Where To Eat & Drink: Peranakan Private Dining, Osteria Mozza Reopens & 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.
To check out this week: American chef Nancy Silverton's Osteria Mozza makes a return at Hilton Singapore Orchard, celebrity chef Philip Chia whips up a sumptuous Peranakan feast at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, and more.
Indulge in a Tok Panjang feast by celebrity chef Phillip Chia at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore
Savour the culinary mastery of celebrity chef Phillip Chia through a private dining experience (up to 12 persons) held at The Private Room within 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung. Served Tok Panjang-style, the lunch and dinner menus are built around the tenets of authentic Peranakan flavours and given a fine-dining touch with contemporary plating as well as premium ingredients.
You could conjure a meal from the sharing appetisers alone. For dinner, there's moreish otak served with a lightly charred prawn and scallops, as well as a red king crab and egg salad drizzled with a sweet nutty Khong Thng sauce. Buah keluak's served canape-style, with a thick heady paste atop a crisp cracker, and there's ngoh hiang amped up with crab meat.
The Itek Tim with Kiam Chye, a duck soup with preserved vegetables, uses umeboshi plums, and comes with a shot of brandy on the side.
Mains are also extra indulgent. The Angus beef short rib rendang is meltingly tender, though we would have loved more of that luscious rendang to slather over our rice. You'll also be diving into Sambal Maine Lobster Belimbing, Ayam Buah Keluak, Red Garoupa Fillet Tempra and more.
Expect to be stuffed to the brim, but it's hard to resist dessert — a platter of handcrafted kueh, as well as a heartstoppingly rich durian pengat, and bubur cha-cha.
From June 23 to Sep 24, 2022. Lunch is at $148++ per person and dinner is at $188++ per person. 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung is at
If you've missed celebrated American chef Nancy Silverton's Osteria Mozza absence after it closed at Marina Bay Sands, the restaurant is now back at a new location at Hilton Singapore Orchard. Don't be expecting her famed pizzas just yet, which will only be introduced in time to come. The focus is now on its handmade pasta and woodfired plates from the Josper oven.
Love cheese? Make your way to the signature mozzarella bar, with five different cheeses including a soft creamy Burratadi Puglia ($68++). Spiced with subtly spicy Cruschi peppers, it's lovely spread atop the Fett’unta (grilled garlic bread) doused in extra virgin olive oil. Or start your meal with the springy meaty Grilled Calamari ($22++) in a bold flavourful romesco sauce.
The Fonduta Ravioli ($38++) are delicate parcels of oozy, nutty fonduta (rich cheese sauce), and drizzled with a syrupy traditional 25-year-old balsamic vinegar of Modena. For something heartier, try the Orecchiette Fennel ($32++), with the small ear-shaped pasta scooping up bouncy peppery sausage.
For the secondi, Nancy's favourite, we're told, is the Whole Branzino alla Piastra ($65++), a European bass with a thin crisp skin. Eat it with the herbs it comes with, and a squeeze of lemon, for a zesty herbaceous flavour. The fried Pork Chop Milanese ($46++) is decently tender but is hefty and good for sharing.
You'll find traditional desserts on the menu, including a decadent Butter Scotch Budino ($20++) with a touch of sea salt, Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes ($20++) with an olive oil gelato, and a luscious Banana Gelato Pie ($20++), all made with gelato from Nancy Silverton's own brand, Nancy's Fancy.
Osteria Mozza is at L5, Hilton Singapore Orchard, Singapore 238867. Visit its website for more information.
Deriving its name from the Thai word for "hunger", the newly opened Hue puts a contemporary spin on Thai cuisine, with equally modern and stylish interiors.
If you love the Thai-style moo ping, the Char Moo ($15++), succulent and juicy pork collar skewers, won't disappoint. Beef tartare gets an Asian twist with the Niu Yolk ($25++), mixed with cilantro and mint for a fresh earthy flavour. The Not a Tom Yum ($19++) is a heady and spicy prawn-based soup with juicy prawns and squid, and a side of crispy egg floss, that's inspired by a Southern Thailand recipe.
Make room for the Three Musseleers ($35++), a mountain of sauteed mussels sitting in a light but flavourful coconut broth — perfect for dipping with the accompanying buttered toast. The Bakkut Bakkut ($32++) comes with an equally generous portion of slow-braised pork ribs marinated with a moreish housemade sweet-savoury sauce, though we found certain parts of the meat were a bit tough.
Sweets get an Asian touch, too, like the Limefully ($16++) a key lime pie with a basil sorbet that has a strong licorice flavor. And in place of the classic mango sticky rice, you get the Mango Go! ($16++), that sees fresh mango (though this was rather sour on our visit), soft chewy sago, coconut meringue, and coconut sorbet.
Hue is at 123 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore 207549. WhatsApp 90180992 for reservations.
For a date with the parents especially, make a reservation at Chinese restaurant Yan, which is offering a repertoire of Cantonese fare across six-course and eight-course Wellness Menus, from now till Aug 31, 2022.
Developed with guidance from Zhongjing Traditional Chinese Medicine, the communal dishes highlight the principles of yao shan (Chinese medicinal cuisine). Start with the belly-warming Double-boiled Chicken Soup with Immunity-Boosting Herbs that's been boiled for four hours with herbs curated by Zhongjing’s physicians.
All of its dishes include ingredients beneficial to your wellbeing, from a braised sliced abalone with heart-friendly eggplant in oyster sauce to a steamed Chilean cod fillet that's topped with a nest of cordycep flowers - this is said to tonify the kidneys and liver. The Wok-Fried King Prawns are tossed in a tasty sweet-tangy hawthorn sauce, with hawthorn helping to improve blood circulation.
And for a dose of carbs, there's the stewed ee-fu noodles loaded with three types of mushrooms - king oyster, enoki and shimeiji - that boast antioxidative properties.
You might not associate durian as a food that helps with your wellbeing, but the fruit does have antioxidants that fight free radicals. Enjoy it in the Chilled Mao Shan Wang Durian Pudding, which is smooth, silky, and not overly sweet or rich.
$158++ per person for the six-course menu (min. two persons) and $108++ per person for the eight-course menu (min. five persons). Yan is at #05-02 National Gallery, 1 Saint Andrew's Road, Singapore 178957. Visit its website for reservations or more information.