Marco Pierre White opens his Singapore passion project, comfort food in a cool new space, more seafood and pasta than you can handle and Amoy Street’s latest lunch spot…
From our epic breakfasts to our post-midnight feasts, you could say we just don’t stop thinking about food here at Honeycombers. New restaurants? We’re all over it. Read on for our latest Hot New Tables and what’s worth sneaking off to for lunch, lining up for date night or booking for that blowout meal…
Telok Ayer Arts Club
We all lamented when SPRMRKT departed from its iconic McCallum Street space: where or where were we going to get our fix of truffle fries and salted caramel milkshakes? Thankfully, founder Sue-Shan Quek has offered us a pretty sweet consolation prize with the arrival of Telok Ayer Arts Club, which takes the cafe-with-art concept that was more subtly at play at SPRMRKT to the next level. The hype around this place has been heavy: it’s a multi-concept space with a lot lined up in the art and music department, but right now we’re talking about being fed. It’s comfort food for the win here, and head chef Bertram Leong has a few tricks up his sleeve. We’re still thinking about the tender spatchcock on mash, with tempura-battered carrot leaves for a crunchy contrast – talk about nose-to-tail vegetables. Vegetarian foodies will appreciate the tomato and tofu in shiitake pesto, and there’s a substantial cauliflower steak with scallion aoli and scamorza cheese. And because Telok Ayer Arts Club is down with daytime drinking, you’ll probably find us there nursing an Aperol spritz on particularly hot afternoons. Welcome to the neighbourhood.
Telok Ayer Arts Club; 2 McCallum St, Singapore 069043
The English House
So it was around this time last year we gave you the heads up that Marco Pierre White was restoring two century-old shophouses on Mohamed Sultan Road for his foray into the Singapore dining scene, and we’ve finally stepped through those doors. The English House is at once expansive but incredibly intimate, filled to the brim with antiques from pub signs to carnival-themed curios, its walls lined with black and white Terry O’Neill photographs of the likes of Bowie, Winehouse et al. Hanging out here feels like you’ve let yourself into the home of the man himself: What you see is, after all, from Marco Pierre White’s own collection. As for the menu? British comforts: there’s a sharing platter of 45 day-aged Rib of Black Angus Beef with braised spiced tendons (a nod to Mr Pierre White’s love affair with Singaporean food?); fish and chips elevated with English turbot, beef-fat chips and peas cooked in marrow (sorry, pescatarians), and potted duck (because could there be anything more English than something potted?). This has been a long time coming, folks, and next year hotel rooms will be added to the mix so you can quietly slip upstairs after overindulging. Watch this space….
The English House; 28 Mohamed Sultan Rd, Singapore 238972
Keep and Commune
It’s been open for around a month and we’ve already been here too many times to count: we’re blaming the epic burger (chef Faizal Pow’s homage to the In-N-Out burger) and his take on Cambodian loc lac: prime rib eye with French onion and dark sauce. If you’re wondering how we arrived at such different faves here, it’s because the menu is split into East and West spanning fried tofu to jamon croquettes, and meant to be enjoyed tapas style – but no, I’m not sharing my burger. Keep and Commune is gearing up to keep us all happy from breakfast through to dinner: or rather, coffee through to late-night cocktails. We’ll fill you in when the breakfast menu lands, but in the meantime, check out our full review of Keep and Commune.
Keep and Commune; 237 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058786
Greenwood Fish Market Dempsey Hill
Seafood lovers, this one’s for you. We checked out Greenwood Fish Market’s fourth branch in Dempsey Hill and this is a restaurant that lives up to its name – there really is a fresh fish and seafood market (with live lobsters, so look away if you don’t want to meet your lunch). If, like us, you’re a sucker for gourmet groceries and shelves heaving with wooden serving platters, you might be lingering here for a while. Yes there’s classic fish and chips or whole fish for family feasts, but our hot tip? Make sure you’ve got a gang with you to share the cold seafood platter: three tiers loaded with freshly shucked oysters, New Zealand littleneck clams, Boston lobster tail, house-smoked salmon and marinated yellowfin tuna. Courses can take quite a while to arrive here, so start with something satisfying you can slowly enjoy. Sushi and sashimi your thing? Sidle up to the bar and pick from the Japanese menu. But on balmy nights or non-sweltering days, we can’t resist a good outdoor table and Greenwood Fish Market’s al fresco area looks pretty inviting…
Greenwood Fish Market Dempsey Hill; Block 8D, Dempsey Rd, #01-01, Singapore 249672
PERKS! UOB cardholders score a free half dozen oysters with a minimum spend of $100. See below for more info; offer valid until 30 September, 2019.
Dumpling Darlings
We have another newcomer to Amoy, a hot contender for Singapore’s top eat street. It’s incredibly early days, and goodness knows we could do with some damn good dumplings within strolling distance of Honeycombers HQ. But if the name makes you think of towers of steamed dumplings, brace yourself: the dumplings here are a second act to noodle bowls, and you’ll get them as part of a set meal at lunch. The sweet surprise here? The entree of bean sprouts is tasty stuff, and free-flow if you’re a fan. What needs work? The noodle bowls are perfectly fine, but it was unanimous that chilli was needed to take the seasoning up a notch, and the Szechuan noodles and dumplings left us hanging for a mala hit that didn’t come. Cute concept with good branding, and we’ve gotta hand it to them for the use of non-plastic straws and sustainable bamboo napkins. We’ll give them another shot some time to see if they can bring on the wow factor.
Dumpling Darlings; 44 Amoy Street, Singapore 069870
Bar Cicheti
It’s the little sister to well-loved Italian joint Cicheti and was only 10 days old when we dropped by, but Bar Cicheti on Jiak Chuan Road is already doing the fam proud with its artisanal pasta and wine bar concept. The bite-size starters from zucchini flowers to fried sage leaves are sublime enough to make you wonder if you can squeeze in another round before the mains arrive, and the hand-made pasta, proudly displayed on the counter, is the real deal. The vegetarian gnocchi was swiped by the carnivores at the table; the fusilli nero springy and pitch black with the palpable flavour of squid ink and a smooth scoop of uni. Sure we had some hiccups with dishes arriving out of sync, but to be frank, that doesn’t make us bat an eyelid anymore in this town. What did surprise was a platter of ice cream that was presented to compensate for the wait. Totally unexpected, and totally restored our faith. Another nice touch: restaurateur Liling Ong makes her way to each table, ensuring everyone is being taken care of. It’s the kind of service that makes you know you’ll be back. One last thing: don’t leave without trying the particularly delicious, boozy and generously sliced tiramisu. Trust us on this.
Bar Cicheti, 10 Jiak Chuan Road, Singapore 089264
Bonus: Sweet dining deals with UOB
Foodies, you’re going to want in on this: UOB Cards has lined up some exclusive deals with Hot New Tables around Singapore, and all you need to do is flash your card the next time you feast at partner restaurants. (Don’t worry, we’ll keep you in the loop when one of our Hot New Tables has a special perk for cardholders!) You can score up to 20% off, special treats such as oysters on the house and even more good stuff. Head on over to UOB Dining Advisor for more restaurants to tick off your list, reviews and insider guides to the best bars and menus in the city – we’ve shared some of the best of Honeycombers over there too, so you’ll feel right at home. And of course, you’ll find all the dining deals you can snap up over at The Dining Advisor.
The above information is sponsored by UOB; as always, Honeycombers’ Hot New Tables is curated by our editorial team and reviews are based on our experiences as both paying customers and hosted guests.
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