Just Opened #4: Singapore’s newest restaurants and bars

In this installment of Just Opened we take you from the Mediterranean, to Argentina, a touch of British…back to Singapore via Japan and then we round it off with some serious cocktails. So your belly can do some serious jet-setting, but you never have to leave the dinner table!

Bochinche

Seems like it’s all going off on Martin Road- with Kha, Baker & Cook, Bomba and recent addition Common Man Coffee Roasters covering all your essential taste needs! Now, Bochinche (a collaboration between Argentinian chef Diego Jacquet and the Spa Esprit Group) has joined the party offering an exciting foray into Argentinian cooking, served up on small plates which serve as the perfect introduction to new ingredients and flavours. Chef Diego Jacquet’s love of bold flavours, quality ingredients and great experience- he has two Argentinian restaurants in London—Casa Malevo and Zolio-  has us truly excited about this concept, and throw in the fact that that word Bochinche, means ‘boisterous’ in Spanish…we have high hopes that the ambience, flavours and experience, will be just that!

Bochinche is located at 22 Martin Road #02-01, Singapore, 239058. Opening hours are Tue – Thu: 17:30 – 00:00, Fri – Sat: 17:30 – 02:00, Sun: 17:30 – 00:00. You can check out their FB here and their website here.

The Tuck shop

Those of you that live in the area will already know about this newly-opened gem as we discovered whilst driving past the other night…packed to the rafters! But for the rest of us non-Geylang-dwellers, this may not have popped up on your radar yet. Offering an impressive range of artisanal and craft beers, ciders, wines and spirits, plus some really good locally-inspired munchies, The Tuck Shop is basically a light, airy and very cool version of a British Pub – the hub of many a community. Already a firm favourite with locals, you may have to head down a little early to stake out your spot, seating is on a first come, first served basis. But as with the local pub, the best thing to do is head there in the afternoon, plot up and watch the world go by!

The Tuck shop is located at 403 Guillemard Road, Singapore, 399795. Opening hours are Mon – Sun: 17:00 – 01:00. Call 8511 8102 to make a reservation, and you can check out their FB page here.

Moosehead

There’s a moose, a moose….about ma hoose! First of all, lets just acknowledge..best name ever. This cosy little Mediterranean restaurant run by a father and son partnership located on the fringes of the Central Business District, serves small plates such as Baked beetroot, spinach, pecan & feta salad…yum, Slow braised free range chicken, peppers & tomato…yum, and some serious looking deli-style sandwiches…thrice yum. Not overly precious or pretentious, their food is ‘fast, fun and fresh’. Sounds good to us.

Moosehead is located at 110 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068579. Opening hours are Mon-Fri: 11:30am-2:30pm, 6-10:30pm, Sat: 6-10:30pm. Closed Sunday.

NUVO

What do you get when you put Italian and Japanese flavours together? Nuvo! hmmm, this is either going to be a total disaster or something quite special! But the initial signs do look good. The kitchen is helmed by an executive chef, previously from Michelin-starred restaurants including: Da Vittorio (Italy), Mugaritz (Spain), and La Briggarade (Paris), and word on the grapevine is that Singapore’s star mixologist, Ethan Leslie Leong (of Maison Ikkoku) is on board creating five exclusive cocktails specially for the launch. This looks set to be a slick, rather sexy dining destination set against the ever-impressive backdrop of Marina Bay, we look forward to having our tastebuds tickled by this interesting fusion.

NUVO is located at #02-100 Marine Square Mall, 6 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039594. Opening hours are Mon – Thu: 11:00 – 23:00
Fri – Sat: 11:00 – 01:00. Sun: 11:00 – 23:00, for more information, check out their FB page here.

Ah Sam’s Cold Drinks Stall

It seems that Singapore has a serious thirst for bespoke cocktails of substance (none of that fruity nonsense for us please!) and so Ah Sam Drinks Stall, brought to you by one of the Jigger and Pony veterans is a welcome addition to the bar scene, especially in the increasingly cool Boat Quay (no-longer solely filled with Harry’s dwellers! Hurrah!) Unpretentious, cosy and cool, Ah Sam is on our list of places to try, so expect a feature soon, but in the meantime, if you fancy an Old Fashioned, Sam’s your man!

Ah Sam’s Cold Drink Stall is located at 60A Boat Quay Singapore,  049848. Opening hours are Mon – Sat: 18:00 – 00:00. You can check out their FB page here.

You asked us to tell you about brand new places and we listened – that’s just how we roll! If you know of a new spot in town that we’ve not mentioned yet or you’re opening a new place yourself… please do let us know. Email zoe@citynomads.com… we value your recommendations, and we never get over the fun of discovering something new and exciting. Thanks Nomads.


Written by Heh Zee