Where To Eat & Drink: Authentic Caribbean Cuisine, Baristart Coffee's Matcha Cream Puffs & 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.
The latest in dining this week: Caribbean restaurant Lime House is now at Katong, treat yourself to a delectable spread with Hilton Singapore Orchard's new Sunday brunch, or try Baristart Coffee's latest matcha cream puffs and desserts.
After gracing our island with authentic Caribbean fare nine years ago with its first outlet at Keong Saik, Lime House has opened a second restaurant at Katong. Inside, potted plants, wooden furnishings, and rattan seats whizz you away on a tropical escapade. What's different here? An outlet-exclusive lunch menu has been introduced at this outlet, as well as an exclusive dish.
Start with the addictive Caribbean Nachos ($16++). Earthy, thinly sliced and crisp, the plantain chips make the perfect vessel for scooping up creamy avo and tomato salsa. The Chicken Doubles ($16++) starring a spicy curried chicken, chickpeas and tamarind atop soft pancake-like housemade bara bread is delicious, with the heat slightly tempered with mango chutney.
The outlet-exclusive Fried Parrot Fish with Calypso Rice ($22++) is a good option too, with fluffy spiced long-grained rice, and tender fried parrotfish. Bonus points for the sweet caramelised plantains on the side. A tapas-like take on the Jamaican jerk chicken, the Jerk Chicken Skewers ($16++) are marinated for at least 24 hours before being baked and grilled. It's heavily spiced, flavoursome and juicy.
Unsurprisingly, you'll find an extensive rum list here, with tasting flights available as well. We had ours in the botanical and citrusy sweet Lime House Punch ($12++), with dark rum, sorrel, spices, honey, and lime.
Lime House East Coast is at 47 to 49 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428768. Visit its website for reservations.
If you're in the mood for a Sunday indulgence, Hilton's all-day dining outfit Estate has rolled out a Grand Champagne Sunday Brunch Buffet that's replete with tempting treats — think luxurious beef wellington with black truffle sauce, foie gras, Maine lobster Thermidor and an unlimited flow of three types of freshly shucked oysters. Asian plates see the likes of Kong-style ‘Bi Feng
Tang’ mud crab, ayam masak merah, and Kerala-style prawns with coconut curry, alongside Estate's signature Black Truffle Roasted Duck.
For the cheese-obsessed, take your pick from 32 varieties of artisanal cheeses from soft to hard and blue, and premium options such as 16-month Comté, Tomme de Savoie Fermière, Roquefort, and Bleu d'Auvergne.
Make it twice as merry with the addition of free-flow Laurent Perrier champagne, red and white wine, or shake up your own cocktail at the DIY cocktail bar.
And to keep the young'uns occupied, there are a range of activities available on rotation every fortnight, from magic tricks to pottery making and trad games like hopscotch.
$158++ (adult) for food only and $78++ (per child from six to 12 years old; children aged five and below dine free). $188++ per adult (with free-flow Laurent-Perrier Champagne, white and red wine, and a Do-It-Yourself Cocktail Bar). Estate is at Level 5, Hilton Singapore Orchard, 333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867. Visit its website for reservations or more information.
Dig into an afternoon treat of seafood and champagne at Opus Bar & Grill
While away the afternoon with a luxurious seafood platter and a bottle of bubbly at Opus Bar & Grill. From 4pm to 7pm (Mon to Thurs), the restaurant is doling out freshly shucked oysters, a juicy Boston lobster, succulent prawns , and tender mussels with a bottle of Laurent Perrier Brut for a special price of $110++ for two persons (usual price at $196++).
And if you're still feeling peckish, we recommend the selection of delish viennoiserie and exquisite cakes from D9 Cakery, located on the same level and just steps away.
Visit its website for reservations. OPus Bar & Grill is at 581 Orchard Road voco, Orchard, Singapore 238883.
The Great Steak Escape by True Aussie Beef & Lamb, which made its debut last year, has made a return this year with a family-friendly edition. This year sees a tie-up with 10 family-friendly restaurants, a hotel, gourmet butchers, and fine food retailers to present special creations that showcase high-quality beef and lamb from Australia.
Some of the places we made a pit stop at: Ryan's Kitchen, which is showcasing a stellar 1.2kg Okan Tomahawk wagyu steak ($238++) that's tender but with a bit of bite, beefy, and good for two to four people. There's also the buttery roasted Warilba Carbon-Neutral Lamb Shoulder Rack ($44.90++) slathered with demi-glace.
Over at casual bar and grill Panamericana at the Sentosa Golf Club, try the Little Joe Ribeye, with 100 per cent grass-fed MBS 4+ beef, or the signature Lamb Al Asador, a South American-inspired dish brightened with a herby, creamy sauce of chilli, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Both are part of the Steak-Out Family Menu ($298++, serves two adults and two children), but are also available for a la carte orders.
Park Hotel Alexandra's Full Blood Black Angus Ribeye (220g) from Queensland Australia is gloriously marbled and succulent. You can also book yourself a stay with the Steak-Away ($345++, two adults and one child) staycation, which comes with a three-course steak lunch or dinner that showcases prime cuts of Australian beef with complimentary servings of wine at The Carvery restaurant.
Café Melba's three outlets serve up a meaty feast that includes a Rib Eye Steak ($36++), and a juicy Good Ol’ Beef Burger ($29++), with a wagyu beef patty and a signature housemade Melba sauce. The kids can get the Bolognese ($25++, Kid’s Special, $13++), a hearty dish of minced beef, and tasty homemade herbed tomato sauce topped with thinly grated shards of nutty Grana Padano.
Visit The Great Steak Escape's website for a list of participating establishments.
Love Baristart Coffee's luscious cream puffs? For matcha lovers, it has rolled out a new matcha series that are crafted with top-grade single-origin Okumidori matcha from Kyoto, Japan, together with rich and creamy premium Hokkaido BIEI Jersey Milk.
Sink your teeth into the Matcha Cream Puff ($9), the sweet and earthy Matcha Mango Hokkaido Milk ($11), and the refreshing fizzy Matcha Soda ($8).
The series is available from now till June 30, both Baristart Coffee’s Tras Street and Sentosa outlets. All items are available for both dine-in and takeaway.