Time For A Splurge! - Restaurants In Singapore

[akated]

singapore's hawker food has a reputation of being cheap and good (not to me though, but that's another discussion by itself), but when it's time for a splurge, where do you guys go to?

one of my favourite mid-range restaurants is ember. its location at hotel 1929, a boutique hotel in keong saik street, gives it an interesting chic-grit feel. can get a bit noisy at times, but hey, when the food's good...

my recommendations at ember:

start with the foie gras (any one is good, especially the one with the caramalised apple), or have the mushroom soup. if you want something light, then go with the seared scallops. for mains: the chiliean sea bass in bacon and mushroom ragout with yuzu butter sauce is excellent, and so is the rack of lamb. stick to the apple pie for dessert for a truly magnificent ending!

budget about 45 for lunch, 65 for dinner (sans drinks)

so, what are some of you guys' recommendations?

[Andy@Tokyo]

Omg Akated! 45dollars for lunch and 65 dollars for dinner}? u super rich.. maybe the splurge i go for is 20dollars hawker food and the rest 20++ for men(=desserts) at saunas

humm, wat abt the chinese cusine at raffles hotel... i only tried once,long long time ago, but liked it then..ROYAL CHINA AT RAFFLES

[akated]

andy: not rich lah; anyway, i consider spending 20 dollars on average hawker food more of a splurge than 60+ on good restaurant food....

hmmm... never tried the food at royal china; the lobster noodles is supposed to be good from what i hear.

[Asura]

Talking about Restaurant food, anyone ever went to Just Steak at Riverwalk (is that what the building is named? ) between Clark Quay and The new Parliament House...

Ever say a TV program on the restaurant, but wonder is it that good or not...

[Andy@Tokyo]

Btw, the nonya resturant at vivo city is super :thumb: :thumb: , i tried it when it was at rivervalley road!

Think it is at the basement of vivo city.. anyone else tried bf?

[Guest Guest]

Fabulous home-cooked style Cantonese food.. sar poh ngau lam (beef), smoked chicken, grilled lamb, and lots of others.. Good Value for Money!

Romanee's at Lau Pa Sat.. the airconditioned restaurant in LauPa Sat facing NTUC building. as the co-owner was in wine business before.. the house wines are really great. Excellent service. Owners are very friendly & staff well trained. Featured in Straits Times & other publications before.

[worldangel]

Talking about Restaurant food, anyone ever went to Just Steak at Riverwalk (is that what the building is named? ) between Clark Quay and The new Parliament House...

Talking about steak, I saw the review in Sunday Times on recommended steak house but personally never tried before, viz:

1. Aston

[Steman]

andy: not rich lah; anyway, i consider spending 20 dollars on average hawker food more of a splurge than 60+ on good restaurant food....

Hi Akated, heard you like good food, not sure you like this restaurant. This is a Japanese Rest. located at Goldhill centre. It serves good and fresh sashimis so far for the places I have tried.

Nara Jap Rest.Pte Ltd

167 Thmson Road, Goldhill Centre(beside United Sq)

Tel: 62566568

My boss treated me and my colleagues there but my the other 2 colleagues are not really fans of raw food so we had barbecue, grilled food halfway to the end....but do take note that the price is MIN. $100/person..... our bill was ard $538 for 4 of us.....luckily is treated meal....

1st time eating a fish sperm :whistle:

[nitebirdsg]

Btw, the nonya resturant at vivo city is super :thumb:   :thumb: , i tried it when it was at rivervalley road!

Think it is at the basement of vivo city.. anyone else tried bf?

Hey Andy,

Is the the restaurant that used to located at StarDus at Institution Hill Road ? Been there a couple of times and really love the food.

Was bowled over when i saw in the menu that they serve nangka masak lemak (jackfruit in coccnut milk).

Unfortunately, the restaurant has since closed and I have not been able to locate where they have moved.

I must say that this is one of the better restaurant that really serves authentic * forgive me akated , i know u will launch a discourse when we next meet on the meaning of wat is considered authentic * peranakan cuisine.

[akated]

1st time eating a fish sperm :whistle:

haha ste, do you mean cod milt (shirako)? yah i love love love that stuff!!! very amazing with ponzu

another dish i always look out for is ankimo (angler fish liver). these two dishes are best in the winter months (you can't get it in the other months, anyway). will keep a lookout for nara! always game for sashimi

nitebirdsg: hahaha you know how my lecture will go... kekeke

[fugues]

Akane in the Japanese Association is very good. It is helmed by the revered Master Nogawa. Pity the restaurant will close by June 30 to be replaced by Chikuyotei. Hurry!

[Andy@Tokyo]

Btw, the nonya resturant at vivo city is super :thumb:   :thumb: , i tried it when it was at rivervalley road!

Think it is at the basement of vivo city.. anyone else tried bf?

Hey Andy,

Is the the restaurant that used to located at StarDus at Institution Hill Road ? Been there a couple of times and really love the food.

Was bowled over when i saw in the menu that they serve nangka masak lemak (jackfruit in coccnut milk).

Unfortunately, the restaurant has since closed and I have not been able to locate where they have moved.

I must say that this is one of the better restaurant that really serves authentic * forgive me akated , i know u will launch a discourse when we next meet on the meaning of wat is considered authentic * peranakan cuisine.

Hi NiteBird,

Think we are referring to the same restaurant.. yap, could organised dinner there at the vivo city one! :thumb:

[Steman]

Akane in the Japanese Association is very good. It is helmed by the revered Master Nogawa. Pity the restaurant will close by June 30 to be replaced by Chikuyotei. Hurry!

Closed? Really!!!! Only had a meal there once......with my fren and her hubby....

[Andy@Tokyo]

Is Akane the family restaurant on the first floor_? i like that rest. too! quite shocked that i t would be replaced. it is usually crowded during wkends and their milk shake is bery nice too.

[akated]

hahaha don't think so... akane cannot qualify as family restaurant one... unless you consider a family of four paying about $600 for a meal type of place as a family place... ahhaha...

[fugues]

Akane is the more formal restaurant. Master Akane started with Nogawa in Le Meridien. His skills attracted a very distinguished crowd including MM. Many of his proteges have successfully opened their own restaurants, including Shiraishi, Aoki, Sagano etc.

Andy - you are v lucky to be in Tokyo where the food is so fresh and beautifully presented. I like to go to Maisen the tonkatsu restaurant in Meiji Jingumae so much, the Tsunahachi chain of tempura restaurants (esp the one in Shinjuku), the Toriyoshi chain of chicken restaurants (esp the one in Aoyama - the chicken wings are to die for), the Sushi Sei chain of sushi restaurants (esp the branch near the Tsukiji fishmarket and in Shibuya), the Moo Moo Paradise chain of shabu shabu, Kami kou sen for crabs near Yurakucho, Nodaiwa in Azabu for eels (the restaurant has been there for more than 160 years!) and the tofu restaurant of 310 years in Uguisudani (unfortunately the name escapes me!) plus the foodhalls in the dept stores and the ramen shops :oops:

How's HX doing these days? It's still my fave hattenba. I look for the Mos burger and go straight down the lane esp on the weekend nites! Tokyo is such fun!

[Andy@Tokyo]

Hi fugues,

Oic.. have only eaten there once or twice. humm..somewat i prefer the family rest. at the first floor.

and wow u know many other places i havent been before in Jap. Sushi sei is the standing sushi bar rite? cheap cheap and super fresh. mooo moo ...i think i tried before.. there is the coupon in a promotion booklet and if u use it, u can 'eat all u can' for 2hrs for abt 3000yen. humm.. can i cut and paste u message under food in tokyo?

HX? wat does it stands for?

[worldangel]

HX? wat does it stands for?

According to info in Utopia-Asia, HX is categorised under Sauna & Hattenba.

HX

1/F UI Bld, 5-9-6 Shinjuku-ku, 3226-4448. There is a small sign above the door. Type is younger to middle-aged butch guys. Open Mon-Thu, 3pm-10am and 24 hours Sat-Sun.

[fugues]

Ohayoo Andy San,

Sushi sei is a sit down sushi restaurant. I have not been to the standing sushi bars though I have been to the conveyor belts which I don't particularly like. For tasty and inexpensive sushi, I go to Sushi Midori in Shibuya Mark City. The queue is very very long! After clubbing, if my friend drives, we will go to the 24 hour sushi in Tsukiji fishmarket - Tsukiji Kiyomura. The fish is very very fresh because the fish market is just next door! If the timing is right, you can go to the tuna auction. But I understand that now it is not so easy to wander in the market.

HX is a hattenba, a cruising space. It is full of ike men (i.e. good looking hunks) with short hair (that is the type of patrons they welcome in HX). It is especially full at weekends and is in Shinjuku 5-chome in the small lane next to Mos Burger. It is not a giant facility like 24 Kaikan but the quality is hot hot hot!

Not sure if your papa will let you go to HX on your own. But I am sure he will let you go to the sento (the public bathhouse) with huge pools and oodles of naked men (esp on Fri nights) to keep you healthy. My friend takes me to Daikokuyu in Adachi, a residential suburb in Tokyo. Daikokuyu is famous and the negative ions in the sento will make you feel newborn after an hour or two of soaking in the various pools and the sea salt rub in the steam room. If you cannot make it to Adachi, there is even a sento in Tokyo Station!

Enjoy! By the way, when is the summer sale in Marui Men and Isetan Men this year?

[oralb]

guys do keep to the topic, discussions for the sauna and bathhouse should be divert to another topic.

it will be difficult to look for such info in a "time for a splurge - restaurants in SG" topic heading

[Panda_9791]

Alright i shall try to steer this post back to topic.

The last time i felt like i had splurged was at this place selling Crepe at Duxton Hill. Forogt the name of restaurant. It's opposite the Berjaya Hotel. Man, i spent $40 eating crepes... It's not bad. just that after eating 1 crepe, i don't think can down anymore...

[akated]

panda: creperie armen! quite good

fugues: yup sushi sei's good; ate at the tsukiji branch about 5 years ago... super fresh and cheap(ish)! alas, the last time i went to tokyo i made the mistake of going to tsukiji on a sunday at the start of the golden week; wanted to try out sushidai or daiwa sushi, but both were closed

[GachiMuchi]

According to info in Utopia-Asia, HX is categorised under Sauna & Hattenba.

HX

1/F UI Bld, 5-9-6 Shinjuku-ku, 3226-4448. There is a small sign above the door. Type is younger to middle-aged butch guys. Open Mon-Thu, 3pm-10am and 24 hours Sat-Sun.

Yes, HX is nice. Lots of eye candy. Enjoyable.

No sauna, no steam, no pool, just lots of mattress and lots of dim lit areas. Only for one purpose.

Shogun in Singapore has the same concept. Except Shogun has TV and internet and rooms. HX got no rooms.

[fugues]

Ok back to the topic. I like to go to Le Brasserie formerly at Joo Chiat now moved to the Indoor Stadium. I like their onion soup and bouef en croute. And Thaddeus is cute! Does anyone else like to go there?

[Panda_9791]

hey fugues, i was about to ask where has Le Brasserie moved to. I heard good reviews about them. Hope their prices didn't increase with the move. Great, i can visit them soon!

[akated]

fugues:

not le brasserie right? it's le bistrot, and i'm going this fri!!! hahaha!!! yes thad is cute =) hahahahaha... anyway, le bistrot is really a diamond in the rough, in my opinion

but they took away the lemon tart!!! that was like my mostestest favourite dessert in singapore...

panda:

price increase liao - you can check out the menu at www.lebistrot.com.sg

[fugues]

Oui, oui, it's le bistrot. Staying up late at nite to catch up on bw is getting to me. I guess I am still hankering for le brasserie at the old marco polo hotel.

How dare they take away the lemon tart! We must protest to Thad and have Chin Sin put it back on the menu!

I also like the creme brulee and the nougat glace and the hot chocolat.

I think it is currently the nicest French restaurant in Singapore. I like Vis-a-vis in Chun Tin Road too. Vis-a-vis has many of the staff from Le Brasserie.

[Asura]

le bistrot......not .... le brasserie, which I think there is one call something Brasserie in Pan Pac Hotel in Marina South

[akated]

fugues: will try to review le bistrot after my meal but no lemon tart... that was the only dessert that i gave 10/10 to in singapore... hahaha...

anyway, surely les amis is the top french restaurant in singapore, no? (though i have yet to try that place... hahaha... out of my range at the moment)

there's also a restaurant called la braceria in greenwood, though that one is italian, not french... anyway, all sounds so similar... hahaha

[crazygolfer]

For meat-eater, there is one new restaurant located next to Golf Driving Range in Queenstown where I passed-by everytime when I went to drive, but personally never tried it before. It's name:

Rio Brazlian Restaurant

60 Jalan Penjara, Queenstown Club (next to Queens Driving Range)

11.30am to 3pm for lunch; 6pm to 10pm for dinner.

Tel: 6474-7473

Anyone tries it before?

[nicefatboy]

anyway, surely les amis is the top french restaurant in singapore, no? (though i have yet to try that place... hahaha... out of my range at the moment)

les amis over rated and over priced. staff got attitude. I wont go back

For ambience prefer St Julien at Lighthouse. Emmanuel Stobrant at St Pierre also does wonders with the froi gra.

[worldangel]

Rio Brazlian Restaurant

Anyone tries it before?

Rio Brazilian Restaurant

- Apr 18, 2007, The New Paper

BRAZILIAN food is easy to appreciate, so is it any surprise that we're seeing another new outlet?

The latest to join a small but growing list of Brazailian restaurants is Rio Brazilian Restaurant.

This is located in Queenstown Club, next to the Queenstown Remand Centre.

My exposure to Brazil is limited (there is the Duran Duran song, Gisele Bundchen and waxing in a delicate area) but it's hard not to appreciate the simplicity of beans and grilled meat, especially when it is rubbed with salt.

Chef Maria Gomes-Tan, 45, is a Brazilian who has lived in Singapore for the past 12years. This always-smiling woman is the grill master, churning out skewers of meats.

She has most of her grills right.

I love the beef hump.

It looked dry on my plate but tasted juicy. And I could have just eaten the crust of the roast and been satisfied.

Chef Gomes-Tan tells me the beef ribs are the most popular and, like the hump, it is juicy.

The honey baked ham didn't excite me but the accompanying grilled pineapple with cinnamon did.

The chicken heart is a prized dish but it overwhelmed me. The liver worked for me instead.

And the chicken breast wrapped with bacon was too dry for my liking.

Expect everything to be salty and you'll be fine.

Have a glass of water by your side or order a caipirinha (Brazil's national drink, $10.90) to soften the saltiness.

And when eating Brazilian, go easy on the salad.

I know it looks tempting.

Brazilian food looks so colourful that it whets the appetite.

But if you stuff your face with the starters, you'll leave less room for the meats. And the meats are what you're there for anyway.

The grills are not for the smalleaters.

Each serving is as small (or large) as you want, so if you start small, and eat steadily, in about two hours, you'll end up consuming more meat than you would in a week!

So take your time, savour the saltiness of the meat (it becomes so pleasurable after a while) and relax.

I like that there is no distraction during your meal.

The restaurant is in such a serene corner, the only sound you'll probably hear is of the leaves rustling in the breeze.

This is also ideal if you want a quiet place to get to know your dining companion. Rio Brazilian Restaurant is a little out of the way - enough to ensure some privacy but not enough to require sending in a search party.

And since it's within walking distance of Queenstown MRT station, when it is time to say obrigado ('Thank You' in Brazilian), an after-meal walk might be a good idea.

It is about 15 minutes away, if you're wearing heels.

Or stroll over to the Queenstown Community Library to steal a nap.

There is ample parking and it's free.

And for those with a tight wallet, it's 1-for-1 now (until 9 May) for both dinner and lunch.

Lunch is at $15.90 and dinner is $32.

RIO BRAZILIAN RESTAURANT

60 Jalan Penjara, Queenstown Club

11.30am to 3pm for lunch; 6pm to 10pm for dinner.

TEL: 64747473

http://wineanddine.asiaone.com.sg/reviews/...070418_001.html

[Guest Guest]

Looks good! Keep up the great work. It very impressive. Thanks!

[TopChinese]

Favourite restaurants in Singapore:

Ramen:

Marutama - The hottest ramen place right now, very sexy Jap daddy manager/chef.

6 Eu Tong Street, #03-90/91 The Central

Tampopo - Fantastic Hokkaido ramen

#B1-50 Liang Court Shopping Centre

French:

Les Bouchons - Good steaks, free flow French frites, good wine. That's what French food is supposed to be about.

7 Ann Siang Road

The French Stall - Unpretentious French cuisine for a good value.

544 Serangoon Road

Australian/New World:

Projectshop Cafe - Great place to just chill, nice weekly specials. Very PLU crowd

#03-41/42, 290 Orchard Road, Paragon Singapore 238859

Brewerkz - Great beer, good hamburgers, great al fresco location

#01-05/06 Riverside Point Singapore 058282

Broth - Good clean Australian fare in the midst of the historical Duxton Hill. Cute waiters.

21 Duxton Hill

Italian:

Menotti - Set lunches/dinners, inexpensive Italian wines, great place to impress the boy you just picked up

#01-17 Raffles City Shopping Centre,

Buko Nero - Amazing value for very good Italian. Prior reservations 1 month in advance.

126 Tanjong Pagar Road

Il Lido - Mediocre food but fantastic views. Hands down best place to propose here.

Sentosa Golf Club 27 Bt Manis Rd #02-00 Singapore 099892

Indian:

Riverwalk Tandoor - Right opposite 17. Nothing like a good northern Indian buffet with a jug of Tiger to recharge those spent juices.

20 Upper Circular Road #B1-38 The Riverwalk

Raj - Good variety of authentic vegetarian/non-vegetarian thalis.

76 Syed Alwi Road Singapore 207655

Love to hear any tips on good Chinese or other restaurants!

[akated]

oooh yes... marutama is good! too bad i'm on a restricted-carb diet at night

and the waiters at broth are definitely eye-candy!

as requested by topchinese, more recommendations (chinese or otherwise):

---

been going to lei garden and peach garden quite a bit for dim sum recently. both places do good har gow, but i think the siew mai at peach garden is better. try the jing chuan jiao zi at lei garden; simply marvellous!

lei garden :

orchard shopping centre, #03-00, 6734 3988

chijmes, #01-24, 6339 3822

peach garden:

thomson plaza, #01-88, 64513233

novena garden, #01-06, 62543383

---

another good place for dumplings, albeit the northern chinese kind, is at tianjin restaurant. one of the best guo tie i've had in singapore. also try their za jiang mian, and make sure it comes with a lot of cucumber strips, as well as the chinese pizza (jiu cai he zi). can skip the xiao long here though.

tianjin restaurant:

bras basah complex, #02-01, 63361802

---

lastly, haven't been there for a while , but dragon phoenix restaurant did very good dim sum in my memory. staples like cheong fun, siew mai and har gow were very well done. food history buffs should know this restaurant was opened by one of the four heavenly kings (chefs, not singers). be warned though that standard of food drops tremendously during chinese new year period, as like most other chinese restaurants.

dragon phoenix restaurant:

liang court, #06-00, 6339 3368 (shifted from valleypoint i believe)

---

for cheap north indian, try jaggi's at racecourse road. noted by food blogs, and recommended by song of india's chef (!), this place is truly worth the money. i heartily recommend the chicken tikka, in particular the "white colour type" (go and you'll see what i mean), which is fragrantly spiced with cardamom.

jaggi's northern indian restaurant:

34/36 racecourse road, 62966141 (don't think they take reservations though, it's more of a canteen setup)

lastly, review of le bistrot to come soon (hopefully)... but to summarise, it's lost quite a bit of its charm (ambiance / food-wise) since it shifted from joo chiat.

[fugues]

I think the best dim sum in Singapore can be found at Jade Palace in the basement of Forum Galleria. It is nothing compared to Hong Kong but at least it's better than those found in the hotels here. There is a branch at Keppel Club too but don't go to that branch as the chefs there have not settled down. Try to look for Billy (Meng Zai) in Forum.

[Panda_9791]

I visited Eden Cafe recently. Opened by a fellow AJ bro. Nice establishment and delicate chef's touch, but waiting time is way too long due to that night's shortage of sous-chefs... I love their extensive range of teas. It seems like a perfect location for BW's weekly dinner if the crowd is big.

i found this paragraph from some other website and i totally agree!

"To make this short: some bread, entree and maybe a soup also, main course, cheese platter with bisquits, dessert with coffee/calvados/cognac. Take your time to select a balanced dinner with matching wines. Often there are different pre-selected menus on the list. And if you are not familiar with this particular food they are offering, you can ask the chef to assist you. If they will not do it or none of the staff is experienced enough to do it, you are in a wrong place for fine dining. I always say you are not stupid to ask advice or help but you are stupid trying to select it yourself pretending you know what you're doing."

So bros, open your eyes, some of these so-called fine dining restaurants are crap! I say burn them down! hahha...

[Guest Guest]

Wah Lok @ Carlton hotel - Ambience nothing to shout about, but the food there is delish :thumb:

another fav is Chef Chan

[akated]

unfortunately chef chan is closed liao... think he's offering private dining sessions, but not very sure

[Baloo]

Agree that Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel is great - especially their 'hei guat jue' or roasted boneless suckling pig. not just the skin, but the meat as well included ... definitely one reason to lunch/dine there.

:thumb:

[Baloo]

Someone said that Les Amis is over priced and over rated...

and staff there got attitude...

one needs to look at this quite carefully.

I got a few questions, and not accusatory - hope nobody gets the wrong idea.

Les Amis is a FINE DINING restaurant. I dunno about you, but jeans, sneakers/sports shoes/slippers/sandals and round neck/polo T shirts WILL NOT cut it there.

so you need to be dressed in smart office wear at the minimum to get served there.

Next, in fine dining, there is no char kuay teow... you do not order local stuff there... but I'm sure you already know that. Act like a bumkin in a top class fine dining restaurant, and you will be treated like one... cash in the hand is not passport to service at these restaurants.

Know your food... it's always good to do some homework before going there... i.e. know your wines, know your labels, and know your dishes. it is ok to acknowledge that you don't know everything... but it's not ok to KNOW NOTHING at all yet try to be smart alec and tok kok in front of the waiters... they will be 'pissed off'

I've had the pleasure of dining there a good few times (on invitation by a good friend who's into all this wines and fine dining...) and learnt a lot tru observation and some homework preparation.

sat in from 6.30 pm for dinner till 11 pm... had quite a few bottles of exquisite wines, and smoked a cuban cigar as well (haha he knows wines, i know cigars) and we just enjoyed the experience there totally. the waiters were also extremely friendly, and did not display any 'attitude' to me, a newbie, and acknowledged novice in wines.

of course they are giving my friend who is a 'regular' there face... however, seeing their service to their other customers, i dun see any 'attitude' leh... except impecable service, and attention to detail.

so, need to really clarify what attitude is rubbing anyone the wrong way, and are we, as guests of a top fine dining restaurant giving the establishment sufficient respect in the first place.

I'd go there again (on invitation of course - i can't afford it on my own man...) if ever the opportunity arises ...

but that's just my personal experience, and it's not meant to offend anyone. I hope that one plain statement 'got attitude' for example, is more cleary explained, and from what angle is this percieved so that readers in this forum dun get a wrong idea for all the wrong reasons.

As to 'overpriced' i am uncertain what that means... in a fine dining restaurant, the WATER you drink is overpriced... becos the same thing you can get at the toilet for free... except that the water served at Les Amis is bottled, naturally efferversant water... different brand from Perrier, but same concept...

and you get a crystal goblet to contain it in...

.