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.
This week, be transported into a fictional era at themed bar and lounge Rails, nibble on Mod-Japanese fare or indulge in the sensorial treat that is The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore’s new afternoon tea set.
There’s a new hangout spot in Tanjong Pagar. Rails, a steampunk-inspired bar and lounge by lifestyle brand A Phat Cat Collective has just opened its doors.
Envisioned as a train platform with a steampunk twist, the thematic getaway draws on Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Jinrikisha Station, complete with an LED-lit installation of a steampunk clock tower, studded with gears and cogwheels that trail up to the ceiling that form the DJ console, a glass-paneled bar counter with exposed brass pipelines, and an entrance fashioned like a vintage elevator shuttered with steel scissor gates.
Sip on inventive cocktails – choose from fizzy refreshers, milk-based tipples, or bold, stiffer options. There’s even a Murder On The Orient Express cocktail ($25), inspired by the famous novel of the same name, which is a dark concoction of an acquired, licorice lace of absinthe, coffee liqueur, pear, pineapple, and orange juice shaken with activated charcoal.
If you’re feeling peckish, the bar serves up bites from Chix Hot Chicken, known for its Nashville fried chicken. Tame your bellies with fried chicken sandwiches, sliders, or a hearty breakfast wrap.
Rails is at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-02, Singapore 088444.
There’s no denying our collective love for Japanese food, and there’s a new eatery in town to get your fix. Takeshi San, a mod Jap restaurant has sprung up at Holland Village, with both classic and inventive fare.
Must-tries include the Sushi Kaidan Sets (from $15) with various nigiri beautifully showcased on a wooden stepped display. Or go for the more decadent uni or foie gras iterations. If you’re not big on rice, consider the pasta selections, or the A5 Wagyu Truffle Inaniwa Udon ($32), which has succulent wagyu slices, aromatic truffle and a runny egg atop springy udon.
Wash it down with its wide range of sake.
Takeshi San is at 38 Lorong Mambong Hollang Village, Singapore 277694.
The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore’s Lobby Lounge has an all-new afternoon tea concept that’ll, well, get you both hot and cold.
The new Fire & Ice Afternoon Tea set comprises five courses of sweet and savoury bites, and each is served with a different tea. You’ll find items that personify the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ elements of the theme; like a lit Baba Au Rhum for a fiery dessert, and a raspberry sorbet and sparkling wine to represent ‘ice’, making for both a sensorial and visual delight. Other delectable morsels include smoked salmon focaccia with pistachio cream, scones, chocolate marzipan cake, plum streusel and more.
Available from 2.30pm to 5pm daily at the Lobby Lounge and priced at $58++ per person with tea pairing, add $20++ for two glasses of champagne.
The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore is at 15 Stamford Road, Singapore 178906.
For date night or elegant dinner with the girlfriends, check out modern European restaurant Tablescape, which has recently unveiled a new menu that showcases new ingredients, techniques and inspirations.
For starters, there’s Botanic Garden, a colourful plant-based dish of charcoal-grilled aubergine and other vegetables tossed in a secret housemade dressing. Or order the Foie Gras starter which has an boozy hit thanks to wild cherries preserved in alcohol.
For mains, there’s housemade gnocchi with wasabi foam as well as Australian wagyu with a marbling score of 5 or 6. And if you’re up for something sweet, there’s Chocolate, an indulgent chocolate and caramel cake served with a unique and aromatic cardamom sauce.
Degustation menus are available.
Tablescape is at Level 3, Grand Park City Hall, 10 Coleman Street, Singapore 179809.
Michelin Bib Gourmand eatery Chen’s Mapo Tofu has opened its second outlet at Star Vista. You can expect crowd favourite dishes like its signature Mapo Tofu, Dan Dan Mien, and Kaisen Katayaki on the menu, alongside new additions like Shishito Pepper Fish Soup and the meaty Kurozu Buta Don.
After 3pm, there’ll be a supplementary bar menu with smooth Suntory Premium Draft Beer and Hideyoshi Honjozo, a refreshing chilled sake and as well as new sides that’ll be a hit with spice lovers – think curnchy Mala Chicken Wings, Mala Chips, Szechwan Edamame and more.
For its opening week, from Feb 15 to 21, you can enjoy Chen’s Signature Mapo Tofu Don or Dan Dan Mien at $5 (U.P. $11.80), valid for dine-in and limited to one redemption per customer.
Chen’s Mapo Tofu is at 1 Vista Exchange Green, #02-08, 138617.