OLD

Shashlik

“That place has been there forever!” is what you’ll hear from almost every Singaporean when you bring up the name of this restaurant. The fact is, it’s only 25 years old but it’s a spin-off of Troika, which opened in 1943 but folded in 1986. Former staff of the defunct restaurant, mostly Hainanese, decided to open this place to continue doing what they do best. It’s tucked away on the sixth floor of a rather nondescript old shopping arcade, and the décor can only be described as vintage, but it is worth coming here to experience how
ordinary Singaporeans used to view Western dining before all the exciting Michelin action stormed the city.

A sixth-generation chef cooks up the famous Russian borsch, and loyalists also swear by the steak – although you shouldn’t expect Wolfgang Puck quality. As with other old-fashioned restaurants, the joy of dining here is to get dishes that are no longer widely available, such as the grand finale that is baked Alaska. The signature Shashlik beef fillet is priced at S$25 (US$20).

Open every day noon-3pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm; 545 Orchard Road, #06-19 Far East Shopping Centre; tel +65 6732 6401

NEW

Pollen

Gardens by the Bay, opened in June last year, is a mega Singapore project incorporating a giant park as well as an education centre about plants and the environment. There are restaurants, too, and Pollen is one of the originals. The experience is best described as “eating in a green house”, as it is located in the giant Flower Dome. A little herb garden in the second-floor tea lounge grows fragrant plants used in the restaurant’s dishes.

The dishes are very refined, and signatures include “Trip to Japan 2012”, which is Chef Jason Atherton’s own take on sashimi, with three giant Hokkaido scallops stacked on pieces of daikon (white radish) and topped with small slices of uni (sea urchin). A “radish snow” is sprinkled on the side when it’s served at your table, so that it melts into the dish for an extra kick. “English breakfast” featuring an egg slow-cooked for an hour at 57?C and served with Iberico ham, bacon and tomato sauce, is another great appetiser. The codfish, topped with a crust made from broccoli pulp and served with the broccoli stem, quinoa, cockles and cabaneros, is also superb. After the main course, move to the dessert bar to see pastry chef Andrew Lara in action as he produces molecular desserts such as “ginger ale”, which consists of pineapple, basil, frozen white chocolate mousse and basil granita served with a miniature bottle of – you guessed it – ginger ale. Appetisers start from S$29 (US$23), main courses from S$65 (US$52).

Open every day noon-2.30pm and 6pm-10pm; Flower Dome, Gardens By the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive #01-09; tel +65 6604 9988; www.pollen.com.sg 

BORROWED

Gunther’s

This restaurant gets the nod from every local I have spoken to for its modern French cuisine that, according to the official website, is “simple”, “honest” and prepared “from the heart” by award-winning Belgian chef Gunther Hubrechsen. But simple and honest here comes with style, as the venue is located on swanky Purvis Street and decorated much like a restaurant on the Champs-Élysées.

The cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar, some kombu and scented with truffle oil, is a foodie’s talk of the town, and after that, choose from the tray a selection of fresh ingredients – many still alive – and continue on a gastronomic journey. My Alaskan king crab leg “Belle vue”, served with what tasted like beurre blanc was sensational, with the sauce enriching the crustacean meat’s texture while highlighting its sweetness, while the grilled Japanese squid with fine herbs and served in Parmesan foam and with tomato rice was equally divine. The roasted Pyrenees milk-fed lamb with gratin potato and green chilli fritters also looked, smelled and tasted like magic. The sweet finale of apple tart “à la dragées” (thin, light and crispy) with Havana rum and raisin ice cream is also a quintessential Gunther experience. The menu is complemented by more than 350 wine labels, mostly from France. Soups and appetisers from S$18 (US$14.5), mains from S$38 (US$31).

Open Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm, closed on Sunday; 36 Purvis St #01-03; tel +65 6338 8955; www.gunthers.com.sg

 

VIEW

1-Altitude

The way to get up here is convoluted – you have to line up, pass a velvet rope for the lift to the 62nd floor, and then another lift to the roof, where a flight of stairs takes you up to the pinnacle. But it’s all worth it. You can circle around the venue and see the whole of Singapore – as well as a bit of Indonesia. The view is particularly stunning after dusk.

This is more a casual place to drink over snacks than a restaurant, but the thin-crust pizzas, as well as offerings such as otah-otah (fish mousse served in a banana leaf), spicy wings and Thai chicken in prawn sauce, can easily make a meal. The cocktails are what people come for, although the “monster mojito” I tried was on the weak side. If you want to sit down at a table here, there is a minimum consumption requirement of S$100 (US$81) per person. However, the fact that visitors can also pay a cover charge of S$25 (US$20) just to walk around, means the view is sometimes blocked by a transient crowd.

The same group also operates a sit-down restaurant, Stellar, on the 62nd floor offering continental food and a sushi bar, and a sports bar with golf simulators on the 61st floor. Pizzas from S$20 (US$16), cocktails from S$16 (US$13).

Open Mon-Thurs 6pm-2am, Friday, Saturday and evenings before public holidays 6pm-4am, Sunday 6pm-1am;
1 Raffles Place; tel +65 6438 0410; www.1-altitude.com