This Month’s Feed
Only the best food and drink spots in Singapore.
Eclipse
Perched at the rooftop of the historic Yue
Hwa Building in Chinatown is a daring new fine-dining concept by the name of Eclipse. What used to be a drab office space has been converted into an intimate, cavernous space speckled with luminous moon lamps and fitted with al fresco balconies and private dining rooms at both ends. Helmed by chef owner Samuel Quan – who’s undergone stints at Les Amis, Joël Robuchon and three-Michelin-starred Aponiente way over in Spain – Eclipse offers an inventive fusion of Asian and European cuisines. Opt for the four-course dinner menu (S$148), which showcases Quan’s most compelling creations – from piquant Hamachi topped with Kaluga caviar and a deeply flavourful Laksa Pumpkin soup with seafood tortellini, to Duo Beef comprising hoisin-glazed short rib and grilled Wagyu striploin garnished with Kampot pepper jus. Far from representing the peak of Quan’s ambitions, however, Eclipse merely marks the beginning of an all-encompassing dining and lifestyle experience, which will be accessible to members of a Bespoke Dining Club that’s still to come – so best keep your eyes peeled for that.
Sushi Sato
Situated within the serene grounds of Dempsey is Sushi Sato, a Zen omakase destination matched only by the freshest sushi and sashimi in the city. Its lauded chefowner Yuji Sato has 26 years of experience and it shows in his cooking; his food is delicious, especially if you’re keen on clean, traditional flavours. Shaped by produce supplied by the markets of Sapporo and Tokyo’s Toyosu (formerly Tsukiji), the menu offers courses that range from the lunchtime Uruoi (S$220) to the Kiwami (S$580) at dinner, which is perfect for anyone with a bottomless pit. Be blown away by the richness of Ankimo (that’s monkfish liver for you), Chawanmushi (with shirako and hairy crab sauce, if you’re lucky) and an unctuous Toro Taku Roll that might take up more space on your Instagram feed than in your belly. Go for dinner on a Tuesday or Friday and be rewarded with Ika Somen, where live squid is sliced into noodle-like strips and served with chilled dashi, mountain yam, ikura, uni and fresh wasabi.
Small’s
Taking influence from the Danish smorrebrod, Bjorn Shen is now offering a unique menu that’s set to ruffle some feathers and at the same time excite adventurous palates.
So if you’re not one for a traditional dining experience, this one is for you – bread sushi at Small’s, Shen’s conceptual diner which began as a tiny pizza omakase bar at Artichoke, his other restaurant that’s popular for ‘bastardised’ Middle Eastern grub). Now inside a shophouse on King George’s Avenue, Small’s serves a tasting menu (S$175), which starts you out with three snacks before moving on to eight to 10 varieties of bread sushi, one hotpot and two desserts. The snacks are as impressive as the desserts, but in between, do expect some hits and misses. We thoroughly enjoyed the Shima Aji, a simple medley of striped jack, tomato and gingerscallion relish on high-hydration bread, as well as the Negitoro, schiacciata that comes with otoro tartare, bulgogi dressing and strips of nashi pear. We were less enthusiastic about the California Roll (crab, avocado and perilla stuffed in deep-fried dough), but if you love the richness of seafood and mayonnaise, you might very well sing a different tune.