Travel, Itineraries & Guides, Hotel Reviews
Tuxedo Cafe at Carlton Hotel Singapore has revamped its pastries menu and now features up to 20 new creations for the public to enjoy. Launched in April 2021, these pastries are a mix of some bestsellers as well as new recipes formulated by the inhouse pastry chefs.
The new menu selection was deliberately crafted to showcase a diversity of flavors. Here are some of the highlights to look forward to:
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Blink and you’ll miss it. There was no sign that indicated the presence of a rooftop bar in an unassuming shophouse hotel near where Tras Street bends. After taking the lift to the 3rd level and climbing a flight of stairs, there I was surveying Tanjong Pagar’s shophouses from a height.
view of tanjong pagar from levant bar
Levant was established in February 2021 by IlLido Group – the same chain behind names such as Braci, Carne Singapore and Gemma Steakhouse. Given the bulk of rooftop bars in Singapore’s CBD are concentrated around the Marina Bay area, Levant offers a breath of fresh air with its alternative view. While this rooftop bar is not at a particularly high level, the relatively low-rise shophouses surrounding it means that the views are particularly decent with some iconic buildings like Pinnacle at Duxton, Oasia Downtown Hotel, etc fully visible from the bar.
levant rooftop bar
The venue is quite spacious. It is centered around a bar with seats where the mixologists prepare cocktails. Around it are more intimate tables which I observed to be quite spread out. The best views at Levant are from the tables overlooking Pinnacle at Duxton. However since it was raining during the day I went, I was seated instead in a table facing Tanjong Pagar Road.
As the name of the bar suggests, the menu reflects some inspiration from The Levant – a region that in the strict sense, includes places such as Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan. The scope is further expanded here as I was to realize later and there was plenty of Mediterranean Europe to be found here as well.
sea of citrus
The menu reads like names you would expect to find in a Greek and Middle Eastern odyssey – Beirut, Crete and Byblos are sprinkled throughout the menu. I tried the Sea of Citrus (S$22), a refreshing drink to start with containing Tequila Blanco, Imperial Mandarin, Blood Orange Sherbet, Grapefruit and Amalfi Lemon.
sangaree rose
For something on the sweeter side with a hint of spice, the Sangaree Rose (S$18) is a beguiling option as there is Szechuan Pepper thrown in alongside hints of Cinnamon with Cocchi Americano Rosa as base.
As might be surmised with a name like Levant, mezzes feature heavily in the bar bites menu. Dips with pita bread were highly recommended. I went with the Pepper Muhammara (S$16) which was delightful. I loved the garlicky, creamy paste but I thought the amount of pita bread that came with it was not enough to finish the dip.
One of the most ubiquitous bar bites out there is the Fried Calamari (S$18) which in Levant was lightly tinged with saffron oil. The server was careful to point out to me that their calamari is not the supermarket variety and that was certainly evident given the rougher cuts and smaller diameter of the squid rings that appeared on my platter. This is also the same style of calamari that I remember having in Mediterranean Europe.
I also enjoyed the Smoke Duck and Truffle Samosas (S$18). While the stuffing inside was rather fragrant, I thought the highlight was the sweet and tangy mango sauce that came with it.
I was intrigued by the Whitebait Fish Fries (S$18) and ordered it out of curiosity. However, I found it a tad too salty for my liking.
I visited on a Wednesday evening and found the crowd to be rather manageable. I like the vibe and the drinks were rather intriguing. However, even if it’s for run-of-the-mill libations such as wine and spirits, the venue still offers an ambiance that one could easily enjoy. It is chill enough for a nice after-work drink session or for a meet-up with friends. Price-wise, expect to pay a similar range to other shophouse (not in rooftop) bars in the Tanjong Pagar area.
Levant
32 Tras Street
Level 4
Singapore 078972
You can check out the full menu at Levant Bar here
Kinki is an urban Japanese restaurant and bar located at the 2nd floor of Customs House in Singapore’s Marina Bay, just a few steps from Fullerton Bay Hotel. Just from the name alone, it is not difficult to surmise the venue’s departure from conventional Japanese cuisine. Yes, you do get your sushi rolls, tempura and unagi but it all comes with a twist. This premise seems to be a hit with the local market, as Kinki has been standing in its present location for over 11 years now, outlasting many of the other tenants at Customs House that have come and gone.
kinki rooftop bar
The restaurant’s proximity to Raffles Place and the office crowd means that aside from serving good food, a proper drinks environment is also a must and Kinki fulfills that through its 3rd floor rooftop bar with breathtaking views of Marina Bay. If you are coming to Kinki for drinks, you’ll find that the food pairs well with alcohol – fortunately doing so by providing so much more than the usual nuts, fries or chicken wings that you’d find in other bars.
Kinki has relaunched in Feb 2021 with a slight change in the aesthetic. Gone is the sumo wrestler that used to grace the restaurant’s logo. This has now been replaced with a geisha which shows itself through the artworks in the walls and even in the names of the some of the drinks. Along with this, the restaurant has introduced some new items in the menu and I had the opportunity to try these for dinner alongside some of their popular evergreen dishes.
These are the top dishes to try at Kinki Restaurant and Bar:
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A members-only club probably isn’t the first place you would expect to find a Singapore heritage restaurant. It works somehow for the case of Straits Clan given its local inclination – a modern version of the clan associations one finds next door. Restaurant Kin, located in the ground level of the club and accessible to the general public, is one of the club’s newest additions – having opened in 2019.
Restaurant Kin is helmed by Chef Damian D’Silva who has made a name for himself with his take on Singapore ethnic cuisine – a mishmash of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan and Eurasian flavors. I have previously encountered his culinary stylings at Folklore where many of the dishes were inspired by his family and the Singaporean food he remembered having as a young boy. In Restaurant Kin, these stories and window to the past continue but at a heightened level with sleeker interiors and dimmer lighting.
I have been to Restaurant Kin a couple of times myself and love the food there – even more than Folklore. I always have a sweet spot for their Chee Pow Kai, Buah Keluak Fried Rice and Kueh Koh Swee. For this particular visit to Restaurant Kin, I was set to try some of their new dishes.
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Following the revamp of the former Marina Mandarin to PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, the inhouse Chinese restaurant – Peach Blossoms – has undergone its own facelift as well with a change not just in its interiors but also a deliberate focus in aesthetically pleasing dishes in the Cantonese dining repertoire.
While some of the previous signature dishes such as the Roast Tomahawk and Braised Fish Paste Noodles have been retained, the revamped menu also includes some unique new dishes which I was able to try during my staycation at the property. With this revamp, it can perhaps be said that Peach Blossoms is ready for the social media age. Many of the dishes are as pleasing to the eyes as they are to the tastebud. Here are the dishes to order when you visit the reopened Peach Blossoms.
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Rockon Tokyo at Tanjong Pagar is an intimate 22-seater Japanese restaurant that serves traditional Kyoto homecooked-style meals with an emphasis on fresh seasonal ingredients without using MSG or preservatives. The type of cuisine is called obanzai in which at least half of the ingredients are supposed to be sourced from the Kyoto area. The cuisine is also usually identified by the heavy usage of vegetables and seafood.
rockon tokyo
Entering the venue for the first time, the homecooked style becomes palpable. It’s a quaint eatery and bar – and reminded me immediately of those charming family-run restaurants that I encountered during my trips to Japan – the types that have their menus purely in Japanese and cater mostly to locals. In Rockon Tokyo, all staff members are Japanese – adding more to that overseas vibe.
Although Tokyo is part of the name, the cuisine here is decidedly more in keeping with the Kansai region. The name “Rockon” on the other hand, is derived from the Japanese word for 6 – roku.
Rockon Tokyo has a number of dishes in its ala carte menu but for this particular visit, I tried their omakase menu which starts at S$88 and could go higher, depending on addons that one chooses.
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The upcoming Chinese New Year in 2021 which will be the Year of the Ox will fall on the 12th of February 2021. Despite the current situation, there will undoubtedly be an abundant selection from some of the top Chinese restaurants and hotels for yu sheng (lo hei), pen cai and other traditional delicacies for your reunion dinner. This year will be slightly different in the sense that more establishments will be offering takeaway or islandwide delivery services for Chinese New Year reunion dinners. If you choose to dine-in, do note that under current regulations, the maximum number of people in a table is 8. You will also be required to don your mask while tossing yu sheng.
Without further ado, I’ve tried my best to list them down here for your convenience. This list will be expanded over the next few days as new establishments come onboard with their Chinese New Year 2021 reunion dinner and takeaway offerings so do bookmark it for future reference.
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Search for the keywords “Catalan restaurant Singapore” over the internet and you’d most likely be directed to Restaurant Gaig – a casual eatery in Singapore’s CBD. To the uninitiated, Restaurant Gaig is not a local invention but is actually the local outpost of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Barcelona. The Singapore outlet is owned by the same family that owns the original one. Up until the current situation, the owner – Carles Gaig – would fly to Singapore almost quarterly to even bring some fresh produce to our shores. Perhaps, that partly explains why the eatery in quiet Stanley Street remains to be the most authentic Catalan restaurant in the country.
restaurant gaig
Restaurant Gaig has been in Singapore for more than three years now and despite the generally above-average reviews it has received since opening, the establishment has mostly been under the radar – perhaps reflecting the similar subdued qualities of the street it is located in. Stanley Street pales in comparison with neighboring Telok Ayer and Amoy in terms of buzz and foot traffic but recent dining outlets that have moved in such as Laut and Miznon is gradually changing that sleepy reputation.
Catalan cuisine is best described as surf and turf. In Spain, this is known as mar y montagna or mar i muntanya in Catalan. As the region occupies the eastern coast of the Iberian peninsula, one gets plenty of seafood (think: paella topped with plenty of squid and prawns) while the Pyrenees mountains to the north provide ideal grazing areas for livestock. Sometimes, one can find both meat and seafood – even in the same dish! In Restaurant Gaig, some recipes date back from the 19th century, with modifications done here and there to suit the local palate. As such, dishes are lighter and less salty as what one would find in Barcelona.
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