Food

Botanico which is located at the upper storey of The Garage – a colonial building in the middle of the Singapore Botanic Gardens – is as much a feast for the eyes as it is a feast for the taste buds. With the alfresco area draped in vines and electric lights and with a view of the shrubbery of the Botanic Gardens, the ambiance is quite unlike any other restaurant in Singapore.

I was there in the evening but imagine the whole scene would work just as well, if not even better during the day. This is a place where I could imagine people would spend lazy afternoons watching the world go by. Other than the beautiful space, the cuisine here has been getting quite a bit of buzz as well. The new head chef, Sujatha Asokan, has come onboard to showcase her flavors – western with a distinct local sensibility. Recently, I dropped by Botanico to check out the new menu.

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Labyrinth is not the restaurant you go to if all you’re after is to have reliable and tasty Singaporean food. You’d be better off in a hawker center if that was your sole intention.  The type of local cuisine presented in this venue helmed by Chef Han Li Guang is so carefully deconstructed that dining here is very much an experience that defies the traditional concept of eating. It is probably no wonder then that Labyrinth has won a number of awards, the most prominent being the Michelin Star it has had for a few years. Truly, this is a place for the thinking and discerning gourmand.

I was recently invited to check out the revamped menu at Labyrinth. Chef Han Li Guang himself attributes his cuisine as a constant work in development that mirrors where he is in his personal and professional life. Similarly, the new menu has evolved from one that showcases fancier versions of local favorites to one that shows off the bounties of local produce. For a country that is just over 700 square kilometers, it is probably hard to picture farms and fisheries where one can get local produce but Labyrinth’s new menu shows exactly that – through postcards that tell stories and inspirations behind each dish. The new “Homage to My Singapore” menu comes in three versions – lunch, pre-theater (the restaurant is located in Esplanade after all) and dinner. My visit to Labyrinth coincided with dinner which is offered at S$178++ per person.

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Edge at Pan Pacific Singapore has revamped its dinner buffet with new sections including one featuring Double-boiled Soups and a theatrical display of Teh Tarik and Cendol. The soups will be on rotation daily with a line-up that comprise of Ginseng Chicken Soup, Black Chicken Herbal Soup, Watercress Red Date Pork Ribs Soup, Traditional ABC Pork Ribs Soup, Lotus Root with Cuttlefish Pork Bone Soup, Double Boiled Mushroom, Corn, Baby Chinese Cabbage Soup, Apple-Pear Pork Soup with Bitter and Sweet Almonds and Double Boiled Old Cucumber Lean Pork Soup.

Among the existing sections, there are new dishes as well. These include the Truffle Scented Green Soba, Udon with Goma Dressing and Unagi with Confit Potato for starters. Other new items include DIY Seafood in a Cup, Pacific Ocean Wooden Plank of the Day and a live station serving up Singapore-style Hokkien Mee. Continue to indulge in heartier choices such as Crackling Pork Belly, Herb Confit Salmon Fillet and Murgh Malai. The feasting is complete with a magnificent display of desserts including Vanilla Crème Brulee, Durian Pengat Verrine and Araguani Bergamot Gateau.

In terms of theme, it remains mostly the same with Surf and Turf every Tuesdays and the seafood-themed Hooked@Edge every Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Prices: S$78 per adult / S$39 per child on Mondays and Tuesdays; S$88 per adult / S$44 per child from Wednesdays to Sundays

For reservations: +65 6826 8240
Email: celebrate.sin@panpacific.com

Entering its 6th year of operation, SKIRT at W Singapore Sentosa Cove has reinvented itself as “the boldest grill” as it seeks to move out of the typical steakhouse stereotype. Its latest menu offers a smattering of European dishes with a distinct Asian influence. Think “laksa octopus” or carpaccio flavored with a dash of saffron yuzu. Regulars who come all the way to Sentosa Cove to sample SKIRT’s steaks will be relieved to find that the meats are still there, albeit with less variety than before. Despite all these changes, the venue has retained its intimate and quiet nature – perfect for dates or small business gatherings.

The new menu at SKIRT comes from Chef Justin Dingle Garciyya who came in as culinary director in late 2017 after having stints in various properties in Australia, New York, Miami and Qatar; including some Michelin-starred restaurants.

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