Best New Restaurants in Singapore 2014

Best new restaurants in Singapore 2014

Four years after the inception of the Integrated Resorts, new restaurants continue to open unabated in our city state (read my write-up on Singapore’s Best 8 New Restaurants in 2013 on CNN Travel).

Club Street is still basking in the foodie limelight after a strong showing in 2013 (read my write-up on Club Street on CNN Travel and New York Times) but the atmospheric shop house-lined streets of nearby Duxton Road and Keong Saik Road are proving to be worthy contenders.

After growing at a breakneck pace, small plates eateries (read my write-up on best small plates eateries in Singapore here) are taking a back seat. In its place, shimmering new cocktail bars (read my write-up on Singapore- the world’s hottest new cocktail city on CNN Travel), some offering tasty bites to boot, are rising to the occasion with house made infusions and new techniques to quench the city’s unending thirst for all things newfangled.

Still, we have a sizeable haul of new eateries where, truly, the food is the main draw. So here’s a round up of Singapore’s best new restaurants in 2014.

2. Anti:dote (read review here)

This Fairmont Hotel newbie is technically a cocktail bar and not a sit down restaurant but the parade of (sometimes) progressive bar bites by Barcelona head chef, Carlos Montobbio, washed down with cocktails by bar tender, Tom Hogan, are completely irresistible.

Foie gras on puff pastry at Anti:dote

 

3. Bincho (read review here)

Part Japanese cocktail bar and part yakitori joint, this cavernous hole-in-the-wall digs at Tiong Bahru by Loh Lik Peng and Andre Chiang serves up authentic charcoal-grilled chicken parts in omakase style. Even if chicken is off your radar, the a la carte menu of seafood and beef offers an equally delicious respite.

Yakitori at Bincho

4. Cicheti (read review here)

You won’t find an Italian chef at this hip eatery at Kampong Glam but the well executed, albeit no-frills, Italian fare by chef-patron, Yew Aun Lim, keeps them packing in. Did we mention that price points are affordable too?

Burrata and Parma ham at Cicheti

5. Corner House (read review here)

Taking over the space of the now-defunct Au Jardin at the Botanica Gardens, this stately colonial house by chef-patron, Jason Tan, has all the trappings of a fine dining outpost but its “gastro-botanica” cuisine keeps things interesting even for the jaded palate. Ask for the 8-course Discovery Menu.

New Zealand cod “crispy scales” at Corner House

6. Kappo Yorito (read review here)

Refined oden served in duck-rendered consomme sets the tone for the omakase (which comes complete with sashimi, grilled fish, house made soba and free-flow of oden) at this Robertson Quay joint. If oden is all you want, come after 10pm for the oden a la carte menu.

Daikon with beef tongue oden at Kappo Yorito

7. My Little Tapas Bar (read review here)

Fusion small plates may be all the rage but when it comes to lush and hearty Spanish tapas, this Club Street offshoot of My Little Spanish Place gets it right with a menu teeming with mouthwatering montaditos, pintxos and raciones.

Grilled octopus at My Little Tapas Place

8. Pince & Pints (read review here)

There are no starters and no desserts on the menu at this classy, no-reservations outfit at Duxton Road, just lobsters, cocktails and more lobsters. Judging from the constantly packed room, Singapore has more than its fair share of shellfish aficionados. Come before 6pm to avoid the queue.

Chilli lobster at Pince & Pints

 

9. Restaurant Ember (read review here)

With fresh blood in the kitchen by way of former Waku Ghin chef, Sufian Bin Zain, the modern European menu at this Keong Saik Road stalwart gets a new lease of life. Thankfully, a meal here will not break the bank.

Mud crab and asparagus chawan mushi at Restaurant Ember

 

10. Restaurant Labyrinth (read review here)

Modern Singapore cuisine gets an inventive makeover at this Chinatown-based counter-style restaurant where autodidact chef-patron, L G Han, lets his imagination run wild. The results, as evinced by the Signature and Degustation menus, are downright delicious.

“Chilli crab” at Restaurant Labyrinth

 

Note:
Existing restaurants that underwent a facelift (e.g. the Wild Rocket) or a change in venue (e.g. Tippling Club) are not featured in this article.