Food

Visiting Restaurant Jag after 3 years, in its current space at the second floor of STPI, I could not help but immediately make the comparisons with its previous Duxton Road incarnation. The previous one was cozy, even tiny and as it was in a heritage shophouse, it was also rather dim. That is such a contrast from the Restaurant Jag of today. After moving to Robertson Quay in 2023, the new space – while still in a heritage shophouse, takes up the corner unit with plenty of windows for diners to gaze out and admire views of the Singapore River. 

As a Michelin-starred restaurant, the venue has all the trappings that this title suggests – beautiful interiors, a well thought-out menu by Executive Chef Laurence Tan and superb service. The latter is especially admirable and I have to say, even within the sphere of Michelin-starred restaurants, Jag is probably at another level when it comes to anticipating guests’ needs. Again, I was impressed by how the staff remembered all my dietary restrictions during the course of the meal. They’d also notice how I devoured (or didn’t) each course and would ask for my feedback whenever there was a dish that I did not seem to like as much as the others. No words from me but they had an uncanny way of telling. 

During this particular dinner at Restaurant Jag, I had their Grand Dinner Tasting Menu which had 14 “experiences” in all – consisting of full-fledge courses plus palate cleansers along the way. Restaurant Jag’s Autumn Tasting Menu is an elegant journey through seasonal produce, executed with finesse and a sense of storytelling.

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Most Singapore residents love a good omakase and the proliferation of venues serving this multi-course Japanese meal attests to that. When it comes to great omakase places, restaurants like Shinji, Ki-sho and Sushi Jiro easily come to mind. For those on a budget and looking for cheap omakase options on the other hand, names like Ryo Sushi and Teppei often pop up. 

I have tried my fair share of omakase in Singapore and after some time, I realized you don’t really need to go to those familiar names to enjoy a great meal. Without further ado, I present some of my favorite restaurants which are relatively under-the-radar. Some are new, others have been around for ages but they are all not as popular as the big names despite having great propositions in their own right. 

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Hidden within the confines of the lush Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, Forage is a new restaurant offering an immersive harvest-to-table menu that is perhaps apt for the location – surrounded almost completely by a lake and the dense Singapore jungle. Helmed by Chef de Cuisine Marcus Tan who has come from restaurants such as Lerouy and St. Pierre, the cuisine in Forage is decidedly Asian but with a western touch in terms of preparation and plating.

mandai rainforest resort

A visit to the 40-seater restaurant is quite an adventure in itself as it is located at the northern edge of the same peninsula that houses other attractions such as Singapore Zoo and Night Safari. Once one enters the resort, the hustle and bustle that is usually associated with being in Singapore disappears and instead, one is greeted by greenery everywhere as well as the sight of the Upper Seletar Reservoir. I truly cannot think of another more tranquil place to dine.

dining area of forage, mandai rainforest resort

The venue itself is situated at a high point to allow guests to fully appreciate views of the reservoir as well as the jungle beyond. Seats are situated in a way that all will allow for full or partial facing to the window. If I do have any gripes though, it’s that of the presence of circular shapes on the window panel which somehow prevents one from getting a truly unobstructed view. But I suppose those circles are there to prevent people, or perhaps birds, from accidentally bumping on the glass.

Guests can choose a 5-course Discovery Menu (S$138) or an 8-course Experience Menu (S$198), both beginning with warm house-made bread, butter and playful amuse-bouches. Courses highlight the best of land and sea—think delicately balanced flavors, fragrant oils, and garnishes of thyme, rosemary, ginger flower, lemon basil and pandan harvested just steps away. Even the often-discarded parts of vegetables find purpose here, transformed into flavorful stocks and sauces. For this particular occasion, I had the 5-course menu.

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Located amongst the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, Torno Subito brings a playful, Italian coastal vibe to Singapore’s dining scene. Part of celebrity chef Massimo Bottura’s international portfolio, this restaurant channels the spirit of a classic Italian trattoria with a modern twist. Its retro-inspired decor, open kitchen and lively atmosphere make it a conducive spot for both casual gatherings and special celebrations. Torno Subito’s menu focuses on approachable yet inventive dishes, often blending Italian tradition with local flavors in unexpected ways. In that sense, one should not come here expecting the usual Italian classics. 

I came here during a Saturday evening. I was amazed by the expansive space – something that few, if at all, Italian restaurants in Singapore possess. Both sides of the restaurants were flanked by columns that reached out to the high ceiling. Blues and reds permeated the restaurant’s interiors, with a few art works here and there adding a nice touch. For this particular occasion, I tried dishes from their revamped ala carte menu. 

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The mid-autumn or mooncake festival 2025 (中秋节) will fall on 6th October 2025, a Tuesday. In the lunar calendar, the mid-autumn festival is celebrated every 15th of the eight month.

Mooncake Festival 2025

I have been writing about mooncakes in Singapore for the last 10 years and noticed that there are more brands offering low sugar / reduced sugar this year. This guide will be regularly updated with 2025’s catalog of the best mooncakes in Singapore as well as ongoing promotions and mooncake delivery options. The most common types of mooncakes include:

• Traditional baked mooncakes which come with lotus paste or occasionally with red bean paste. These baked mooncakes may also come with one or two salted egg yolks at the center. Sub-specialties include low-sugar baked mooncakes or those that replace the traditional lotus paste with something else, such as pandan.
• Snowskin mooncakes, which need to be chilled and have a shorter shelf life, usually come in fruit flavors with sub-specialties including durian mooncakes and even alcohol infused ones. Snowskin mooncakes are not baked and the crust is made with glutinous rice, enabling a texture similar to mochi. These mooncakes are usually considered less oily than the traditional baked ones.
• Teochew mooncakes are also baked but differ in the sense that the crust is made of filo pastry. Instead of lotus paste, the filling is made with yam, green bean or red bean.

I will also aim to show what the containers look like, so that you’ll know which hotels, Chinese restaurants and bakeries have the best and most beautiful mooncake boxes for 2025.

Mooncake Fairs in 2025

While you can expect mooncake fairs to occur in places such as Takashimaya in 2025, online mooncake fairs are expected to persist and even become the preferred method of purchase for many due to lower prices stemming from vendors’ lower overheads and ability to hold flash deals. 

You can also join our newly-launched telegram channel here and receive updates on mooncake flash sales, exclusive promotions not found anywhere else as well as other F&B and travel flash deals.

Without further ado, check out these mooncakes for the 2025 season. All the brands listed below direct to their official online stores or their designated authorized e-commerce marketplaces. With the rise in mooncake scams, it is not advisable to purchase from Facebook or WhatsApp.

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After the success of Scaled, Wong Jing Kai (Kai) of Ah Hua Kelong is back with another farm-to-table concept. Enter Smolder, a new restaurant that captures the laid-back charm of a coastal backyard barbecue right in the heart of Singapore on Outram Road. The vibe here is relaxed and non-judgmental —a celebration of pristine, locally farmed seafood, caught and delivered the very same day, and cooked with just enough seasoning to let their natural flavors shine.

smolder restaurant dining area

Smolder opened on the 15th August 2025. The kind team had invited me over the day before to preview the new concept. These were the dishes I had:

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5 on 25, the Chinese restaurant at Andaz Singapore, recently launched a weekend yum cha menu. While dimsum is not a new concept to this restaurant, with 5 on 25 being a Cantonese restaurant after all, this latest offering represents a rationalization of their weekend menu. 

Priced at S$68++, it is quite competitive when benchmarked against other hotels’ weekend dimsum brunches, where it almost touches S$100++ elsewhere. 

The yum cha menu allowed for 1 soup, 5 kinds of dimsum, 2 dishes from the chef’s recommendations, 1 carbohydrate dish and dessert. While by no means a buffet, I thought the selection was more than enough to be a filling meal. It also didn’t hurt that one is graced by a bird’s eye view of Kampong Glam while enjoying the meal. 

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Acclaimed sea urchin specialist Morita UNIGORO, which hails from Osaka, has opened in Singapore. Apparently, the original outlet in Japan is notoriously difficult to get a reservation so it was quite a relief to see just 2 groups of diners on the weekday evening I came for dinner. 

Occupying a space in a shophouse along Stanley Street and just a few doors down from Restaurant Gaig and Sushi Hare, the intimate 14-seater outlet features counter-style seating – just apt for the mode of service here. Each dish is prepared right before the diner’s eyes with great attention to detail. 

Morita UNIGORO offers 3 types of menu ranging from S$98 / S$168 / S$250. For this particular occasion I tried their S$168 menu.

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