Foodie News Flash: New Restaurants in Singapore this September

We’ve got the lowdown on all the hot new restaurants in Singapore this month, mama!

Hey, mama! Need a quick shot of inspiration for a night out on the town (no kids that is!)? Here’s our pick of Singapore’s latest restaurants and newest bars, condensed and served up in tasty bite-sized pieces just for you.

Editor’s Pick
Corner House doesn’t sound as grand as it truly is ‘in person’. This black and white colonial inspired restaurant is the old Au Jardin set amongst the lush greenery of the Botanical Gardens. It is named after EJH Corner, one of the founding botanists who can be partly credited for the beautiful natural greenery in Singapore. In the kitchen is Singaporean Chef Jason Tan (from Sky on 57), who in turn can be credited for their beautiful French-inspired cuisine, which incorporates ‘Gastro-Botanica’ — sustainable fish, meat and poultry with as many herbs and plants as possible. There are only set menus on offer – dinner ranges from $98 for 4 courses to the full Discovery menu of 8 courses for $248, while lunches range from $38 to $88 for 3 to 5 courses (though watch all the extra supplements). Service is of note (gotta praise it when you find it in Singapore!) and the food is tasty and looks stunning: delicate portions, beautifully presented with minutiae detail. Highlights are the Carabinero Prawns, where the variety of tomatoes in different shapes, sizes and forms (including a white mousse derived from tomato essence with olive oil beads) steal the show, the “Crispy Scales” NZ cod, and the Maine Lobster with Riso Pasta. No matchy matchy crockery here – each dish is served on something special. For dessert, Chef’s version of Kaya Toast (pictured) was a stunning finale – a beautiful dish of muscavado sable biscuit encompassing a version of Kaya with yuzu meringue, yuzu sorbet and Gula Melaka foam. This place is date night special – get a table in the quiet corner of the outer dining room for a romantic perch overlooking the jungle. Corner House, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens (Nassim Gate entrance), Singapore 259569. Tel: (+65) 6469 1000.

Now trending: Ice cream and waffles!
Seriously Ice Cream joins the growing number of new hipster cafes and vintage shops at HDB block, Everton Park. This small ice cream parlour cum shop (selling accessories and bags) offers up ice cream at $3.50 to $4.30 per scoop and waffles, both plain and savoury, from $7.20 with one scoop of regular flavour ice cream. Locals are raving about their flavours which change every other day, including salty Miso Gula Melaka, Onde Onde, Red Velvet (our favourite), Rosemary, Elderflower, and Sour Plum plus there’s a mystery flavour on weekends, which if you guess correctly, rewards with a free scoop! For us though, the flavours didn’t pack as much punch as we’d have hoped and the texture was on the icy rather than creamy side (we were told they don’t use stabilizers or preservatives). Got to hand it to the friendly owner for his creativity on the flavour ideas though! For those that prefer the lighter snow ice texture this spot could be right up your alley. Seriously Ice Cream, Block 4 Everton Park #01-44, Singapore 080004. Tel: 9621 6889.

Sunday Folks has also jumped on the ice cream and waffle bandwagon giving Chip Bee folks a taste of the soft serve. This is the posher version of their Creamier brand in Toa Payoh. It’s on the pricy side too – with scoops of the good stuff starting from $6.90. Good to know: they make their cones themselves (like dark chocolate) plus raved-about waffles ($8) which can be served with soft serve in six ice cream flavours ($10.50-$11.50) ranging from Seasalt Gula Melaka to Earl Grey Lavender to Roasted Pistachio, all topped with goodies ($1.50-$1.90/each) like berries, torched caramel marshmallows, lemon cheesecake or popping candy. This place is always packed, so if you aren’t much of a queue-er, you may just be tempted to backtrack a few steps and grab some ice cream and waffle goodness from old timer Daily Scoop a few doors down – it’s not soft serve but in this heat, is that really a deal breaker? Sunday Folks, 44 Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens #01-52, Singapore 278116. Tel: (+65) 6479 9166.

Are they open yet? Are they open yet? Are they open yet? Repeat for three weeks. Who is causing such hyperventilating anticipation? Super Loco of course, Mexican taqueria Lucha Loco’s super sister at Robertson Quay. The good news is yes, they are finally open. “Sound the Mariachis” indeed! They will be dishing out more of what they do best: Mexican street food, like their kill-your-best-buddy-for-the-last-piece of Elotes ($8), corn on the cob smothered in some kind of crack a.k.a mayo, and Mexican cotija cheese… seriously this stuff is gooooood (it’s on our  ‘last supper’ order!). They’ve a whole new menu too (compared to their Duxton venue), which includes some of the most authentic Tacos this side of Me-hi-co. Arriba! Super Loco, The Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay #01-13, Singapore 238252. Tel: (+65) 6235 8900.

One of our editors headed to newly opened Babette (owned by radio DJ Darren Wee) inside the Parc Sovereign Hotel. The vibe? Industrial laid back chic. The food? French/Japanese fusion, i.e. French cooking techniques with a predominant Japanese cuisine or twist. Rice features heavily on the menu in the form of Donburi (rice bowls). Favourites include Roasted Avocado with aburi salmon and diced tomatoes ($12), Duck Confit Donburi ($28) — pan-seared duck confit served with homemade pickles on rice, and the Babette Chirashi Donburi ($19) — a rice bowl topped with fresh seafood like salmon, scallop, and tuna plus tamago (egg) sprinkled with tobiko roe. Their signature cocktail got the thumbs up too, the “Babette” — a mix of gin, lemon, passion fruit, and mint ($16) – is sweet yet pretty refreshing. All in all a welcome addition to up and coming neighbourhood Jalan Basar. Babette, 165 Tyrwhitt Road #01-03 Parc Sovereign Hotel, Singapore 207569. Tel (+65) 6341 7727.

Lobsters are having a bit of ‘a moment’. Last month we told you about Pince & Pints and this month, Cajun and Creole styled The Boiler joins other lobster shacks like Crab in da Bag. We haven’t been yet but we hear you can pick your seafood of choice and pair it with a sauce (garlic butter or pepper) or for that ‘shack feel’ order up the Boiler’s Bombdiggity Bag – a very (un)glamorous plastic bag of Dungeness/brown crab, prawns, mussels, clams, sausages, corn, and bun. Warning: if you have tiny tots at home and need a break from plastic splash mats, eating with your fingers, bibs and wipe down tabletops, you may want to save this place for another time. We just wish they’d have set up sticks somewhere with soft sand underfoot and a beach backdrop. The Boiler, 18 Howard Road, #01-06, Singapore 369585. Tel: (+65) 6635 1285.