February 01, 2007
Food writing: Tiger Tales
Client: Tiger Tales (produced by INK Publishing)
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RESTAURANT BAR GUIDE SINGAPORE
The melting pot that is Singapore offers delicious eats, cheap treats and hip beats. By Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Kuriya @ Raffles City
252 North Bridge Road, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-06/07
+65 6883 2020
Noon to 10 pm
Happy hours: 5.30 to 7 pm
Each Kuriya Japanese restaurant is unique --- there are numerous in Singapore --- and the latest occupies an elegant niche in the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre, with striking contemporary decor and a see-through kitchen window --- all the better to see the soba master making fresh soba (buckwheat noodles) five times a day.
Once you've tasted the handmade version, nothing else can compare. Try the Hiyashi Kamo Soba, served with roasted duck and boiled egg, and Sansai Soba, served with wild vegetables and mushrooms.
Soba aside, there's also traditional sushi and sashimi, with seafood specially selected by the chef and air-flown from Japan twice a week. Or try their charcoal-grilled Seafood with Miso on a large houba leaf.
Make sure you save some room for dessert --- the grilled ice-cream and cream anmitsu (soba balls, red bean paste and seasonal fruits with brown syrup) are absolutely delectable. A meal costs about SGD50 per person and a dessert set is available every afternoon (2.30 to 5.30pm), pairing any Japanese dessert from the menu with a beverage for just SGD5.
Summer Pavilion
7 Raffles Avenue, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia
+65 6434 5286
11.30am to 2.30pm (lunch); 6.30 to 10.30pm (dinner)
This award-winning Cantonese restaurant is the Ritz-Carlton Singapore's signature restaurant, with Chef Fok Hai Yee at its helm. Set in a beautiful bamboo garden with floor-to-ceiling windows, it offers innovative Cantonese cuisine.
Expect designer morsels like Barbecued Duckling served with Mango and Lemon Sauce and Zucchini Flower stuffed with Chicken, Prawn Paste and Mushrooms. Our favourite: Deep-fried Prawn Dumplings with Water Chestnuts and Yellow Chives in Homemade XO Chilli Sauce. A full meal starts at about SGD75 per person.
Miss Clarity Cafe
5 Purvis Street #01-04
+65 6339 4803
11 am to 11 pm (Mon-Sat); 5 to 11 pm (public holidays)
This is the place for good and inexpensive food downtown. You can't miss the bright pink signage along this hip street. But don't be misled by the cafe’s mascot of a chirpy girl --- the menu is all serious business. Its wide range of soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas and main courses can take a while to leaf through, but the regulars always know what they want.
Hot on the list of favourites are Garlic-and-Herb-Crusted Dory, Chicken Ballotine with Shitake Mushroom Stuffing, and Grilled Slipper Lobster. Enjoy a set lunch for just SGD8.80.
Movida
St James Power Station, 3 Sentosa Gateway #01-01
+65 6270 7676
6 pm to 3 am
Happy hours: 6 to 9 pm
The latest and hottest clubbing complex on the scene is St James Power Station, with nine party venues to suit every persuasion, all housed in a historic building that was Singapore's first coal-fired power station.
We love Movida, the world music bar that features live performances nightly by La Ranura from Paraguay. Resident DJs also bring their own blends of music from Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East. If that doesn't make you get up and dance, the samba dancers and percussionists roaming the bar will!
Cover charge (inclusive of one drink) is SGD10-12 (weekdays) and SGD15-20 (weekends). It entitles you to admission to all the other eight St James outlets.
Written by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Previous Restaurant Bar Guides: Nov 2006, Aug 2006, May 2006, Feb 2006