Where To Eat & Drink: Famed Hong Kong Hotpot Chain Uncle Fong, Mrs Kueh's Afternoon Tea & 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 exciting new foodie spots to check out: Wakuda by Michelin-starred chef Tetsuya Wakuda, famed Hong Kong hotpot chain Uncle Fong's first outlet in Singapore, a Peranakan-inspired afternoon tea and more.
Hong Kong Hotpot Chain Uncle Fong Opens Its First Overseas Outpost in Singapore
Chong Qing-style hotpot has been growing in popularity, and there's a new entrant coming to Singapore. Hong Kong's popular hot pot chain Uncle Fong, which has seen famous patrons like Hong Kong celebs Carina Lau, Julian Cheung and Stanley Kwan, will be opening the doors to its 80-seater space at Great World.
The chain is best known for its authentic Chongqing-style soup bases, simmered with premium spices and condiments like Chongqing Shizhuhong Chilli, Sichuan Hanyuan Pepper, Refined High Quality Beef Tallow, Sichuan Pixian Bean Paste and Yunnan Yellow Ginger.
Not great at taking the heat? You can go for the Pork Bone, Tomato Broth, Fungus & Mushroom Broth,Coriander and Preserved Egg broths. There's even a specially created with Singapore's humid climate in mind - the light and mildly sweet Fruit and Vegetable Soup.
Apart from meat, seafood and vegetables, you can look forward to ingredients like hand-beaten prawn paste, coral mussels, Putien soft tofu, dried gong choi and sliced celtuce.
Fun fact: Uncle Fong's founder is Fong Chi Chung, who's also the man behind the Michelin-starred Putien.
Uncle Fong opens on April 26, 2022 at #B1-108/109 Great World, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994.
Californian restaurant Rosemead has rolled out a signature box with five yummy bakes handcrafted and baked fresh on the daily by the restaurant's pastry chef Elena Perez de Carrasco.
You'll get two croissants, like the Tiramisu Croissant laminated with cultured butter and finished with a sweet and crackly fermented coffee glaze. Inside, a luscious and creamy mascarpone although this leaned a little too sweet. The Meyer Lemon Croissant, however, is nicely balanced with a tangy Meyer lemon curd, and with a glaze made from its zest.
For a savoury and subtly spicy bite, there's the Sobrassada Babka. The brioche bread, which is soft and flaky, is laminated with Spanish sobrassada (cured sausage) and aromatic spices. Chewy and almost cake-like, the Marshmallow & Peanut Butter Cookie is a moreish peanut butter and milk chocolate treat crowned with a cloud-like vanilla-bourbon marshmallow top.
And if you like Japanese -style milk bread, there's also the Shokupan with Red-Apple Kombu Glaze & Butter - the glaze is made from three types of apples and infused with kombu seaweed. Order yours fast, because they're sold out quickly.
$38 per box. Order here.
Dining at Michelin-starred chef Tetsuya Wakuda's Waku Ghin is often a splurge, but you can now have a taste of his food at more wallet-friendly prices at his newly opened Wakuda, also located at Marina Bay Sands.
Jointly presented with award-winning restaurateur John Kunkel of 50 Eggs Hospitality Group, the new concept is home to a bar, an omakase room and a main dining space. On the menu, chef Wakuda promises his rendition of modern Japanese classics.
Top quality ingredients are used here, including Tokujyo AA uni from Hokkaido, well-marbled A5 wagyu and black pork from Kagoshima, as well as fresh, artisanal yuba (fresh beancurd skin) from Kyoto and Tasmanian ocean trout.
The 90-odd dishes on the extensive menu run the gamut from appetisers, sashimi, sushi and tempura, to yakimono (grilled items), rice bowls, cold soba and desserts. There's cold soba with truffles, botan shrimp, shaved mushroom, caviar; classic saikyo yaki; akami sushi; as well as ‘The Stone’, an intriguing pebble-shaped dessert with hazelnut mousse and chocolate.
From the bar, you can sip on Japanese-style handcrafted cocktails priced from $23 a glass. Or try one of the nearly 100 sake labels here, including some exclusively brewed for chef Tetsuya.
But if you're looking to dine there, you'll have exercise a little patience - there's already a month-long waitlist.
Wakuda is at Marina Bay Sands Hotel Lobby Tower 2, 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956.
Waterfall Ristorante Italiano has a new menu with comforting Southern Italian dishes
Enveloped by lush greenery and boasting a poolside view, Waterfall Ristorante Italiano at Shangri-La Singapore's classic and inviting interiors set the perfect backdrop for its refreshed menu of Southern Italian specialties. A love letter to the Puglia region, they're curated by the restaurant's new chef de cuisine Simone Loisi.
Regulars and fans of Waterfall Ristorante Italiano will find familiar favourites, but there are also new menu additions. Antipasti includes crisp and hearty Porchetta Alla Birra ($24++) pork belly marinated with white beer, but with a crust that's just a touch heavy. There's no faulting the Mortadella e Stracciatella ($29++), which sees a light Southern Italian flatbread topped with creamy stracciatella cheese, Mortadella ham, roasted pistachios, and sweet tangy sundried tomatoes.
If you have room for just one pasta dish, make it the Orecchiette Broccoli E Salsicca ($28++). The little ear-shaped pasta makes for moreish mouthfuls with a light creamy sauce, broccoli, juicy Italian pork sausage meat and pecorino, toasted fennel seed and breadcrumbs. Otherwise, the fluffy Gnocchi Mare e Monti ($32) in an umami prawn bisque sauce with prawns and porcini mushroom is good too.
Seafood lovers, don't miss the Polpo alla Plancia. The impressive whole octopus leg (at least 300g) is done well here — first steamed till tender then grilled over high heat for a smoky char.
Waterfall Ristorante Italiano is at Level One, Garden Wing, Shangri-La Singapore, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350. Visit its website for reservations and more information.
The Dempsey Project has teamed up with local kuehmaker Mrs Kueh to roll out an afternoon tea affair with a Peranakan touch. The latter is helmed by chef and culinary consultant Jeremy Nguee and his mother, Maureen (dubbed Mrs Kueh).
Make your way through savoury egg, cucumber and chicken finger sandwiches, as well as raisin scones, orange tea cakes and a lemon tart. Then of course, there's Mrs Kueh’s signature kueh, including her rendition of Pandan Kueh Salat, which combines fragrant pandan custard and chewy glutinous rice. There's also fluffy Puteri Ayu with Pandan and a unique one-Purple Ondeh Ondeh that sees soft and chewy Okinawan sweet potato dumplings filled with artisanal gula melaka and rolled in fresh shredded coconut.
Wash it down with their specialty coffee, or choose from its range of sustainable tea.
Available from Thurs to Sun, 3.30pm to 5.30pm. $38++ per person (min. two persons). Additional $20 for a glass of Louis Roederer Champagne, or additional $17 for a glass of By Ott Rose.
The Dempsey Project is at Block 9 Dempsey Rd, #01-12, Singapore 247697.