Food

Hari Raya Puasa or Eid al-Fitr this year falls on 10th April 2024. This is the best known holiday for the Islamic community because it marks the end of a month-long fasting from dawn until sunset during Ramadan. This is the time when people visit their families in what is known as balik kampung. In larger countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, people would travel hundreds of miles back to their hometown. In Singapore, it’s a lot simpler, often requiring a bus or MRT ride back to their elders’ homes. By custom, people gather during this time and ask for forgiveness from parents and grandparents.

Gatherings usually involves eating plenty of goodies or kuih raya – whether those given as gifts or those laid out for visitors to sample. Traditional cookies include Kuih Semperit (Custard Butter Cookies), Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies) and Kuih Makmur (Peanut Cookies) although a lot of creative variations have popped up over the years. 

Below you will find a list of some of the more unique hari raya goodies and cookies I have found along with traditional ones. This will be a growing list, with new items and shops listed as the season progresses.

You can also join our newly-launched telegram channel here and receive updates on F&B promotions as well as other flash deals and offers in F&B and travel.

…

Read More »

Sims Vista Market and Food Centre which is located in 49 Sims Place and a few minutes walk from Aljunied MRT Station, has always seemed pretty underrated to me. Size-wise, it is considered quite a big hawker centre with 5 “blocks” translating to at least 10 rows of food stalls. At first glance, the size of this hawker centre seems disproportional to the neighborhood it is serving. A casual visit revealing a number of stalls with limited opening hours and even some totally vacant ones seem to reinforce this observation. 

To understand why such a large hawker centre is built in a neighborhood of modest size, it is more apt to derive some perspective on the estate of Sims Drive/Sims Place. It used to be a denser neighborhood than it is today. The area around Sims Drive used to be filled with HDB blocks that have been slowly demolished over the years. Some of the HDB blocks have been replaced with condos, condos under construction or are empty lots now waiting for the next government tender. There are still some of the older HDB blocks that remain inhabited. These were constructed in 1976 – the same year Sims Vista Market and Food Centre was built. It was upgraded in 1976 and underwent its most recent renovation in 2021. I used to be quite bothered by the rather dark environment (even in the day) as well as the number of pigeons flocking to feed on scraps – but these issues were mostly taken cared of after the 2021 renovation.

Sims Vista Market and Food Centre is one of my most frequently visited hawker centers in Singapore so here are my recommendations on where to eat the next time you head down here. The stalls are arranged in no particular order.

…

Read More »

Longevity is not something that can be said for a majority of the players in the F&B industry these days. For an independent brand to thrive for 7 years is an achievement in itself. 

venue by sebastian

Originally launched in 2017, VENUE by Sebastian has been serving contemporary European cuisine in its Downtown Gallery location, outlasting most of its immediate neighbors. 

venue by sebastian in downtown gallery

Its chef-owner, Sebastian Ng, is no stranger even to my relatively limited radar of the F&B scene in Singapore. I used to visit Ember (which he helmed) regularly back in the day in Keong Saik and I also checked out VENUE by Sebastian quite a few times within its first 2 years of opening back in 2017 to 2018. Chef Sebastian’s cuisine is hearty, and suits the Asian palate well despite using mostly similar ingredients as what you’d find in other restaurants focusing on European cuisine.

Despite enjoying VENUE by Sebastian, I had not visited for a while so I was thrilled to find that they recently revamped the menu due to their anniversary. They had also recently launched a 3-course dinner menu that starts from S$58++.

…

Read More »

Moss Cross Tokyo, the highly rated omakase restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, has opened its first overseas outlet here in Singapore at Capri by Fraser China Square. The restaurant serves French-Japanese cuisine, with lunch sets starting from S$69++ and dinner from S$128++.

moss cross tokyo in singapore

I visited Moss Cross Tokyo recently and tried their 7-course Wakon Yosai omakase which is priced at S$150++.

…

Read More »

Located within the grounds of the old Zouk and just next to the Fraser Residence River Promenade is Jiak Kim House which is also named after the street it is in. 

This is a relatively quiet part of Robertson Quay, away from the cafes and restaurants predominating the northern bank of the Singapore River. 

jiak kim house

Jiak Kim serves Modern Asian cuisine in a gorgeous setting with high ceilings and interior design from award-winning firm Dinding Design Office. Think: chic living room illuminated by pendant and wall light fixtures, louvered panels and terracotta-hued finishings. It’s hard to imagine that a seemingly bespoke venue such as Jiak Kim House is opened by Brewerkz, a restaurant brand that is a common sight around Singapore. 

Jiak Kim House is helmed by Chef-Partner Seow Tzi Qin who goes by “TQ” and who also serves as Group Executive Chef at The Brewerkz Group. Prior to that, he has worked in various kitchens including Les Amis, La Taperia and 1919 Waterboat House. 

I dropped by Jiak Kim House one evening for dinner. Despite being just a few days from Chinese New Year, I found the restaurant almost full. Reviews had been good in the few weeks or so that the restaurant had been open. 

…

Read More »

In a dining scene that seems to be sticking to a standard template for success, it’s refreshing to see something truly different opening every once in a while.  Ki Su Shoujin Omakase, located in Tras Street, is one such example. Touted as the first of its kind meatless / plant-based omakase experience in Singapore, there really isn’t anything similar to it in our shores.

Opened by the same group behind Joie by Dozo, the concept behind Ki Su’s plant-based omakase stems from the techniques of shojin ryori cuisine or traditional Buddhist cooking. This means eschewing meat and fish for vegetables, mushrooms and soy. 

Ki Su offers two menus, a lunch (S$88) and dinner (S$168) omakase with 8 and 10 courses respectively. The courses are generally well distributed between starters, nigiri, entree, soup and desserts. The dinner menu offers an additional item to the starter, nigiri, dessert as well as another dish before the main. During my visit to Ki Su, I tried their lunch omakase.

…

Read More »

In a city where there are plenty of Vietnamese restaurants to choose from, Lo Quay makes its debut with a re-imagination of the Southeast Asian cuisine. Helmed by Chef Quynh Brown who previously came from contemporary izakaya Zuma, Lo Quay means “discover” and is her invitation to guests to explore her thoughtful, bold reinterpretation of Vietnamese cuisine. Here, the country’s vibrant and familiar flavors are recast with contemporary techniques.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the ground floor shophouse unit that Lo Quay occupies are the number of artworks hanging on the wall. Many of them depict memories that Chef Quynh had growing up in Saigon and practicing rooftop farming with her grandfather during a challenging time in the country. These art prints were actually made using AI, although the extremely vivid and lifelike details made me question that.

…

Read More »

What do you get when you combine the sensibilities of 2 Two Michelin-starred restaurants? Newly opened Shoukouwa Shinjidai, inside the ground level of Conrad Singapore Orchard, is a creative collaboration between Chefs Emmanuel Stroobant and Kazumine Nishida, both Two Michelin-starred chefs of Saint Pierre and Shoukouwa respectively. 

The 13-seater venue is named Shoukouwa Shinjidai, with Shinjidai 新時代 referring to a new era. It aims to describe the kaiseki-inspired cuisine with an innovative edge. Rather than a straightforward Japanese kaiseki restaurant, you’ll find western presentation methods as well. 

Shoukouwa Shinjidai is open for both lunch and dinner. They offer the 10-course Kaze (S$250) or 12-course Mio (S$380) for lunch and the 12-course Mio (S$380) and 14-course Yume (S$480) for dinner. Each course here is quirkily named after a song – some which are part of the restaurant’s playlist as well. 

…

Read More »