Where To Eat & Drink: A New Omakase Restaurant, Feng Zhen Lor Mee Opens In Yishun & 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.
Here's what to get on your foodie radar this week: Contemporary Japanese fare at Jypsy's One Fullerton location, Andaz's steakhouse 665°F unveils a new space and menu, omakase restaurant Sushi Yujo opens, and Feng Zhen Lor Mee has a new stall in Yishun.
Jypsy, a contemporary Japanese concept by the people behind PS Cafe, has opened the doors to its first standalone flagship at One Fullerton. A marriage of Mediterranean and Japanese coastal elements inspired by the latter's archipelagos, it houses both an indoor restaurant and outdoor patio — perfect for unwinding with a sundowner. And the drinks are good, we must say.
The menu reflects the decor, with inventive Japanese fare presented across both mainstays and new additions. You can't go wrong with the enduringly popular Jypsy Salmon Tacos ($16++ for two), with raw salmon, a wasabi mayo that's surprisingly mild, and salsa snuggled within a fried seaweed shell. For something meatier, the new Jyspy Tongue & Cheek ($26++) is all-out delicious with fork-tender beef cheeks and a subtle wasabi mash slathered in a moreish gravy. Or try the beautifully charred Robata Lamb Ribs ($28++) with garlic verde, especially if you appreciate jiggly layers of fat.
If you're craving sushi and sashimi, there are options like the new Snapper, Salmon, Scallop sashimi ($26++) in a punchy lime ponzu sharpened with a dollop of chilli, as well as the signature Jypsy Rainbow Roll ($21++) with torched salmon tartare, bluefin tuna and yellowtail.
Do yourself a favour and get dessert. The boozy Rhumbaba & Raisin Soft Serve ($11++) with plump raisins and a PS Cookie Crisp base is hands down our favourite, but the creamy Yuzu Tofu Cheesecake ($10++) is good, too.
Jypsy is at 1 Fullerton Road, #01-02/03, Singapore 049213. Closed on Mondays and only open for dinner from Tues to Thurs. Visit its website for reservations and more information.
Andaz Singapore’s steakhouse, 665°F has lifted the veil on a stunning new adjoined space, named The Cellar. The 30-seater — 20 in the main hall and eight in the private dining room — is a reimagined take on classic cellars by famed interior architect Andre Fu, with a striking turquoise hue, curved ceiling and timber display cabinets.
The menu has also been refreshed by new Chef de Cuisine, Poh Boon Neo, who has had stints at the likes of the Michelin-starred Les Amis and Jaan. Here, he doles out moderns take on traditional steakhouse offerings.
To start, the plump Blue Swimmer Crab Cake ($28++) spiced up with XO remoulade is good. But what's intriguing is the Spanish Octopus ($34++) done two ways and served with laksa oil; as a grilled tentacle with a smokey char, and cloaked in crisp kataifi and smoked paprika.
We also tried the Beef Wellington ($238++, serves), which arrives golden and glistening on a bed of smoked sage and thyme for those photo ops before it's whisked away to be portioned. The Cape Grim tenderloin, cooked medium rare, is perfectly tender, and wrapped with a layer of proscuitto, wild mushroom duxelles and a spinach crepe. If you prefer fish, the Cedar Plank King Salmon ($48++) served with a tart salsa verda is lovely, too.
If you have room for sides, make it the Blooming Onion ($15++) that's coated with just enough batter and plum spice, or the decadent Mac & Cheese ($15++) with a heady mix of gruyere, smoked scamorza, and aged cheddar.
665°F is at Andaz Singapore, 5 Fraser St, Level 38, Andaz 189354. Visit its website for reservations or more information.
There's a new omakase restaurant in town. The 29-seater Sushi Yujo ('yujo' means ‘friendship’ in Japanese) has set up shop at Amara Hotel Singapore.
Chef Desmond Fong, previously head chef at Sushi Jin, is the man behind the restaurant, which flies in fresh seafood from Toyko's Toyosu Market four times a week. Look out for his signatures of cooked dishes and aburi sushi, such as the Aburi Ootoro with negitoro and truffle caviar, the Aburi Foie Gras, as well as the seasonal hairy crab served with uni, ikura,tosazu jelly and wasabi in a whole yuzu, and Awabi abalone with housemade liver sauce.
If you're there for a quick lunch, its set lunch starts at $38++ for a salmon or unagi don. Otherwise, its lunch omakase is at $98++ for the Rikai menu, and $198++ for the Shinrai menu. The latter sees luxe additions like Yujo Wagyu Don with A5 wagyu, glazed foie gras, uni and shaved truffle, and the Yujo Toro Don with lightly torched toro.
For dinner, only four omakase menus are available. The most affordable option is at $198++, which gets you an appetiser, carpaccio, 12 pieces of sushi, a soup and and dessert.
Sushi Yujo is at 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, Amara Hotel #02-26 Singapore 088539. Email sushiyujo.res@gmail.com or call 8877 8831 for reservations. Closed on Mondays.
All dim lighting, cosy nooks, booth seats and retro furnishings, California Republic is an ode to the laidback spirit of Californian living in the 60s.
And if you expect Californian fare, well, you're not wrong, but the menu presents more of a tour of Italian flavours given a So-Cal touch. Think handmade pasta like the Celery Root Cappelacci ($29++), parcels stuffed with light earthy celeriac puree and cooked in a roasted field mushroom sauce. Or the comforting Smoked Bucattini ($34++) made with smoked flour, and tossed in a pork ragu in bianco. If seafood's your jam, get the Lazy Man's Cioppino ($48++), starring grilled sea bass, clams, mussels and calamari in a comforting tomato and reduced crustacean stock.
The West Coast Garlic Mops ($18++) are only available for dinner, and are worth the 30-minute wait. Puffy, soft and flavoursome, it's good on its own or for mopping up sauces. For sides, the Faux Artichoke, which instead features tender jackfruit barigoule with zingy herb aioli, gets our thumbs up ($18++).
Finish with Espresso Budino ($16++), a concoction of espresso cream, coffee, brown sugar, butter and bourbon that's indulgent but not overly sweet.
Fans of Feng Zhen Lor Mee will no longer have to travel to the West for the beloved hawker stall's offerings. Awarded a Michelin Plate in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2021, the hawker chain serves up traditional lor mee, and started with a stall in Taman Jurong. Most recently, it's opened at Yishun.
Available at $4 and $6, you can choose from four noodles: classic flat noodles, vermicelli, yellow noodles, and kway teow. Apart from the thick savoury gravy, Feng Zhen Lor Mee also stands out for its specialty pork balls made fresh and fried on-site.
There's also the option of the Fish Lor Mee ($6/$8), which sees deep-fried batang fish slices - no batter is used as a testament to the freshness of its fish.
Feng Zhen Lor Mee is at Blk 417 Yishun Ave 11, Singapore Singapore 760417 (within the Kim San Leng coffeeshop).
It's the last hurrah for Grand Hyatt Singapore's signature Mezza9 restaurant, which will be closing its doors this June to make way for a refreshed dining concept in 2023.
It'll be taking a final bow with specialty signature dishes available daily from now till its closure on June 5, 2022. Think crowd-pleasers like whole-grilled sea bass and full-blood wagyu beef. Buffet offerings will also spotlight premium meats and sustainable ingredients.
On its very last weekend, there'll also be two special brunch and dinner buffets exclusively on June 4 and 5, 2022. Expect to dig into a lavish spread of sumptuous seafood like Boston lobster and caviar, indulgent meats such as slow-roasted Australian grass-fed prime-rib, and juicy Kurobuta pork with apricot stuffing. For Asian plates, there'll be wok-fried beef in aromatic XO sauce, mud crab with sweet chilli and shrimp paste, Beijing duck rolls, and suckling pig, as well as dim sum.
The dinner buffet on June 4 and 5, 2022 is at $108++ per adult, inclusive of fruits juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea (non-alcoholic), and $68++ per child (four to 12 years old).
The brunch buffet on June 5, 2022 is at $188++ per adult, inclusive of fruits juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea (non-alcoholic), and $88++ per child (four to 12 years old). Additional top-up for alcohol packages apply.
Mezza9 is at Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 Scotts Rd, Singapore 228211.Visit its website for reservations.