Just Opened April 2015: 10 New Restaurants and Bars to Check Out
PUBLISHED April 5th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED June 16th, 2020 07:38 pm
We’re glad that this edition of Just Opened covers almost the entire spectrum and genres of dining establishments in Singapore. From fine dining to mall dining, salads to Korean fried chicken, and even overseas restauranteurs entering the Singapore market, here are your 10 new restaurants in Singapore to conquer this month.
Waterfall Ristorante Italiano
The poolside restaurant at Shangri-La Singapore is not new, but they’ve undergone a total transformation. New Chef de Cuisine Marco De Vincentis (of Naples) has brought his Southern Italian heritage to the property and the menu. Start with the delightful Parmigiana di Melanzane, a scrumptious veggie casserole of eggplant, tomatoes, and parmigiano. There’s no lack of seafood in South Italian food, and you can get yours in the Linguine allo Scoglio, a hearty pasta dish piled with prawns, scallops, mussels, clams and cherry tomatoes. Chef Marco’s version of the Tiramisu was so close to being perfect – we just couldn’t detect a single hint of alcohol.
Waterfall Ristorante Italiano is located at Shangri La Singapore, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350. Open 12-3pm, 6-10.30pm daily for lunch and dinner.
Chir Chir
Warning: if you’re counting calories, this fried chicken factory (pronounced chi-re chi-re) is not the place for you. We relished the Honey Grape Salad ($18.90), a moreish mix of green grapes, pine nuts, walnuts, and raisins dressed with ricotta and whipped cream, and served with honey-garlic tortillas. Fried chicken-wise, I personally preferred the Crispy ($26.90) and the Spicy ($28.90) over the Garlicky ($28.90), which wasn’t savoury enough. The Nest Snow ($32.90) was a divisive dish – either you liked cajun chicken tenders in cream sauce with sweet potato puree (this was awesome on its own) or you don’t. Try the Chir Beer ($13.90), basically Carlsberg with their house-whipped cream, which was supposedly inspired by a Korean drama. Last thing: portions are huge so bring at least three friends!
Chir Chir is located at #B3-04, 313@Somerset, 313 Orchard Road, 238895 Singapore 238895. Open Sun-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm.
Skinny Salads
The folks at Skinny Pizza have stuck their fingers into one of the most unlikely food groups ever. Created by celebrity Chef Philip Davenport (of Toque 12 TV show fame), you can expect unique salads and wraps at this new salad joint at 100AM. For someone who’s not a fan of veggies, I was quite blown away by the Kale & Quinoa ($11.50). Looking for something more substantial? Try the Roasted Roots & Goat Cheese ($11.50), to which we added lamb with a $3 top up, or their range of wraps, like the flavourful Master Stock Pork Belly ($8.50), a combination of Vietnamese salad, mint, coriander, pork belly, and kimchi aioli.
Skinny Salads is located at #01-03, 100AM, 100 Tras Street, Singapore 079027. Open 8am-8pm daily.
Motorino
While the nightlife at Clarke Quay may have taken a hit with the exodus of Lifebrandz’s various outlets, this might pave the way for more quality restaurants to open up. If you find the name familiar, the owner has outposts in New York, Hong Kong, and Manila. The Roasted Chicken Wings ($14) and Motorino’s Meatballs ($15) were pretty average so we can’t say too much about the antipasti – but at least they serve up good pizza. Cooked in a special wood-fired oven, we say go for the regular Margherita ($22) with fior di latte (a cousin of buffalo mozzarella), basil, pecorino cheese, and olive oil.
Motorino is located at 3A River Valley Road, #01-01A, Singapore 179020. Open Daily: 11.30am-11pm.
FYR Cycene Ond Drinc
Pronounced as fire, kitchen, and drink, FYR is a casual restaurant that tries (perhaps a little too hard with the rustic décor and wall murals) to exude that olden-day charm. We’re told that all the dishes on the menu – modern European recipes with Asian spices thrown in for good measure – are cooked with lychee wood in the Josper charcoal oven. There were plenty of misses (might be teething problems) but we did enjoy the Whole Maine Lobster grilled with a shallot lemongrass béchamel, as well as the their signature Baked Pistachio Melt & Pandan Ice Cream.
FYR is located at 19 Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069619. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-4pm.
Neon Pigeon
This modern izakaya-social house, opened by the New York and Hong Kong’s Fatty Crab people, probably doesn’t disappoint the hipsters. The compact menu is heavy on the tapas like Roasted Bone Marrow ($18/$33) with furikake seasoning, crispy garlic, and toast, and Marinated Hamachi ($16/$29) with ume somen noodles. The starters and meatier (pun intended) dishes like Grilled Duck Breast ($18/$33) in pumpkin puree and Slow Cooked Octopus ($18/$34) with cauliflower puree all come in two sizes. As a guideline, 6-8 small plates would feed two. Also, there’s no service charge, so do tip if you’ve been well looked after!
Neon Pigeon is located at 1A Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089109. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-12am.
Long Chim
After trying Chef David Thompson’s food for the first time at Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand last year, I’ve been waiting for Long Chim to open up – and thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. Dishing out elevated renditions of Thai street food that we all know and love, we’re glad that the prices are kept affordable and the service excellent. Our Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Sriracha ($19), for instance, was full of wok hei and lip-smackingly good. We also enjoyed the umami Grilled Squid Gorlae ($10) and the fiery Chiang Mai Larb ($10). If you love your cocktails, try theirs, ’cause Proof & Company (aka the folks that own 28 Hong Kong Street) are in charge of the drinks department.
Long Chim is located at #02-02, Casino Atrium 2, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956. Restaurant open 5pm-11pm daily, bar open Sun-Wed 5pm-12am, Thu-Sat 5pm-2am.
The Rabbit Stash
Having moved from Alexandra Road to its current spot at Wangz Hotel in Tiong Bahru, The Rabbit Stash still sees Chef Matthew serving up his brand of beautifully crafted contemporary cuisine, which combines classic French techniques with a touch of Asian (especially Singaporean) flavours. The degustation menu ($36-$54 for lunch and $90-$148 for dinner) changes quarterly so you’ll hardly ever try the same dish twice. Also check out their stash of vino sourced from little-known boutique vineyards all over the world.
The Rabbit Stash is located at Level R, Wangz Hotel, 231 Outram Road, Singapore 169040. Restaurant open for lunch Tue-Fri 12pm-2pm, open for dinner Mon-sat 6.30pm-10.30pm. Bar open Mon-Sat 3pm-12am.
9Goubuli
The original Goubuli has been famous since 1858 in China for its delicate handmade steamed buns with a soupy filling, made using half leavened dough. The newest kid on the Marina Bay Sands merry-go-round, 9Goubuli, is a joint venture between Goubuli China and Singapore. On top of their signature handcrafted buns, the menu has the basics of Chinese cuisine covered – expect to find dumplings, soup, hand-pulled noodles, and even Cantonese roast on the menu.
9Goubuli is located at #B2-02, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018972. Open 11am-11pm daily.
Lollapalooza
No prizes for guessing that this new restaurant on Keong Saik is set up by the folks at Ann Siang dining hotspot, Lolla. With a focus on family-style sharing as well as the quality and provenance of the produce used, the kitchen team constructs daily menus of about 25 dishes that mostly see some time in the wood-fired oven fuelled by applewood all day long.
Lollapalooza is located at 1A Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089109. Open Mon-Sat 11.45am-2pm, 6pm-11pm. Closed Sundays.
Top Image: Neon Pigeon
