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’s new in dining this week: Eggslut Singapore serves up a special anniversary menu, Okashi Gaku’s cake-in-a-can concept has landed at Suntec City, Hilton Singapore Orchard’s Ginger.Lily has a refreshed cocktail menu, and more.
Come Sep 16, don’t be surprised to see vending machines filled with colourful cans of cake at Suntec City. The viral cake-in-a-can concept by Japanese brand Okashi Gaku, which has such machines across Sapporo, Osaka, and Tokyo, has landed in Singapore.
Imported from Japan and kept at controlled temperatures to maintain their freshness, you’ll find a variety of luscious options. There are the Shortcake Cans ($11.80) with pillowy chiffon cake layered with whipped cream, Hokkaido strawberries and puree. For other fruit options, go for a Fuwa Can which has chiffon cake with fruit jelly, puree and jam — choose from Strawberry ($9.80) or Mango & Passionfruit ($9.80).
New and exclusively available in Singapore, are the Matcha ($8.80), Mango & Chocolate ($9.80) and Tiramisu ($8.80) flavours. And for something different, the Egg Pudding Cans ($5.80) serve up a light and sweet concoction perfumed with vanilla.
The Okashi Gaku vending machines can be found near the entrance of Eat at Seven, #03-306/307, 310-316, Suntec City, NorthWing, 3 Temasek Blvd, Singapore 038983.
It’s been a year since Eggslut Singapore landed on our shores. To mark the occasion, it’s launched a celebratory sandwich and dessert duo – the Avocado & Prawn Sandwich ($16) and a Panna Cotta Slut ($6).
With the sarnie, you’ll be diving into a fluffy brioche bun that’s packed with grilled tiger prawns, avo slices and a moreish garlic chilli lime glaze. The over-medium egg oozes with runny yolk when you sink your teeth in, and a sweet chilli mayo adds subtle spice. Then there’s the Panna Cotta Slut, the dessert counterpart of the iconic Slut dish (which has coddled egg and potato puree) — this one has a mango passionfruit ‘yolk’ that balances thick creamy vanilla and hazelnut panna cotta with a tangy touch.
Eggslut is at #01-12, Scotts Square, 6 Scotts Road, Singapore 228209. Opens daily from 8am to 10pm.
Hilton Singapore Orchard bar and lounge Ginger.Lily has a refreshed menu of 17 inventive cocktails dreamt up by head mixologist Michael Mendoza. Named Bloom, it’s an ode to the rich plantation history of Orchard Road, shining the spotlight on native fruits, herbs and ingredients.
In Full Bloom ($22++), a mix of fruit-infused peach Rinquinquin and tonic water is a light, refreshing option, as is Birds and the Bees ($30++). Served with a piece of honeycomb, it marries whiskey, flavours of pineapple and jackfruit with mango-scented honey, and ginger ale. Blossom ($22++) is a pretty botanical libation perfumed with the light herbaceous notes of elderflower and lemongrass, alongside Brass Lion Butterfly Gin, and tart hibiscus kombucha.
Then there are those served with a dose of theatrics. Seashell ($24++) is a G&T with lemongrass and cucumber that’s crowned with fried baby crabs perched on top of a mesh ‘net’. The Kokum Spice ($24++), served with a bubble on top, is a sultry spice-forward martini that combines kokum with honey and Ceylon arrack (coconut palm sap). Interestingly, its flavour is reminiscent of sour plum drinks.
Java fiends will undoubtedly appreciate the Coffee Break, the bar’s version of an Irish coffee that goes down like a warm hug with Mizurana whiskey, coffee kombucha, and coffee foam.
For bites to prime your belly before the boozing, choose from plates like Iberico ham on sourdough bread ($29++), seared Hokkaido scallops ($26++) in green pea puree and a briny crustacean emulsion, or a hefty sando ($39++) with a thick juicy slab of wagyu beef and black garlic aioli.
Ginger.Lily is L5, Hilton Singapore Orchard, 333 Orchard Rd, Level 5, Singapore 238867. Cocktails are available from 1pm to 1am.
Headed by chef-owner Loris Massimini, Tuscan restaurant Ristorante Pietrasanta at Fusionopolis has opened the doors to Casa Pietrasanta, an intimate 20-seater private dining space also located within the complex.
The menu gives you a tour of Italian cuisine with Mediterranean touches, which you can sample with the degustation menus available. Lunch starts from $49.90++ and dinner from $64.90++ for three courses, with an amuse bouche of arancini with gooey risotto and snow fish.
We started with a house signature Seabass Carpaccio dressed in olive oil. It’s brightened with lemon zest and pink peppercorns, which are slightly sweet and milder than their black counterparts. Tortino della Lunigianais, the restaurant’s take on the traditional zucchini and red onion frittata from Lunigiana, is also a popular option.
For pasta, there’s a tasty Linguine Vongolee Bottarga sprinkled with shaved bottarga for briny flavour, as well as Fettucine “La Bussola” that has freshly made pasta doused in earthy portobello sauce, pesto, and truffle.
The Guanciale di Manzo (+$10) showcases slow-cooked beautifully soft beef cheek in a punchy green sauce, topped with roasted bell peppers and a scattering of pistachios. You can also go for a Roasted Snow Fish, or a Chicken “Àla Fricassée” with tender spring chicken cooked in creamy porcini mushroom sauce.
For dessert, Sharon’s Granita is a refreshing way to end the meal, with prosecco jelly hidden under a mound lychee granita, a tangy roselle syrup.
Casa Pietrasanta is at 1 Fusionopolis Way, #01-03, Singapore 138632.
Alongside the reopening of Village Hotel Sentosa, its all-day dining restaurant Native Kitchen is once again welcoming diners with refreshed interiors and a revamped menu.
Serving an international buffet breakfast in the morning, the lunch and dinner menus beckon with an a la carte lineup of local favourites and classic Western fare like pasta, pizzas and steaks. Signatures include the Singapore Laksa ($34++), Bebek Goreng ($28++), Prawn Noodle Soup ($28++), Salmon Biryani ($32++), and Durian Ketayap ($18++).
You’ll be enjoying your meal in a spacious 492 sqm oasis inspired by the tropical rainforest it’s surrounded by. An earthy colour palette punctuated with botanical prints, rattan lamps, plant-covered walls, wooden furnishings, and a foliage-muraled partition further brings you on a tropical escapade.
From now till Nov 30, 2022, enjoy two-hour complimentary parking at Village Hotel Sentosa during lunch and dinner from Mon to Thurs. Sentosa Islander members will also enjoy 10 per centoff all a la carte items at Native Kitchen.
Native Kitchen is at Village Hotel at Sentosa, 10 Artillery Avenue, Singapore 099951. Visit its website for reservations or more information.