Where to Eat & Drink in 2017 (or What You Missed in 2016)

PUBLISHED January 4th, 2017 05:05 am | UPDATED May 14th, 2018 11:56 am

2016 was, for a lack of a better word, epic. And whether you’re hopeful or fearful of the upcoming year, there are still many benefits to reap from the coming and goings of the food scene in Singapore. Enjoy!

Star Struck Singapore

…yes, we’re talking about Michelin stars. We’re sure you’ve felt the Michelin effect after the century old guide booked bestowed the much sought after stars on 29 establishments in Singapore in July 2016.

The last couple of months saw the opening of the world’s only Michelin-starred ramen shop Tsuta, as well as Macau’s one starred Kam’s Roast Goose (although there’s no goose on the menu yet), at Pacific Plaza. Plus, Italian Michelin-starred chef Davide Oldani (of low-key trattoria D’O Restaurant, located outside Milan) has just opened FOO’D at Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall two weeks ago.

One thing’s certain, with the international expansion of the Michelin Guide, there’re probably more overseas establishments heading our ways to keep us starry eyed.

Glory to Local Food

Not only has the Michelin Guide put local food on the pedestal by handing out Michelin Stars and Bib Gourmand awards, much has been said about Coconut Club, which hosted our Prime Minister Lee and Philippine President Duterte with their back-to-basics $12.80 nasi lemak. The star of Global Mat Soul Kitchen has also been rising throughout 2016. Formerly a bartender at Bar Stories and currently cooking at Coriander Leaf, Global Mat Soulboy Zahid elevates nasi briyani to an art, with the likes of goat, chicken, and even stingray amongst his rotating hero ingredient.

2016 also saw Chef Shen Tan return to Revolution Coffee, making her nasi lemak ($4.90-$9.90) and other Mod-Sin goodies like bak chor mee pasta and buah kelauk pasta available to us mortals once again. Speaking of pasta, the folks at Now Noodles+ have also shone the limelight on underrated local dishes like Dry Laksa and Dry Mee Siam ($9.80) with their new eatery at Square 2 in Novena.

Four Hands-Six Hands

How do you draw more people when you’ve already got one celebrity chef? Have another one (or two) in the house, of course. Chef collaboration dinners and pop ups were a regular occurrence last year, be it the recently concluded Wolf Burger x Bird Bird pop up at the latter’s old Ann Siang home, or Esquina’s ongoing collaborative dinner series in celebration of its fifth anniversary. The next collaborative dinner at Esquina is happening 18-19 January 2017, and will see Chef Carlos Montobbio join forces with Nacho Baucells of El Celler de Can Roca (Catalonia, Spain). See here for more details.

Other memorable collaborations of 2016 include a one-night only South American dinner to mark BoCHINche’s move to Amoy Street, featuring the restaurant’s chef patron Diego Jacquet, Chef Daniel Chavez (Ola Cocina Del Mar), and Chef Ivan Brehm (formerly of The Kitchen at Bacchanalia). Oh, and who can forget the delicious Moosehead x A Noodle Story supper pop up?

Sino Regionalization

Take the stroll through Chinatown, and you’ll realise that while it’s still full of tourist kitsch and not-so-great local food, the enclave has also become home to many regional Chinese eateries over the years. From Sichuan (try Old Chengdu and Si Wei Mao Cai) and Chongqing cuisine to Shandong and Hubei (try Huanghe Lou at 50 Temple Street) grub, it’s hard to deny that there’s been a bottom-up effect.

Just a couple of months old, Birds of a Feather on Amoy Street dishes out Sichuan-inspired European dishes amidst a gorgeous café setting. The proprietors, who also own the Good Wood coffeeshop chain in Chengdu, aptly saw a gap in the Singapore market and took a leap of faith. Si Wei Yan on Club Street (by the same folks at Si Wei Mao Cai) also debuted its Sichuan dishes to much success in late 2015. Perhaps, the trend is not limited to Chinese regional cuisine, with Punjab Grill thriving at Marina Bay Sands and the launch of Hokkaido Izakaya last year.

Japanese Food Still On Top

Despite the immense number of Japanese restaurants, it seems that we always have room for more. Hot on the heels of Tendon Ginza Itsuki’s opening in 2015, Tendon Kohaku opened last year June and Osaka tempura specialist Ippoh opened last month at COMO Dempsey.

The next craze, however, seems as slippery as an eel, with Chef Teppei Yamashita opening yet another affordable new concept – Man Man on Keong Saik Road – focused on Japanese Unagi. One more Japanese spot you definitely have to queue for is six-month old Tanjong Pagar sushi diner Ryo Sushi. While the omakase menus are reasonably priced at $38, $68, and $98, the first 18 diners of the day can opt for an $18 set menu!

On the higher end of things, Korean-born Chef Akira Back’s namesake restaurant serving contemporary Japanese cuisine with accents from other culinary cultures, has just opened at the new JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach.

Alcohol-Food Pairing Makes a Stand

It started with UsQuBa at One Fullerton; initially marketed as a Scottish restaurant (the name is Gaelic for ‘whisky’), they’ve widened their focus to being a modern European grill. However, what’s unchanged is that each item on the food menu is paired specifically with a particular whisky in their selection. The same goes for the recently opened ground-floor restaurant of The Belljar (previously just a whisky bar and an event space) on North Canal Road, which pairs dishes like Miso Tobiko Pasta with Yamasaki Distiller’s Reserve.

Top Image: FOO’D by David Oldani