Where To Eat & Drink: Peranakan Afternoon Tea, Mod European Dining & 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, you'll want to pop by Swee Choon for new menu additions, new European bistro Maison Marie, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore for a delectable Peranakan afternoon tea experience, and more.
Rail Mall has a new kid on the block - European bistro Maison Marie, together with its fresh market concept located right next door. The menu navigates itself in a culinary direction that’s big on Western European and Mediterranean cuisines, while introducing its own take on traditional European food.
Start with the fresh juicy oysters (from $4++), flown in weekly from various French regions like Normandy and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which go delightfully with the homemade mignonette sauce. The French onion soup is rich and comforting, while a tad salty.
Meat lovers will enjoy the Charolais Beef Ribeye ($42++), which uses a leaner cut from Charolais cattle and comes with a heap of crisp, shoestring fries. Or if seafood is more your thing, order the Roasted Prawns with an addictive parsley garlic oil ($18++) and Whole Mediterranean Seabream ($30++) - all with a smokey flavour thanks to a charcoal grill. There's also the interesting Octopus Bolognese, an umami-filled take on the classic.
If you've got a taste for tart desserts, definitely get the Brulee Lemon Tart ($8++) Otherwise, the Apple Tart (12++) and Hazelnut Choux ($14++) are lovely as well.
Maison Marie is at 380 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 678040.
Peranakan Afternoon Tea by Four Seasons Hotel Singapore and Candlenut
Hit pause on a hectic schedule and while away an afternoon at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, which has teamed up with founder and Chef Malcolm Lee of Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant Candlenut to present a Peranakan Afternoon Tea set, served at the hotel's One-Ninety Bar.
Sweet treats include Kaya and Butter Toast, Lemongrass Cake, Vanilla and Pandan Scones, and Kueh Bingkah. Then there are the savoury bites of Buah Keluak Tart, Pang Susi, Roti Jala with Chef Lee’s Mum’s Signature Chicken Curry as well as an aromatic Buah Keluak Tart.
For a boozy end to your afternoon, check out the trio of locally-inspired cocktails. There's the Pandan Kueh, made with clarified milk punch and Altos tequila, floral and citrusy gin-based Kampong Fizz and the Kopi-O, with local coffee-infused Mancino vermouth, 12-year Auchentoshan Scotch whisky and house cherry liqueur.
$48++ and $68++ (with an additional craft cocktail). Available on the weekends of April and May 2021, the Peranakan Afternoon Tea will be served at One-Ninety Bar from 2pm to 5pm.
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore is at 190 Orchard Boulevard, Singapore 248646. Call 6831 7671 or email one-ninetybar.sin@fourseasons.com to make a reservation.
We're down for dim sum at Swee Choon any time, but the popular dim sum joint has another reason for us to make our way there now.
It has recently launched four new items that are made in-house: The restaurant's siew mai gets a tongue-tingling update with the Mala Siew Mai ($2.80 for two), as with the Mala Xiao Long Bao ($5.60 for four), both of which are made with a special house blend of spices.
Or sink your teeth into the Tofu Bomb ($3.20 for two), which has chopped prawns, minced pork, chives and chilli nestled within a crispy beancurd skin. Then there's the deep-fried Black Sesame Lava Ball ($4.50 for three) and crunchy Vietnamese spring rolls ($3.20 for two) with fresh prawns, minced pork and fish paste.
The new items will be available at both Jalan Besar and Tampines Food Co. outlets as well as via delivery platforms. Swee Choon is at 183-191 Jalan Besar Singapore 208882 and 10 Tampines North Drive 4, #01-05 JTC Space, Singapore 528553.
If you're ready to toast to the weekend or as the Italians say, "Cin Cin!", head down to this bar hideout at Oasia Hotel Downtown that's named just that.
Boasting refined 1920s-style decor, it has recently refreshed its cocktail menu with 12 creative concoctions, many of which draw on local flavours and culture. For a mix of a refreshing cold-pressed juice and a good stiff drink, go for Revitalize ($22++), while Let’s Par-Tea ($25++) showcases Straits Chai Tea, a heady mix of spices and honey cinnmon syrup with Kyro Gin. Those with a sweet tooth with appreciate the vivacious, cotton candy-flavoured Sweet Lah You ($22++).
Don't miss out on its delish bar bites, too, which now has two new menu additions; a Spanish tapas-inspired Garlic Prawns and Smoked Pork Sausage ($14++) as well as Truffle Cheeseburger Sliders ($20++).
Cin Cin is at 100 Peck Seah Street, OasiaHotel Downtown, #01-02, Singapore 079333.
Ramen restaurant chain Ippudo has unveiled a Chef’s Special Series that spotlights store-exclusive specialty dishes for limited time periods.
To kick it off, Ippudo Mohamed Sultan will be showcasing a Tsukemen or 'dipping ramen' ($22.95++), which feature chewy and precisely 3mm-thick noodles served cold and to be dipped in a bowl of creamy Bonito Tonkotsu Soup made with bonito, iriko (dried sardines) and mackerel. Plus, you'll get tasty toppings like pork loin chashu, diced pork belly chashu, tamago, naruto (fish cake), bamboo shoots, seaweed and spring onions.
Available from now till April 30, 2021 only.
Ippudo Mohamed Sultan is at #01-55/56 UE Square, 207 River Valley Road, Singapore 238275. Visit its website for a list of locations and for more information.