New Restaurants, Cafes And Bars: October 2014

Determined to bring the bagel craze to Singapore, the fine gentlemen behind this new bagel establishment pride themselves in their freshly baked bagels handrolled with love. Cafes dedicated to serving these incredibly underrated breads are rare, but you can rest assured that Two Men Bagel House does it right. If you subscribe to the 'simple is best' philosophy, you can opt for a plain/ classic salmon dill cream cheese bagel. But since you're in a bagel house, after all, you can afford to be a little more adventurous. Go for the incredibly vibrant LOX - cured salmon, cream cheese, red onions, dill and capers, atop perfectly crisp yet chewy bagel halves. Want it more brunch-style? Have bagels with bacon and poached eggs too!

Located in Palais Renaissance, Ishinomaki is a Japanese grill and sake restaurant focusing on fresh seasonal produce and seafood flown in from Japan. Aiming to replicate the the feel of a Japanese fishing village, this new space is decked out with raw wood and metal furnishings. Their menu includes set lunches with prices ranging from $17 for assorted tempura to $32 for sashimi and grilled eel (all set lunches come with an appetiser, chawanmushi, rice and miso soup), and lots of smaller imported seafood dishes served fresh from their robata grill. Menu highlights include the Ikura yuzu oroshi and Iberico Pork secretto.

iO Italian Osteria offers great Italian food in an extremely casual chic setting. With an open kitchen, open ceiling with hipster hanging lights and unpretentious wooden furnishings, this new restaurant basks in natural light from large side windows, providing diners with the ultimate chill ambience. Food is prepared from scratch using fresh high quality ingredients. Find anything from fresh bread baked in-house, plates of Italian street food, pastas, anti-pastas, and mains - which include options like the grilled US rib-eye and codfish in aromatic fish broth. Get some wine to accompany that, and don't forget dessert. Some tiramisu, perhaps?

Start the countdown to Christmas by indulging in Rabbit Owl Depot's signature Snowflake Waffles. This newly opened, industrial-themed cafe at North Bridge Road is an ice cream parlour dedicated to serving quality ice cream made only with the freshest ingredients. Their Snowflake Waffles ($9.50 with a scoop of ice cream) are crisp, fluffy and prettily dusted with icing sugar. Their earl grey and pistachio ice creams come as recommended pairings with those great waffles by our Burpple users. This place should definitely feature on your waffle-hopping list!

North Bridge Road is now greeted by the presence of multiple new ice cream parlours, one being the very new Twenty Grammes. Besides homemade ice cream, waffles and coffee, they also offer a selection of tarts and cakes to satisfy your dessert cravings. Try their banoffee pie and hazelnut dacquiose recommended by Tastemaker Jennifer Yeo, and their yummy honey scotch ice cream. We ought to count our lucky stars that in hot, humid Singapore, we sure don't have a lack of cool-me-down ice cream parlours!

Hopscotch Bar is the latest installation set up by the people behind Mixes from Mars. Located in the Red Dot Traffic Building (former traffic police HQ), Hopscotch focuses on bringing out locally-inspired flavours through innovative bespoke cocktails crafted through modern techniques. Unique creations are inspired by unconventional flavours such as assam laksa (Georgetown Special), cereal prawns (Golden 933), chicken rice (Hop Kee), chawanmushi (Melon Malibu) and Asian desserts (Red Ruby). With their extensive range of whiskies and beer, scotch enthusiasts and beer-lovers won't be neglected either. :)

Whoever said you can only get good pasta at fancy Italian restaurants has not yet discovered the food at Ah Bong's Italian. Located in a humble coffeeshop in Tiong Bahru Estate, this stall serves up some mean Italian pasta - for just $6! For some perfect comfort food, get the Slow Cooked Pork Ragu, Ah Bong's Birthday Pasta (spaghetti served with broccoli cheese sauce and bacon) or Ah Bong’s Mac & Cheese with truffle oil. End off your meal with some unique crème brûlée - with flavours extending to earl grey, triple espresso, and Thai milk tea. Their incredibly satisfying, extremely affordable and regularly changing menu will keep you coming back!

Newly opened Two Bakers is an artisanal bakery cafe serving up specialty coffee using blends from Strangers' Reunion, sweet cakes and savoury food. Using only French butter and top notch ingredients, their pastries are made fresh daily by Le Cordon Bleu Paris trained chefs. Bestsellers include their salted caramel éclair, Le Chocolat Noir and moist carrot cake. Their strawberry shortcake is also delightfully refreshing and perfect for a tea-time dessert. For more savoury options, you can go for various brunch options, beef stew, Asian pulled-pork sandwich, or soups. (But of course, end with dessert!)

Bistro by day and sports bar by night, newly opened Atmosphere Bistro caters to both families looking for a great meal, and older crowds looking for a chill space to have a pint. Located at Parkland Green in East Coast Park, this is an awesome place for a relaxing meal with a seaside view. Start with the Lobster Bisque ($5.80) and Grilled Squid ($9.80), and follow up with some Baby Back Ribs ($19.80) or Flaming Pizza ($22.80) before ending off with their signature Molten Lava Cake ($11.80). Going in a group? Their Truffle Fries and Mini Burgers are great snacks for sharing too.

Pastry-lovers in the CBD, you'd be glad to know that Pantler - a bakery offering all sorts of baked goods and sweet treats, has just opened its doors on Telok Ayer Street. Their sleek interior just draws more attention to their mouth-watering pastry showcase. From cakes and tarts, to croissants and pastries, there's something for everyone. They also have a very unique offering of Pâte de Fruits (essentially fruit jellies) that are made in-house. Their Ricotta Cheese Tart comes highly recommended, as with their Choux Creme pastry which comes filled with delicious vanilla cream!

Opened with supper-goers in mind, GRUB Noodle Bar caters to the late-eaters and the ever-hungry by serving comforting bowls of beef noodles (from $12), Assam laksa ($13) and more with no MSG or artificial flavours. Also order the Hokkaido Scallop Tataki ($15) - fresh scallops torched with a mustard glaze and mandarin orange pieces, to share! Open from 7pm - 12.30am, this is really the perfect place for late dinners after work. Oh and yes, these are the same guys behind GRUB and FIX.

Just opened in the Bedok Reservoir neighbourhood is a new petrol station-themed cafe serving great and very affordable brunch. Staying true to their name and theme, menu items have theme-specific names such as 'Full Tank', 'Fill Me Up' and 'Refuel Pancakes'. Their chill cafe space also allows diners a true refueling experience away from the busy city. Start with the Full Tank ($13.90) or Banana Pancakes ($8.90), and get the White & Black Chocolate Tart with vanilla/ chocolate ice cream for dessert! According to Tastemaker Xing Wei, 'This was literally a slice from chocolate heaven.'