, this season sees the Barons De Rothschild Brut Champagne NV ($260++), a rich and complex champagne.
To celebrate Florette’s launch, guests can enjoy various dining promotions, available from 4pm to 8pm daily. Get a glass of champagne at $20++ or go ahead and get an entire bottle at $120++ (U.P $168++). To accompany the drinks, you get the choice of five oysters from each selected category at $38++.
Florette is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 4pm to 1am. Closed on Monday. Reservations
are recommended. Visit Pan Pacific Orchard's website for reservations or more information.
Both its flagship Joo Chiat and Orchard outlets have doled out new menus, both of which have been infused with a local flair. Over at Joo Chiat, you can expect hearty new lunch sets, as well as new desserts.
For the lunch menu, take your pick between two mains. There's the Wagyu Hamburg Bowl Set ($36), featuring a house-made wagyu patty and wobbly egg yolk. Or if fish is your thing, take the Teishoku Set ($32), which highlights seasonal fish. Both come with appetisers and earthy chestnut rice cooked with house-made dashi.
Otherwise, you can also go for the updated Pork Katsu Sando ($26), with a thick hefty crispy pork cutlet wedged between toasted bread with tamanegi, lettuce, and doubanjiang.
Dessert's gotten an update, too. Dive into Matcha Kakigori ($14), a shaved ice treat that comes topped with Uji matcha syrup, fruits, and gula melaka. For something warm and comforting, the Zenzai dessert ($14) hits the spot with azuki beans, chewy toasted mochi balls, and sour plum.
Cafe Natsu's flagship outlet is at 283 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427537. Visit its website for reservations or more information.