These are some of the eateries I’ve been to recently:
1. Fine dining: Ammakase (Indian), Burma Social (Burmese and Asian), Imbue (Asian)
2. Casual: Kageyama Ramen, La Savoir (steak)
3. Cafe: Le Petit Paris (French)
4. Desserts: Cafe Usagi
5. Bar: Malts (whisky bar)
Quick reviews of the places:
Ammakase
One Raffles Place #04-48, Singapore 048616
t: +65 8898 5275
instagram / facebook
Ammakase serves fine-dining neo-Indian farm-to-table dishes spanning from the north of India to south and Sri Lanka. Set lunch (6 courses) starts from $79++ and dinner (8 courses) from $139++. As with Indian cuisine, there is an option for vegetarians. The flavours are explosive but they do vegetarian food better than the meat. I think the meats could be more tender. Still it was a good try. Video review here.
Food: 7.5/10
Price: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Decor: 7/10
Burma Social
34 Tras St, Singapore 079026.
11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-12am, closed Sun
T: +65 6016 9140
Facebook / Instagram
Burma Social serves Burmese food and food along the Silk Road, including food from China, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Laos. The restaurant nailed down the vibe: Tibetan Buddhist prayer wheels, bronze taps, and even mouthwash in the toilets. The food is good but they are homely food without expensive ingredients and priced exorbitantly. I felt like I was paying for the rent and vibe. The servers kept rushing out dishes when we hadn’t finished the previous dish, although they are nice and friendly. If you don’t mind paying, I’d recommend it. Video review here.
Food: 7/10
Price / value: 4/10
Decor: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Cafe Usagi
Suntec #02-615A, 3 Temasek Blvd, Singapore 038983
(two other outlets: 111 Somerset and Star Vista)
11am – 10pm
Instagram
Never again will I patronise Cafe Usagi. They only serve two things: drinks and desserts. But the cashier was so rude that day that she raised her voice at me. Me! If you dine with me before, you’d know I’m always nice to service staff. ALWAYS. I refuse to pay money to be abused.
Service: 0/10
Decor: 3/10 (small kiosk space)
food: 7/10
Price: 6/10
Restaurant Imbue
32 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089137
t: +65 6223 7266
Lunch: F – Sun 12pm-2.30pm
Dinner: T – Sat 6pm-11pm
Facebook / instagram
Imbue uses Western techniques on Asian ingredients. Set lunch starts from $58, set dinner from $158, and there are a la carte options too. We took the $198++ set dinner. I feel like for restaurants like Imbue, which obviously is aiming for a michelin star, has a conflict between guests and chef. The chef (very humble and nice guy) wanted to show off his skills, but we guests just want the food to be delicious, orgasmic.
Like the oyster mousse. I was shocked when I bit into it; I thought it would be the slippery, slimy, smooth texture of oyster that I relish, but it was just foam and air. It’s just going an extra step that won’t please oyster lovers, but just to show the techniques involved. Video review here. Full blog review here.
Food: 6.25/10
Price: 5.5/10
Decor: 7/10 (We sat at a corner, didn’t really have a good glimpse of the restaurant.)
Service: 7.5/10
Kageyama Ramen
Suntec City #02-605, 3 Temasek Boulevard, S038983
t: +65 6518 9476
instagram
Kageyama is an award-winning franchised brand from Tokyo, known for its tori-paitan ramen. Paitan is literally translated to mean “white soup,” from chicken broth. It was very average. The best thing to be said is it’s slightly cheaper than the average ramen.
Service: NA (don’t really come in contact with them)
Decor: 5/10 (kiosk space)
Food: 5.5/10
Price/value: 6.5/10
La Savoir
Scotts Square #02-01/02, 6 Scotts Road S228209
t: +65 9377 7788
11.30am – 10pm
facebook / instagram
Was here for La Savoir’s 1-for-1 promotion. You order the set menu ($57.90) and you can get another plate of refill of steak and fries. Each ribeye steak is about 150g, so you’ll get 300g in total. (Not sure if they are still having the promo. Give them a call.) It tastes great, but I still find it pricey even for 1-for-1. And the service was blur and sometimes quite rude. The vibe was just off.
Food: 7.5/10
Price: 4/10
Service: 4/10
Decor: 8/10
Le Petit Paris
15 Swan Lake Ave, Singapore Opera Estate, Singapore 455711
T: +65 8368 8699
Weekdays 9am-9pm, F & Weekends 8am-10pm, Closed Tue
This French cafe situated deep amidst landed property has personality, individuality, and so much heart. Helmed by former executive chef of Hilton hotel, Felicien Cueff, the gorgeous cafe in cerulean looks like a painting, and serves breakfast to dinner. The pastries are baked in-house. The French food is homely and seldom seen elsewhere in Singapore. Full blog review here. Video review here.
Food: 6.5/10
Decor: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Malts
Marina Square #01-07/08, 6 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039594
t:+65 6252 8002
facebook / instagram
Malts is a whiskey bar with hundreds of whiskeys. They also serve finger food, pastas, pizzas, and such. On some evenings, they have live music. And it was for the live music that we came. My friend was the musician. It’s a good vibe. Suitable for people in their 30s and above.
Price: 7/10 (We spent $40/shot of yamazaki 12 y/o. Spent up to $200, so I dunno how to judge this. But the beers are about $12 and the food is priced reasonably.)
Decor/vibe: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Food: NA (We had some spam fries)
You may be interested in…
– A Guide to the Best Omakase in Singapore (Not by Influencers)
– New Restaurants, Bars, Cafes, Promos in February 2024
– Recent Eats: Chico Loco (Amoy St), Cutlery Optional (AMK Private Dining), One-Ninety (Four Seasons), Anthology (Boat Quay), Tha Chang (Telok Ayer)
– New Restaurants and Promos: Mish Mash (Chinatown), Tomidou (Orchard), and Maria and Singh (Craig Road), Tam Chiak Kopitiam (Kovan)
–New Restaurants & Promos: EatAlley (Orchard Gateway), Tonkatsu ENbiton (Somerset 313), 30th Singapore Food Festival (19 – 30 July 2023, Bayfront Event Space)
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