Foodie News Flash: New Restaurants in Singapore this September

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

“I could really use a drink!” is a common refrain among exasperated mamas by the end of the day, and for the tippling crowd, you’re in luck! A number of Singapore’s top bar owners from the likes of House of Dandy, Jigger & Pony and The Club have opened new projects — many of which happen to also feature delectable food. Read on for our tip-top picks, mama. 

Editor’s Pick
Raven – North & South American cuisine at Chijmes
*Spoiler alert – you’re gonna wanna lick the plate! Swooping into Chijmes is Raven. This demure little number is all nonchalant alfresco seating but head inside for some seriously sleek digs (black Argentinean leather seats, black walls, bronze lighting). It comes as no surprise that the guys from House of Dandy are behind this venture – this place is slick and she knows it. You’d be forgiven for assuming it’s all cocktails and no dinner. But wait! Dinner is very much on the menu, and thanks to Chef Sam Chablani and his team, it is astoundingly delicious stuff. Dishes are themed around “The New Americas”: like the Roasted Corn ($12) with lime, smoked sour cream and oregano, and the zingy Seafood Salad ($23) of Octopus, Grilled Squid, Prawns, Corn Chips and Mesclun. The common thread throughout is a slight umami charred smokiness thanks to their “noburnnotaste” philosophy.  Sophisticated numbers abound like the Handmade Open Beef Ravioli ($24), melt-in-your-mouth brisket braised overnight with a sweet carrot cream sauce, and the meaty, saucy, cram-packed Raven Burger ($22) with 180g beef chuck, chipotle, avocado, chorizo cream, red onions and corn chips. People, you need to check this place out. Keep an eye out for their food truck parked outside for late-night noshing.

Raven, B1 – 01/02 CHIJMES, 30 Victoria Street, Tel: (+65) 8798 2724, www.raven.sg

Editor’s Pick
Humpback  – Oysters for $2, Seafood Small Plates
The hubby-and-wife team behind Jigger and Pony are bringing three kinds of cool to Bukit Pasoh. On the ground floor of a shophouse they’ve set up Humpback, a 40-seater seafood restaurant complete with oyster shucking station at the bar. Choose from kumamoto, shigoku fat bastard and totten inlet ($6/ea) oysters all from Washington USA. There’s a happy hour weekdays from 5-7pm for selected wines, beers and cocktails, plus $2/$3 deals on the oysters (and for a short period happy hour extends all day Monday on oysters). The rest of the menu is shared plates of seafood, meat or ‘garden’ vegetables. Don’t miss the Buttermilk Kale Salad ($14) and the Hamachi Ceviche ($22) of thickly sliced fresh Amberjack, prettily plated with bright pink radish strips, yuzu and crushed almonds. Hidden next door is  The Flagship – an edgy, exposed brick whisky bar that’s less highbrow, more rockn’roll. Upstairs, premium raw seafood restaurant Gibson is still a work in progress but we hear whispers of uber gourmet dishes ranging from $20-120.

Humpback / The Flagship / Gibson, 18/20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089834. Tel: (+65) 6750 4461 www.facebook.com/humpbacksg

Tiger’s Milk – Peruvian Rooftop Bar
Boutique hotel The Club is back with a vengeance on Ann Siang Hill with a beautiful new makeover for its rooms, plus new bars and restaurants. We are excited about having a spot dedicated to Peruvian fare in our little red dot with the opening of rooftop bar Tiger’s Milk. The menu beckons with a whole section of ceviche from sea bass ($14) to salmon ($16) plus they have an alfresco Parilla for grilled “anticucheras” (meat skewers). Drinkswise expect a lot of Pisco, Tequila, Mezcal and Cachaça. Hiding in the basement is the second branch of Chef Daniel Sia’s The Disgruntled Chef, known for its sharing plates of European food, and back in business is the whisky bar B28 with weekly jazz performances.

The Club (inc Mr & Mrs Maxwell’s, The Champagne Yard, Tiger’s Milk, The Disgruntled Chef, and B28), The Club, 28 Ann Siang Hill, Singapore 069708, Tel: (+65) 6808 2183, www.theclub.com.sg

CATO – Craft Beers & Asian Fusion
Cato takes up residence in the two-storey conservation building in Chinatown that used to house The Vault. The space remains edgy and industrial with its minimalist décor and exposed brick walls. On the modern menu: Asian-inspired dishes like Tom Yum-flavoured Risotto with Spicy Prawns ($24) sit amicably next to more Western offerings of Duck Leg Confit ($24), while other dishes show more fusion like the Steak Tartare with Quail Egg Yolk and Crispy Mantou Buns ($16). If you’re there for drinks, they have an impressive range of 60 craft beers – 14 of which can be found on tap. The second storey is bar proper with a DJ most Thursday and Friday nights.

CATO, 237 South Bridge Rd. Singapore, 058786, www.catosingapore.com

Jamie’s Italian – Forum Mall Gets Glitz
Jamie Oliver’s empire expands to Forum Orchard with the opening of Jamie’s Italian, his second restaurant in Singapore and 60th restaurant worldwide. The menu is smaller than that at VivoCity but old favourites remain including the charcuterie sharing antipasti ‘planks’ ($16.50 pp), lamb chop lollipops ($38) and the daily hand-made pastas. Some of the regular dishes may still need refining, but new to the menu is Pizza and it takes the limelight with its thin crust crispy base and tasty toppings. So far they have four on offer, including the Italian Hot ($24.50) slathered with San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella, artisanal salumi, mini meatballs and vinegary chilli padi. They’re open from 10am when pastries and coffee are up for grabs – handy if you’re at Forum for kiddy play or toy shopping. Your little darlings are well catered for, too: kids can peruse their menu ($11.50) via the genius viewfinders and all dishes (from fish fingers to spag bol) come with a juice and a Shake-Me Salad where fresh veggies are made fun with the DIY style salad shaker.

Jamie’s Italian, 583 Orchard Road, #01-01/04, Forum Shopping Mall, Singapore 23884, Tel: (+65) 66557676, www.jamiesitalian.sg

Delicacy – Gourmet Deli and Dinner Platters
Delicacy is new to Gemmill Lane, a street that’s seen a lot of change of late (Wolf has closed, while Club Street Social is being revamped). Delicacy is deli by day, serving up breakfast eggs and gourmet lunches (like bleu cheese, walnut and pear salad, chorizo baguette and a milkshake for $20) but come night, she puts on something a little more ooo la la for the dinner crowd: Mediterranean sharing plates of artisanal ingredients. Dishes range from Walnut Croquetas with Walnut Truffle Mayo ($8) to Grilled Chilli Prawn with Soya Cream Sauce ($15) to Iberico Pork Collar with Butternut and Baked Apple ($29) or opt for the Chef’s Tasting Menu (from $78pp) for a dinner of surprises.

Delicacy, 10 Gemmill Lane, Singapore, 069251 Singapore,  www.fnwmerchants.com