PUBLISHED July 4th, 2016 06:22 pm | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:47 pm
For the month of July, the ever-changing Singaporean dining scene brings back a favourite contemporary Australian restaurant, Scottish cuisine elevated by French techqniues, and a new pizza spot in Duxton. The booze geeks can will definitely enjoy a Prohibition-inspired speakseasy located in the heart of Orchard.
New Restaurants in Singapore
Beast & Butterflies
Located at Robertson Quay’s hot new hotel M Social Singapore, Beast & Butterflies is a visual drama of a restaurant with its chandeliers, lava lamps, and 40 tablets screening contemporary artworks. Food-wise, think East-meets-West plates like Lobster Porridge ($28) and Great Rack of Lamb ($36), an Oriental-spiced lamb rack served with steamed glutinous rice and Sichuan peppercorn jus.
Beast & Butterflies is located at M Social Singapore, 90 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238259, p. 6206 1888. Restaurant open 6am-10.30am, 11.30am-2.30pm, 5pm-10.30pm daily, bar open till 1am daily.
Salted & Hung
Salted & Hung is the new and improved (at least for us) incarnate of 5th Quarter, previously located at Hotel Vagabond. With a bright new space on Purvis Street and a new name to boot, Executive Chef Drew Nocente is back with a menu that revolves around cuts from all parts of the animal. We’re glad to see old crowd favourites like 5 Types of Charcuterie ($22) and new dishes like Peanut Butter Tim Tams ($16).
Salted & Hung is located at 12 Purvis Street, Singapore 188591, p. 6358 3130. Open Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm and 6pm-10.30pm, Sat 6pm-10.30pm.
UsQuBa
Derived from the Gaelic word usquebaugh (meaning whisky – don’t you love this place already?), UsQuBa serves up modern Scottish cuisine with French cooking techniques and an Asian touch. Executive Chef Guven Uyanik has honed his cooking chops at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze and Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, so expect finesse with plates like Butter Poached Lobster with peaches and beetroot. Plus, we hear that their curated whisky list is nothing short of excellent.
UsQuBa is located at #02-03B One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road, Singapore 049213, p. 8723 6378. Open Mon-Thu 11.30am-12am, Fri-Sat 11.30am-1am.
Paradise Teochew Restaurant
The second outlet of this Paradise Group concept brings a much-loved regional Chinese cuisine to Orchard Road. The 147-seat restaurants at Scotts Square features classic Teochew dishes like Roasted Suckling Pig, Chilled Yellow Roe Crab, Orh Nee (sweet yam paste), as well as a variety of dim sum for lunch. There are also four private dining rooms accommodating up to 15 – perfect for celebrating elderly familial occasions.
Paradise Teochew Restaurant is located at #03-04 Scotts Square, 6 Scotts Road, Singapore 228209, p. 6538 0644. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm and 6pm-10.30pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-3.30pm and 6pm-10.30pm.
UNDICI Pizza Bar
If there’s one thing that the Duxton neighbourhood is missing, it’s a dedicated pizzeria. Deliciae Hospitality Management’s UNDICI Pizza Bar dishes out $15 pizza squares, as well as a classic range of antipasti and pastas. Pair your grub with Italian beers and wines, or have their signature Negroni ($16). Spectator sport fans can look forward to live telecast games of NBA, Wimbledon, and more.
UNDICI Pizza Bar is located at 39 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089617, p. 6221 4235. Open Tue-Sun 5pm-12am. Closed Mon.
The Skewer Bar
A recent find, The Skewer Bar is probably the oldest spot on the list, having started operations a couple of months back. As the name goes, this kopitiam establishment (don’t worry, they have both an air-conditioned dining room and al fresco seating) in Geylang doles out grilled-to-perfection skewers, from chicken gizzard to the ever-popular enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon. Our favourite, though, has to be the housemade sambal that they apply generously to grilled stingray or sea bass!
The Skewer Bar is located at 489 Geylang Road, Singapore 389448. Open Mon-Thu 6.30pm-1.30am, Fri-Sun 6.30pm-2.30am. Closed every other Mon.
Greg’s Seafood Shack
Seafood lovers have a new place in town for a crustacean fix. The star of Grand Park City Hall’s new casual dining restaurant is the Seafood Broil ($28 for 500g, $52 for 1 kg) – a mixed bag of prawns, clams, mussels, snow crab legs, and slipper lobster cooked in your style of choice (such as the Singapore Chilli Sauce or Garlic Butter). Have your seafood with a selection of bottled craft beer.
Greg’s Seafood Shack is located at Grand Park City Hall, 10 Coleman Street, Singapore 179809, p. 6432 5566. Open Mon-Sat 12pm-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm.
New Bars in Singapore
The Other Room
A new speakseasy has opened its doors where we least expect one. Dario Knox (you might remember him from FOC), Master Bartender of The Other Room, has set up his mad scientist laboratory drinking house in Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza. Instead of adding flavour to spirits by mixing a drink, Dario blends and ages spirits in American oak barrels, so connoisseurs can look forward to savouring their favourite spirit in different finishings. For instance, the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva rum is finished in more than 10 different ways – such as an amontillado, oloroso, or sherry wine cask – and served in a tasting flight of three. If this doesn’t #saveorchardroad, not much else will.
The Other Room is located at Singapore Marriot Tang Plaza, 320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865.
Employees Only Singapore
This one probably doesn’t need much introduction; except that after all the hype and chatter, Employees Only Singapore is finally open! This sexy Art Deco-inspired outfit sports a buzzing speakseasy atmosphere, soft sepia lighting, and old-fashioned hospitality. Our favourites from the cocktail bar include the tasty, spicy mezcal-based Ready Fire Aim and the rather stiff EO’s Manhattan. Food-wise, expect Executive Chef Julia Jaksic’s meat specialties – Bone Marrow Poppers and Hand Cut Beef Tartar.
Employees Only Singapore is located at 112 Amoy Street, Singapore 069932. Opening hours are not fixed but generally open Mon-Sat 5pm-1am, Sun 6pm-1am.
3rd Culture Brewing Co.
Hawker food and craft beer meet in another hawker centre, this time at Maxwell Food Centre. With at least eight taps running currently, they’ve been offering an international range of craft beers from breweries such as Eight Degrees Brewing, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., and Rogue Ales. Prices start from $8 for a 350ml pour.
3rd Culture Brewing Co. is located at #01-33 Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184. Open Tue-Thu 5.30pm-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 5.30pm-11.30pm.
See what you might have missed out on in last month’s Just Opened and our latest review on Unlisted Collection’s Restaurant Ember.
Top Image: Beast & Butterflies