01: Wakanui Grill Dining
Grill restaurant Wakanui, formerly located at Boat Quay, has re-opened at the new CBD complex Marina One. Wakanui originally opened in Tokyo as a flagship restaurant by ANZCO Foods, a New Zealand-based meat company specialising in premium-quality New Zealand beef and lamb. Similar to the flagship in Tokyo, this Singapore franchise offers dry-aged New Zealand Ocean Beef and spring lamb grilled over binchotan charcoal.
Spring lamb seasoned with Christmas Island salt, pink pepper and coriander powder is a must-have starter. The New Zealand born lambs are raised for about six months on the verdant spring pastures. The meat is then aged for a month so that it reaches its optimum flavour and texture. It then goes through quick freezing so that it can be enjoyed year-round (this process was developed by ANZCO Foods specifically to supply Wakanui’s Japanese diners with fine meaty lamb without the strong gamey taste).
The signature Ocean beef, which is grass- and grain-fed 100% Angus, offers a perfect balance of flavours with its leanness and marbling. Those preferring more classical meat options for steak can also enjoy Canterbury grass-fed fillets with sides of sweet banana shallots and fries. The restaurant also boasts a wine cellar, featuring New Zealand wines sourced from boutique wineries.
Marina One The Heart, #04-02
Tel: +65 6384 2665
02: Fisk Seafood Bar and Market
Fisk, launched by seafood supplier Snorre Food, is a sprawling 4000 sq ft retail and restaurant space at Novotel Singapore on Stevens. Live Norwegian red king crabs, scallops and lobsters are available for retail. Fisk also smokes Norwegian salmon belly in-house with Asian flavours such as Szechuan, black pepper, Thai curry and otah otah. The 44-seater restaurant, helmed by executive chef Markus Dybwad, offers a predominantly seafood menu. Lunch offers casual options, such as open-face ‘smorrebrod’ sandwiches of rye bread topped with Greenland prawns, smoked mackerel and herring. More refined dishes are available during dinner, with raw hand-dived scallops with a refreshing dressing of juniper and fennel. A must-have is the hot-smoked Greenland halibut, served with a creamy emulsion of butter and lemon juice mixed together with trout roe. Save space for dessert: a decadent ice cream made with uni and topped with rolled oats, Danish hawthorn berries and nori powder.
30 Stevens Road, #01-01.
Tel: +65 6732 0711
03: La Ventana
Since Catalan chef Carles Gaig ended its consultancy at La Ventana to open his own establishment at Telok Ayer, Spanish restaurant La Ventana has moved on from its tapas roots to take on the fine-dining approach. Under the leadership of new head chef Toni Valero, the restaurant now serves modern European cuisine with Asian influences. Valero presents a harmonious combination: pan-seared Hokkaido scallop is served with miso biscuit crumble and a puree of cauliflower accented with subtle pandan notes. Desserts, such as the curry leaf ice cream with Szechuan pepper-infused strawberries offer an innovative and refreshing end to the meal. While set menus are recommended, a la carte options are also available for a more casual meal over Spanish wines.
16A Dempsey Road
Tel: 6479 0100
04: Uni Gallery
Uni lovers can now satisfy their cravings at new restaurant Uni Gallery, launched by online Japanese seafood supplier OosterBay. As its name suggests, guests can try up to 15 types of uni sashimi from Japan as well as America and Canada. The delicacy is also presented in cooked dishes: simply grilled, as a tempura of shiso-rolled uni, a topping with onsen tamago or mixed with aglio olio. The Uni Bomb platter is a more indulgent offering with three different types of uni: marinated Shutou uni with medium rare Wagyu, the sweet Murasaki uni with deep-fried sawagani crab and briny Canadian uni with fresh king crab meat, paired with sweet sake or Japanese gin. The restaurant also offers seasonal fish sashimi, teriyaki and sushi for those looking for a quick break in between feasting pieces of rich uni.
https://www.facebook.com/UniGallerySG/
The Plaza, #B1-310
Tel: +65 9838 8209
05: Ishi
The new Ishi located at the Intercontinental Robertson Quay is a fine sushi/ kaiseki dining restaurant featuring counter dining and also private rooms. At the 12-seater counter you can watch the chefs prepare a host of hot and cold dishes throughout your meal. Chef Masaaki who helms the restaurant has worked in Japanese restaurants in Seattle and Kyoto prior to this.
What’s unique here is the snow salt from Hiroshima, Japan. The factory there specially presses Japanese salt into delicate specks that resemble snow flakes. Just a sprinkle of this light salt over slivers of seared marbled A5 Miyazaki beef will heighten its meaty flavour. The seasonal omakase menu also includes flounder (bora) lighted coated with roe and a sliver of sweet tomato from Shizuoka, as well as silky smooth chawan mushi which may come with Japanese sea cucumber intestine or shirako (cod milt). There is sushi and sashimi to be had too, but the highlight is the chirashi bowl brimming with salmon roe, ebi, and two types of sashimi draped over perfectly cooked rice.
Round off with a palate cleansing Japanese pear and Muscat grapes with sake lees ice cream followed by slippery black sugar kuzukiri jelly strips. The dinner menu ranges from the ‘Suzuran’ with sashimi, hot dish, seven pieces of sushi and rice bowl at $180 to the chef’s omakase menu with appetiers, sashimi, wagyu beef, nigiri sushi, rice bowl and negitoro roll for $300.
InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, 1 Nanson Road, #02-06/07
Tel: +65 9829 8239
06: Publico Ristorante
This newly rejuvenated party central is now a beautifully designed Italian restaurant called Publico Ristorante (at the ground level of Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay). Just within shouting distance is a bright and breezy deli, which turns out fresh salads and paninis in the day. In the evenings, fancy cocktails can be had at the adjacent Marcello bar.
Overlooking the Singapore River, Publico Ristorante boasts a huge dining area whose floor-to-ceiling glass doors open onto a spacious and shady alfresco terrace. On balmy evenings, diners can have an aperitif, mingle, and soak up the convivial atmosphere here. A highlight at the restaurant is the twin wood-fired pizza ovens, which rolls out lip-smacking pizzas including the baci e ricotto – topped with homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, smoked scamorza, shavings of pork belly and crumbled ricotta. Recommended too is the tartufata pizza scattered with mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, smoked scamorza and truffle.
Other hearty offerings include the arancini alla Bolognese, the generously portioned spaghetti with succulent lobster, and the signature creamy risotto “alla Milanese” with saffron, pecorino cheese and red wine reduction. The authentic yet contemporary menu is created by Italian executive chef Marco Turatti. To pair with the hearty food is a wine list featuring mostly fine Italian and prosecco labels.
Intercontinental Robertson Quay, 1 Nanson Rd, Singapore 238909.
Tel: 6826 5041
