New Restaurants, Cafes and Bars in Singapore: March 2017

If you find waiting months for a seat at lavish omakase palaces tiresome, this well-kept secret that only requires two days' advance reservation is where you can go to enjoy an omakase that specialises in aged ingredients. Located in Fortune Centre on the second floor, the 12-seater place is run by Chef Aeron Choo on her own, who has spent many years learning the art of aging ingredients. Expect unique creations like aged egg yolk in red miso as well as beautifully aged eggplants and red scorpion fish sushi, one of the more unusual fish option available here. The food comes highly recommended by our Burpple community, perfect for impressing your date or celebrating a birthday over a memorable meal. The nine-dish Omakase Set ($68) is a preview of her prowess in the kitchen. Sit by the counter and watch as she works her magic; you won't want to miss anything she does! Pro tip: If you're celebrating a birthday, don't be shy to let her know. She might just whip up a hill of seafood chunks, drizzled with mentai mayo (like what she did for Burppler Dex Neo)!
Avg Price: $80 per person
Photo by Burppler Raine Liu

New lifestyle space Como Dempsey is now home to renowned Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's first restaurant in Asia. In the day, The Dempsey Cookhouse and Bar is a picture-perfect dream — think white rattan chairs with intricate back details fitted around white marble tables, coupled with a lush greenery overhanging from the bar in the centre of the restaurant. At night, the space transforms into a cosy restaurant with mellow lighting — great for intimate date nights. For best value, we recommend skipping the Egg Caviar ($35) and spending your money on the Foie Gras Brulee ($19) instead. Expect a generous portion of goose liver cooked to perfection, and served with lychee and black olives for a fun mix of sweet and salty. Also try the Chef's specialty, Black Truffle and Fontina Cheese Pizza ($20), cooked in a cherry wood oven. Smothered generously with black truffle paste from France and topped with black truffle shavings, the crisp and light pizza is also sprinkled with fontina cheese to give it "a touch of creamy saltiness", according to Burppler Veronica Phua. She also loves how the small pile of frisee in the middle helps to cut through the richness.
Avg Price: $50 per person
Photo by Burppler Veronica Phua

This grain bowl place just opposite Park Bench Deli on Telok Ayer Street has all the trappings of yet another trendy restaurant jumping on the grain bowl bandwagon, but we're happy to report that the bowls are delicious. Opened by Sin Lee Foods and actor Shane Pow, the all-day dining concept serves tasty grain bowls by day. The bowls come in two sizes, Petite ($10) and Regular ($14) and be prepared to exercise your creativity as there are no pre-selected bowls here. In their $14 grain bowls, you get one base, one protein, three vegetables, a choice of sauce and one topping. The base includes brown rice (the most flavourful base in our opinion), soba and spinach, while proteins include salmon (our pick!), beef (additional $1) and tilapia. The bold flavour of the vegetables is what bumps Mojo ahead of its nearby competitors: saucy sauteed mushrooms, refreshing Thai papaya salad and charred corn and broccoli that is reminiscent of Sin Lee Foods' aburi broccoli. Finish off with the Basil Pesto as your choice of sauce and furikake as your topping. Come night time, this place turns into a vibrant bar serving cocktails, yakitori and tapas.
Avg Price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler Hannah Chew

Kowloon Bay HK Cafe in the newly opened Hillion Mall (nearest MRT Station is Bukit Panjang) serves hearty Hong Kong cafe fare that we'll gladly return for. Start with the Iced Milk Tea ($4.50) served in a bottle that is stashed in a bucket of ice, keeping the sock-pulled milk tea chilled but not diluted. The locally-owned cafe also makes a wonderful bowl of Signature Fei Po Char Siew Noodle ($9.90). Skip the option to have it with wantons — it means you'll be sacrificing precious, fatty char siew slices for two measly wantons. The thick-cut pork belly with melt-in-your-mouth fatty bits is caramelised to a beautiful dark brown glossy finish, and fondly reminds us of Char in Jalan Besar. Al dente noodles are set atop sweet dark sauce before the char siew is added as the finishing touch. Another satisfying main is the Kowloon Bay Fragrant Rice with Chicken Chop and Soup ($11.90) that comes with a palm-sized piece of freshly fried chicken cutlet served over wok hei ladened fried rice.
Avg Price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler Hilary See

If you've ever associated clean eating with boring and tasteless fare, Thrive Kitchen may just be the place to change your mind. Tucked in the middle of new and currently quiet shopping mall NEWest in West Coast, the cosy space (all warm lighting and light wood) makes an inviting spot for a quiet meal with a friend. They have recently launched their full food menu, which sees tons of flavourful and nutritious eats, from wholemeal pastas to rice bowls and hearty mains. For a meatless meal, you're in for a treat with the Thrive Benedict ($12.90), which sees pillowy multigrain toast topped with mashed avocado, perfectly wobbly sous vide eggs and a super delish cashew mayonnaise. The star of the meal, however, was the Nonya-inspired Assam Fish Rice Bowl ($17.90). The assam sauce would wake you right up with its zingy hit of flavours, and we're pretty sure it would get nods of approval from Peranakan matriarchs. It's spicy, but absolutely worth the sweat. For sweets, try a slice of their moist gluten-free Coconut Almond Cake ($6.90), or a scoop of Despicable, a creamy banana and walnut ice cream. Will we be back? You bet.
Avg Price: $20 per person
Photo by Burppler Leigh Khoo

This casual, all-day dining concept in Tanjong Pagar offers up wholesome dishes and a long cocktail menu for when night falls. Crackerjack takes its drinks seriously (prices range from $16 to $20), no surprise considering the people running it are from 28 HongKong Street and Proof & Company Spirits. Come by with a group of friends to unwind after work, or sit by the bar for an intimate catch-up. Have the Brandt Bavette Steak ($28) that comes with a unique grape salsa, and share the unique and refreshing Zucchini Farro Salad ($8). The latter is sprinkled with almonds, dates and sesame, and tossed in a tasty sour cream dressing. This is also a great spot for brunch, with tons of natural light streaming in, and is one of the few places in the CBD that is open on the weekend. Have the Horchata Pancakes (with bacon, $16) or the Funnel Cake ($14) that Burppler Veronica Phua loves. Described as "a deep-fried patty woven together by twirls of crunchy batter", the creation is then topped with slices of banana, candied bacon, and lashings upon lashings of salted caramel sauce. Wash it all down with an excellent cup of Flat White ($5) — beans are a custom blend from 2Degrees North.
Avg Price: $50 per person
Photo by Burppler Veronica Phua

When you're in the mood for a new dining experience, head right on to Punggol East, where a cluster of seven restaurants in shipping containers are now operational. Located within Social Enterprise Eco Development at Social Innovation Park, these container restaurants overlook the waterway, offering great atmosphere for alfresco dining. Whether you're up for a nibble or a full meal, you're likely to find something, from classic Fish and Chips ($6.90) from Big Fish Small Fish to tasty Sambal Stingray ($13) from D'Grill. To beat the heat, hop over to L'Chaim Bistro for a couple of pints ($6 for half; $11 for full), or cool off with a cold treat at like the Matcha Sherbet ($6.30) at Leung Kee Healthy Dessert. Pro tip: Check the weather forecast before you leave home. The sun can be merciless in the afternoons, so we would suggest coming by for an early dinner.
Avg Price: $10-$25 per person, depending on restaurant
Photo by Burppler Raine Liu

By the good folks behind Standing Sushi Bar and Tanuki Raw comes this Donburi-focused stall. Located in 100AM, Salmon Samurai serves a great Salmon Bowl ($9.90) with fresh salmon brought in on a daily basis and only prepared a la order. There are four ways to have your salmon — raw, poke, grilled or mentaiyaki (our Burpple Community's favourite). The latter sees smoky yet creamy mentai sauce flamed to perfection — just like the stellar scallop mentaiyaki available at Standing Sushi Bar. Choose to have your salmon over a bed of udon, brown rice or salad and ask to top up with half an Avocado ($1.50), Onsen Egg ($1) or Ebiko ($1) if you want more flavour, although the bowl is satisfying enough on its own. Pro tip: Complete your donburi with a side of Salmon Miso Soup ($2) — Burpple Tastemaker Justin Teo praises it for being great value, considering it comes chock full of soft salmon chunks and mushrooms.
Avg Price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler Dex Neo