What: Irish owner Andrew Walsh is a chef’s chef. There’s always some new flavour combination on a tasting menu that overdelivers in multiple ways. Check out the Galway oyster, sea asparagus and dill or last season rhubarb with lemon verbena and Avonmore buttermilk. Hipster design and full-throttle ambience make it an experience to remember.
Where: 21 Keong Saik Rd, 089128
What: Banging gastronomic retreat where the food on the plate does the talking. Australian chef Drew Nocente's kitchen is all about sustainability and a nose to tail philosophy points to minimum waste, but it's his ability to extract flavour from even the most humble of ingredients that has fans queuing round the corner. We adore all the on-trend elements of smoking, curing, pickling and grilling, and nothing is added unless it adds another layer of flavour. House cured charcuterie is second to none.
Where: 12 Purvis St, 188591
What: Bjorn Shen is a culinary free spirit. His Middle Eastern food is coloured by big, bold flavours and contrasting textures – think roasted cauliflower slathered in yogurt and excellent stuffed squid – all against a backdrop of 90s hip-hop and 60s soul. A rustic tropical terrace with decking, awnings and scrubbed outdoor tables is a fab space to pass time. Add in engaging service and reasonable prices. No wonder it’s a chart-topper with knowing locals.
Where: 161 Middle Rd, 188978
What: The style statements come thick and fast at this cool kitchen bar touting cocktails, craft beer and winsome wines alongside street food of a very high order. Indulge your taste buds with the signature likes of striploin steak, roast cauliflower and port jowl with crackling. Open kitchen and a great counter bar are further pluses.
Where: 11O Telok Ayer Street, 068579
What: Newish sister restaurant to Cure, marked out by warm lighting and a cool, easy-going aesthetic. Small plates delight at every turn: scallop ceviche with pickled plum and a Vietnamese dressing or crispy baby squid with sambar masala, followed by their signature Australian Angus rib eye. Savvy regulars eat at the bar.
Where: 31 Keong Saik Rd, 089138
What: This bright and breezy, home-spun place is the very soul of a French brasserie with a Singaporean twist. The shophouse style may hark back to 1840 but food is classic but bang up to date: deep-flavoured lobster bisque with a lobster dumpling followed by roast chicken with chestnut sauce and artichokes. A cracking new addition.
Where: 48A Bukit Pasoh Rd, Level 2, 089859
What: Small but beautiful, this is an ingredient-driven and technically supreme European master kitchen. One Michelin star and just seven tables means booking a table at this diminutive neighbourhood gem ain’t easy, but it’s well worth the effort for food that simply wafts with passion and precise technique. Chef Paul Longworth orchestrates and the flavours never miss a chord, while ‘grammers’ adore the plated, miniature works of art – don’t miss the foie gras with a mulled wine emulsion and almond milk froth.
Where: 3 Duxton Hill, 089589
What: Peranakan food finds a perfect home in the historical City Hall building which now houses the National Gallery, with its lovely verandah. Chicken satay and the spicy-stew-like buah keluak ayam, thick with layers of flavour, are both signatures, and vegetables, noodles and desserts are executed with panache.
Where: 881 Bukit Timah Road, 279893
What: This signature outpost of Wolfgang Puck's culinary empire is spacious but intimate place, capped by views from level 57 of Marina Bay Sands Tower 2. Imaginative, seasonal Californian cuisine means pasta oozing with flavour as well as pan-roasted chicken with wild field mushrooms and a thyme-infused jus.
Where: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, 01895
What: “Japanese reinterpretation of authentic French cuisine” that ticks all the boxes for those in search of Japanese harmony with a touch of French flair. From one of the set menus enjoy the likes of scallops with a celeriac and truffle dressing or top-notch Ozaki A5 wagyu with seasonal vegetables and a Madeira sauce. Innovative corkage fee is a boon for diners with cellars.
Where: 333A Orchard Road, #02-37 Mandarin Gallery Singapore, 238897