May 01, 2006
Food writing: Tiger Tales
Client: Tiger Tales (produced for INK publishing)Link
RESTAURANTS BARS SINGAPORE
In the Lion City, authentic Asian offerings are available for a song, and haute cuisine makes your heart sing. By Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Majestic Restaurant
New Majestic Hotel
31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road
+65 6511 4718
11.30am to 3.30pm; 6.30 to 11pm daily
Located in the swanky New Majestic Hotel, Majestic Restaurant presents an innovative twist on traditional Cantonese cuisine. With its modern decor, cosy setting and two degustation menus, there really isn't another Cantonese restaurant like this in Singapore. The a la carte menu showcases an impressive variety of live seafood dishes and unusual fare such as shark's bone soup with fish maw and Beijing cabbage. Not to be missed are the chef's signature dishes such as crispy prawn with wasabi dressing, Peking duck impeccably matched with pan-seared foie gras and grilled rack of lamb in Chinese honey, served with delicious pan-fried carrot cake. Leave room for dessert: the crispy ice cream durian is to die for! Dinner will set you back SGD60-80 a person.
Cafe Cosmo
47 Amoy Street
+65 6220 9510
3pm to midnight (Mon-Fri); 5pm to 12am (Sat)
In just one year, this eclectic cafe has built up a reputation for itself as the place to go to chill out. Run by two indie music lovers, its quirky setting is the perfect venue to meet other music aficionados and performers for a beer or a coffee (no more than SGD10 each), and sample all the best music that you won't hear on radio. The cafe's impressive CD collection ranges from techno and electronica to dub, reggae and trip-hop. You can also pick up rare imported music CDs or a vintage music T-shirt, or listen to local independent DJs and musicians. On Thursdays, the CD decks and floor are open to anyone who wants to spin music or perform an acoustic set, while Fridays are Indie Pop Nite.
Fortunate Restaurant
181 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #02-602
+65 6363 1717
8am to 11pm daily
For over 30 years, Fortunate Restaurant has served up piping hot dim sum favourites that just keep the crowds coming. It carries, astoundingly, more than 100 items in its lunchtime spread. Besides familiar items such as siew mai (meat dumplings) and har gow (crystal prawn dumplings), Fortunate's award-winning Hong Kong chef Huang Ching Biao has also dreamed up many original concoctions, like moist prawn and pork meatballs wrapped in strips of crispy wonton skin, and fresh scallop and asparagus dumplings. Also savour coffee-flavoured pork ribs and Hunan style shredded pork with chives and black beans, and prawns in a light sour plum sauce. On weekends, get a reservation or be prepared to wait. Prices start at SGD3.
Written by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Previous Restaurant Bar Guides: Feb 2006