Foodie News Flash: New Restaurants in Singapore this February

Photo credit: Whisk & Paddle 

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-size pieces just for you.

Editor’s Pick
If you fancy something a little different this weekend, we highly recommend you pack up the kids, their scooters and bikes and head to Whisk & Paddle out in Punggol. The café is perched on the reservoir, which has a beautifully scenic cycling path (wish there were more of these in Singers!) – perfect for pedalling practise. Fuel up at Whisk & Paddle’s outdoor seating, where you can admire the view while your little ones play in the genius kiddie floor area. On the menu: waffles – both sweet or savoury with eggs Benedict and ham or salmon ($13) – plus a selection of pastas, burgers, fish dishes and pizzas. For dessert check out their cake counter where the in-house pastry chef whips up creations of passion fruit curd tarts ($6), macaroons, a deliciously light and fluffy cheesecake with berry compote ($6) and other homemade specials. Run by a family, this is a super cute hidden gem that is kid- and dog-friendly – we like a lot!

Whisk & Paddle, 10 Tebing Lane, #01-01, Singapore 828836, (+65) 6242 4617, www.whiskandpaddle.com.sg

How well do you know your Korean dining etiquette? Do you use your left or right hand to pour your makgeolli refills*? And what in heaven’s name is makgeolli anyway? Joo Bar, in bustling Bugis, brew their own makgeolli ($7-28 mini/large), which is a sweet-sour milky white 8% rice alcohol. There are a range of flavours – yuzu (Yucha) being a top runner – or sip at them all with the sampler set ($35). Food goes way beyond bar bites and heavily features pork and kimchi, from Joo Bossam ($28) – pork belly with cabbage wrap and kimchi – to Mangalitsa Pork Belly Kimchi Stew ($20). We recommend the Homemade Tofu Chips with Guacamole & Kimchi Salsa ($14) and the delicious Hand-chopped Minced Rib Steak with garlic and soy ($20), as well as the Fried Baby Eel Paper ($14) for pure novelty value, while the Warm Kimchi with Tofu and Spam ($16) gets a love-it-or-leave-it divide depending on your relationship with spam. Joo Bar’s second floor is peppered with little Korean faux-pas and must-dos so if you want the answer to the refill conundrum, that’s where you need to head. Kanpai!

Joo Bar, 5 Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore 188094, (+65) 8138 1628, www.joo-bar.com

Editor’s Pick
Tiong Bahru, one of our favourite places to mooch, boasts a new spot called Chapter 55. It’s pulling in the punters with their waffles; these bad boys are mammoth, deliciously crisp on the outside, fluffy and light on the inside. Pair them with home made gelati and you’re in dessert heaven. Flavours range from the weird to wonderful: Chocolate Lavender or Champagne Vanilla, or my personal favourite, Coffee-Hazelnut. And then there’s the famous Mao Shan Wang Durian flavour, which even this ang-moh was taken with! With half the restaurant tucking into the waffle-ice cream combo (from $12.50), as well as a good cuppa coffee (beans from 40 Hands), you’d be forgiven for thinking this was all they do. But there you’d be wrong. The chef is from Pasta Brava so pasta he knows, and he knows it well. Mains feature Squid Ink seafood spaghetti ($22), homemade Agnolotti with crab and prawn cream sauce ($25), to pizzas (from $16) and meats like Beef Tenderloin ($30). A very welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

Chapter 55, 55 Tiong Bahru Road, #01-37, Singapore 160055, (+65) 6221 2219, www.facebook.com/chapter55

Up-and-coming Jalan Besar has added another to its fold with The Refinery. The ground floor of this 3-story building is cram-packed with young hipster Singaporeans munching on yakitori and using chopsticks to pick out fat salted-egg onion rings and fries nestled in little brown bags. The floor above houses a cocktail bar manned by ex-Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall bartender Eugene Chua. Now back to those fries – they’re actually poutine ($10) –a finger licking gooey mess of fries topped with onions, gravy and cheddar cheese. We were told the bestseller yakitori sticks were the Shishamo ($8) (described by the waitress as ‘pregnant fish’, and the Chicken Heart ($6), but there’s also “Shiok Bak” ($8) of roasted pork, Chicken Thigh ($6), Wagyu Ribe-Eye ($16) and veggie options like Shishito Peppers ($6). For dessert, we liked the crispy fried green Pandan Mantou with Coconut Gelato ($6). What this place may lack in total Japanese authenticity it makes up for in fun atmosphere.

The Refinery, King George’s Ave, Unit 01-02, Singapore 208561, (+65) 6293 1204, www.therefinery.sg