Foodie News Flash: New Restaurants in Singapore this April

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

There’s no doubt we’re a city of foodies, mama, so it’s only fitting that we keep you abreast of all the new openings of dining spots around our little red dot. Whether you’re looking for some fine dining for a cosy date night out with your significant other, or somewhere a little more casual for brunch on the weekend, this month’s Foodie News Flash has all that and more! Happy eating, mama!

Editor’s Pick: Punch – Café

Husband and wife team behind Ronin and The Plain bring us Punch – a smart black and white styled café on North Canal road with that casual minimalist feel, pretty tiling and most importantly – smiling staff! If you’re after that Melbourne style café with Sourdough, Smashed Avo and Poached Eggs ($13) to go with your immaculate flat white, this might just be up your alley.

They also do some good lunch options such as Seabass with Salad of Herbs and Mango Salsa ($24) and the extremely healthy (ahem) mini Donuts filled with custard, jam or Nutella ($1.50/each) as well as Brownie Cookie Sandwiches ($5), which taste more cookie than gooey fudgy brownie, filled with salted caramel or espresso buttercream. For dinner, tasty Rump Steak with Bernaise and Watercress ($28), pretty awesome Hand cut Chips ($12), Tsukune Chicken Burger ($22) and Black Mussels ($18). Punch only opens for ‘proper’ food (as much as we’d like to have donuts for breakfast!) at 11am, so if you’re an early bird, pop to Ronin nearby instead. We’re keen to check back in on their weekend brunch (from 8am) for the caramelised bananas and oats ($10), oh, and some more of those donuts.

Punch, 32 North Canal Road, Singapore 059288, www.punch.sg

Seed and Soil – Smoothie Bowls and Juice

It’s never been so easy or delicious to get that extra vitamin boost into your diet with so many healthy spots opening in town. Seed and Soil, a tiny hole in the wall juice stop in Tanjong Pagar Plaza, offers juice cleanse packages (from 8 juices of a 1-day cleanse for $88 to a whopping 56 juices for a 7-day cleanse at $518). You can also pop in for your daily dose with juices like Green Field ($8) a beautiful green concoction of kale, cos lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber and coriander, it promises to be anti-inflammatory, cleansing, hydrating and alkalising. Or there’s Down To Earth ($8) a seriously addictive antioxidant ‘dessert replacement’ of filtered water, cashews, cacao, Medjool dates, chai spice and pink Himalayan salt. If you’d rather eat your vitamins then slosh them down in a drink – they also do “smoothie bowls” ($8), much like acai bowls (just without the acai), in four different flavours, topped with a plethora of goodies from sliced fruit to omega-3 rich home made raw granola, seeds, Goji, cashew and cacao nibs. If you’re strapped to your office chair, these guys deliver too, for a charge.

Seed and Soil, 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-22, Singapore 082001, Tel: (+65) 9644 0752, www.seedandsoil.sg

MoCA Café – Art Gallery Loewen

Hidden at the back of MoCA Gallery is MoCA Café. A bright and light filled restaurant surrounded by glass walls, set amongst the green gardens of Loewen. The menu is extensive, and worryingly so: it spans everything from Burgers, Sandwiches, Pasta, Fish & Chips, Asian dishes of Wagyu Indonesian Soup ($22) and Asian Fried Rice ($20) to fine dining-esque European mains of Braised Beef Cheek ($30) and Roasted Wagyu Ribeye ($38), not to mention Tapas and Brunch on the weekends.

While the Chicken Milanese Sandwich ($12) is a doorstopper of a dish, heavy on the ciabatta bread, it was the off-menu offer of Burrata, San Marzano Tomatoes and Parma Ham ($22/32/50) which will get you pondering about returning to try out their weekend brunch. The outdoor space is perfect for letting kiddos run amok on the lawn in full view while you try out their decently priced brunch menu of Buttermilk Pancakes ($12), Full English Breakfast ($16) and French Toast with Apricot Jam and Mascarpone ($12).

MoCA Café at Loewen, 27A Loewen Road, Singapore 248839, Tel: (+65) 6509 4730, www.facebook.com/mocacafeatloewen

Editor’s Pick: Sakurazaka – Shabu Shabu at Greenwood

Sakurazaka is the latest venture helmed by Chef Masashi (who has worked with many a Michelin-starred chef). This spot in Greenwood Avenue is all about modern Shabu Shabu, combining the fun of Asian Shabu Shabu with some European touches. Entering Sakurazaka, you’ll be immediately struck by its warm and homey atmosphere, thanks to the dim lighting and low wooden slated ceilings adorned with Sakura blossoms. Shabu Shabu stockpots take centre stage on each wooden table. This is a great place to experience the fun of Shabu Shabu, (where raw thinly sliced meat, seafood and vegetables are presented for you to cook DIY style in the different flavoured broths).

To keep things modern, Chef Masashi has introduced some Western broths (seafood Bouillabaisse, Beef Consommé) as well as more traditional stocks of Ago Dashi (made from dried flying fish – a delicious clear yet stock that pairs well with all sets). Choose from sharing sets of Kyushu Japanese Pork ($47.5pp), Aomori Japanese Rice Fed Beef ($64 pp) or Seafood Bouillabaisse ($54pp), which comes with Tiger Prawns White Clams, Scallop, Red Snapper, Squid and – one of our favourites – a home made Prawn Ball which is a delicate mix of sweet prawns, herbal shiso leaf, crunchy chestnut. All sets start with a portion of Sukiyaki, your meat of choice cooked by yourself on a hot stone then dipped in poached egg and sauce. Then there’s the Shabu Shabu extravaganza of your meat/seafood and veg, eaten alongside noodles or rice. Desserts are a Western-Asian fusion too: a variety of shaved ice is on offer. Try some of the more unusual flavours like Tiramisu, Port Wine or Matcha Green Tea.

Sakurazaka, 24 Greenwood Avenue, Singapore 289221, Tel: (+65) 6463 0333, www.sakurazaka.com.sg

Il Lido at the Cliff – [Relocation] Italian by the Sea

Il Lido (by Restaurateur Chef Beppe De Vito) has moved from Sentosa Golf Club to another seaside spot, at the Sofitel Sentosa. The resort restaurant, which was once completely alfresco, has been completely renovated for Il Lido and now offers cool indoor dining (complete with some snazzy private rooms which will go down well with the corporate dinner bookings). The entrance of Il Lido buzzes with a bar looking out towards the stunning 33-metre pool, as well as their alfresco ‘romantic’ spots overlooking the South China Sea. The Italian menu comprises good ol’ Italian staples like Burrata with Rucola ($26) to our favourite dish: a modern-looking starter of Hokkaido Scallops with Nduja ($29) – fat juicy sweet scallops with Nduja sauce made from a spicy Italian sausage. Order antipasti or pasta to start, as mains, though tasty, are modest in size. Pastas are homemade as expected in tip-top Italian restaurants: Squid Ink Tonnarelli with Cod and artichokes ($29) and Pappardelle with Smoked Pork Jowl ($30). Mains include Wagyu Beef Cheek with Spinach and Black Cod with Caramelized Celeriac and Lemon Capers ($38). As Sofitel Sentosa offers its own brunch, Il Lido currently don’t open for weekend brunch, so this one is for balmy evening dinners.

Il Lido at the Cliff, Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort and Spa, 2 Bukit Manis Road Sentosa, Singapore 099891, Tel: (+65) 6708 8310, www.sofitelsingaporesentosa.com

Saint Pierre – relocation, move to formal fine dining

This month, French top end restaurant Saint Pierre moved to One Fullerton Road from their previous location at the more casual Quayside Isle. (There’s talk of a new concept ‘Jean Doré’ also by chef Stroobant to take over the old venue.) With the move, Chef Emmanuel Stroobant has elevated the cuisine to formal fine dining. The lunch set starts at $85 for four courses: think Vichyssoise Soup, then Lobster Ravioli, followed by Organic Chicken Fricasse and finishing with a choice of three Cheeses. For dinner, there are six-course menus ($148/$158) and 10-course menus ($178/188) on offer. Kiddie gourmands are catered for too with the introduction of their 4 courses for kids (no chicken nuggets and chips here! Chef Stroobant is a stickler for healthy kids’ food). One for the sophisticated mini-gourmand in the family!

Saint Pierre, One Fullerton Road, 02-02B One Fullerton Singapore 049213, Tel: (+65) 6438 0887, www.saintpierre.com.sg

Creamier – Gilman Ice cream parlour

Creamier brings its ice cream offering from the heartlands of Toa Payoh to art enclave Gilman Barracks with its recent opening of Creamier café. Head here for a post gallery pick-me-up of ice cream and waffles ($3.30 for single scoop/$5.60 for double scoops), Waffle ($6 for plain/$8.80 with 1 scoop/ $11.60 with 2 scoops). Interesting flavours include Pomegranate Yoghurt, Sea Salt Gula Melaka, Thai Milk Tea and Macadamia Tropicana.

Creamier, 5A Lock Road, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108927 (next to Sundaram Tagore Gallery), Tel: (+65) 6262 1087, www.creamier.com.sg

Aryaa – Greek and Indian

Aryaa, by the same people behind Beirut Grill, is a restaurant that spans Greek to Indian food, an unlikely combination that is understood when linked by Alexander The Great and his culinary route. We have not yet been to try this spot out but the menu offers everything you’d expect to find in a Greek establishment: Tzatziki, Greek salad with Feta cheese, pita breads and Moussaka. But you can also order Moroccan Tagine and North Indian dishes like chicken and lamb kebabs. Or go for the Alexandra The Great platter for two ($48), comprising fish, and chicken tikka, beef kebab, chicken souvlaki, tzatziki and tirokafteri dip with pita bread. The space transforms from restaurant to club lounge after hours.

Aryaa, 7500E Beach Road, #01-201 The Plaza (Diners Building), Singapore 199595, Tel: (+65) 6291 6009, www.thearyaa.com

Kitchen by Food Rebel – Organic Café

This health café offers mostly organic produce to make up their breakfast and lunchtime offerings of olive bread sandwiches, salads and smoothies. Check out their ‘Meat Free Mondays’ for Thai Lemongrass Quinoa Salad ($16) or daily specials like Channa Masala with Brown Rice. Need caffeine? Hit up their Bulletproof coffee ($6.5) – that’s coffee blended with grass fed organic butter and organic coconut oil.

Kitchen by Food Rebel, Stanley Street, Telok Ayer, Singapore 068737, Tel: (+65) 6224 7088, www.foodrebelsg.com