Previously served as a buffet, Red House Seafood at Grand Copthorne is now offering its dim sum as a la carte dishes.

An elevated take on the rice roll is the Steamed King Rice Roll ($7.80++ per roll) boasting a soft slippery handmade wrapper that gives way to a crunchy rice paper layer. Within is a moreish mix of four types of mushrooms and stir-fried greens that bring a savoury earthiness.

A visual spectacle, the Purple Potato Swan Dumplings ($7.80+ for three) comes with a delightfully crisp coating, the ‘feathers’, with an inside of Japanese purple sweet potato paste as well as a savoury mix of chicken, char siew and mushrooms fried in oyster sauce. We particularly liked the Truffle Wild Mushroom Dumpling ($6.80++ for three) with pleasantly chewy translucent skin wrappers dyed green with spinach juice. Gold Takesumi Chilli Crab Bun ($12++ for three), of pillowy buns encasing Red House’s signature tangy and spicy chilli crab sauce with ginger flower.

And if you’re not stuffed to the brim with its dim sum selections, you can also go for mains like Stir-fried Bee Hoon with Shredded Chicken & Salted Fish ($13.80++), or the comforting Teochew Style Seafood Porridge ($28++), a comforting pot with a medley of seafood including sliced grouper, white clams, prawns, and flower crab meat.

Or order dessert, one of which is Musang King Durian Mochi ($9++) for three with soft mochi skin enveloping rich creamy durian flesh.

Dim sum is available for lunch daily from 12pm to 2.30pm only at Red House Seafood Grand Copthorne, Level 2 Grand Copthorne Waterfront, 392 Havelock Road, Singapore 169663. Visit its website for reservations or more information.

Awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand last year, One Prawn & Co headed by chef and co-owner Gwyneth Ang has ventured past its famed prawn noodles and gone further into seafood territory with a fancy 12-course omakase-style dinner menu ($128++) — yes, it’s served within the eatery’s kopitiam locale.

Kicking things off is a platter of four morsels. Start with the Hyogo oyster topped with a tangy and frosty mignonette granita, before moving on to cured amberjack. Then there’s creamy white shrimp given an interesting and delicious spin with aromatic garam masala and coconut cream, and a crisp lightly battered tempura soft shell crab with kicap manis.

Along the way, you’ll also get plump Scottish king scallop in a tasty homemade XO sauce, squid noodles atop punchy salsa verde, and charcoal-grilled turbot from Denmark crowned with a rich tangy mix of garlic brown butter sauce and mashed capers. It’s enjoyable but also felt just shy of becoming overcooked. What didn’t quite stand out was the grilled Maitake mushroom served with burnt barley risotto and chicken jus.

There’s steak on the menu, too — succulent beefy cuts of onglet (hanger steak) paired with a mild earthy sunchoke cream. The last savoury item on the menu, the Abalone Poached Rice aka pao fan, is an absolute winner with One Prawn & Co’s signature bisque, which is thick, rich and heady. Unfortunately, it isn’t available a la carte yet, but one can hope. For dessert, there’s a plate of fruits sourced from a local market and mini ice cream cones. And if you like, there’s a free-flow of house sake available at $30++.

Our take? Shelling out $128 for dining in a coffeeshop setting might not be for everyone, but if you’re there solely for the food, then it’s worth considering the experience.

The 12-course menu is at $128++ per person, available from Tues to Sun, 6pm till late. Its prawn mee is available for lunch from 11am to 5pm. One Prawn & Co is at 458 Macpherson Road, Singapore 368176. Closed on Mon.

It takes a little exploring to find the newly opened Tag Espresso, tucked away near in the office tower of Ngee Ann City’s Tower B near the lift lobby. The brand isn’t new — starting as an e-commerce brand selling coffee capsules, it opened its first boutique coffee stand in Raffles City Shopping Centre serving quality specialty brews. It also has cafes across China.

Its coffee capsules, with grounds engineered to dissolve in hot and cold liquids alike, are made from freshly roasted 100 per cent Arabica beans from leading coffee regions like Ethiopia, Columbia, Guatemala, Brazil and Sumatra. Now it’s opened an industrial-style 30-seater with botanical touches that doles out freshly roasted brews, coffee cocktails and casual Japanese fusion bites. It also retails its capsules here.

Coffee-wise, you’ll find usuals like the Americano (from $5++) to specials like the local-inspired Kaya Pandan Latte ($9++) and Rose Coconut Latter ($8.50++). I had a Macadamia Latte that was a nice balance of coffee and creaminess. For a boozy treat, try the outlet-exclusive Dirty Yuan Yang ($15++), a creamy Kahlua-based cocktail made with a combination of Tag Espresso’s nutty Midnight Blue Dark Roast Coffee infused with red tea leaves.

The coffee’s the main attraction but the food isn’t too shabby either, from crisp tasty  Tako Kaarage ($13.90++) to a flavourful Shrimp Paste Pork Belly. The Fish and Chips ($24.90++) uses tender cod enveloped in a crisp batter, and comes with a coffee lime aioli infused with the brand’s Midnight Blue Coffee. The coffee flavour, however, could be more pronounced — it’s lost when paired with the fish. The usual brunch suspect of avo toast is done well with a fragrant homemade dukkah and pesto.

For something sweet, there’s the Chocolate Lava Cake ($15.90++) or French Toast ($16.90++) served with vanilla gelato.

Tag Espresso is at 391 Orchard Road, #02-11, Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee
Ann City (Tower B Office Lift Lobby), Singapore 238872.

There are but a handful of Peruvian restaurants in Singapore, and Resorts World Sentosa has recently welcomed the Peruvian-Chinese concept Chifa! to its stable of dining spots. The name itself is derived from the culinary tradition based on Cantonese elements fused with traditional Peruvian ingredients.

You can expect the Peruvian classic ceviche served here, presented as the Yellowfin Tuna Tamarind Ceviche ($22++), as well as Bijao Wrapped Fish and “Sudado” ($48++), a traditional Chifa dish of whole roasted fish wrapped in banana leaf. It’s accompanied a “Sudado” sauce” of Aji chili and fermented corn juice.

For the quintessential Cantonese wok hei, order the Wok Fried Seafood XO Aeropuerto ($38++, serves two to four), made with quinoa and fragrant jasmine rice topped with seafood and seasonal vegetables sautéed in a flavourful XO sauce.

Enjoy your meal with signature cocktails like the Chicano de Chifa ($25++), reimagined from the classic Peruvian combination of Pisco and ginger ale, and Laguna 69 ($20++) made with Havana three years, blue curacao, pineapple and fresh lime juice with agave nectar.

Opens daily except Tue and Wed for dinner from 5pm to 11pm (last order at 10.30pm). Chifa! is located within Ave8 in Resorts World Sentosa. Visit its website or call 6577 6688 / 6558 for reservations or more information.

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