Asian

Magnificently smoky and tangy Sawarakian pineapple fried rice, served with a liberal sprinkling of crispy tapioca leaves and chicken floss. Every al dente grain was inbued with flavour and chunks of pineapple dotted the rice. The chicken satay was tender and succulent, what made it even better was a marinade of gula apong palm sugar. Extracted from indigenous mangrove trees, the sap imparted a fragrant sweetness with a whisper of salinity to the meat.

I don't recall salmon being part of traditional Bornean cuisine, but this was good enough for me not to care. The massive hunk of pan-seared salmon was rich and fatty, sat on an island of mash potato in the middle of a sea of creamy tomato sauce, both of which went swimmingly well with the fish.

Probably Singapore’s first restaurant specialising in Borneo cuisine, @kantinjewel gets an unequivocal thumbs up from me. Situated on the picturesque, skylit top floor of Changi Jewel amidst a cluster of other bars and restaurants, this establishment serves full-flavoured dishes that though not wholly authentic, will definitely pique your palate with their fulsome fusion flavours.
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The verdant green fried rice was suffused with the aroma of herbs and wok hei, and topped with addictive crispy fried tapioca leaves. Also impressive were the golden nuggets of crunchy deep-fried cauliflower that proved to be quite popular around the table.

Though not super smoky, I thought the silky wok-fried rice pin noodles had decent flavour. Cabbage, bean sprouts and crispy beancurd skins provided plenty of crunch in contrast to the soft noodles, whilst the lightly battered shitake mushrooms added meaty heft. It’s a shame the noodles weren’t actually cooked in the claypot itself though.
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Taste: 3/5

A sinful end to the 3-course set lunch, the deep-fried donut can be a little oily and too sweet for some, but I enjoyed the crisp exterior and warm and fluffy dough piped with a choice of either with cheesecake mousse & raspberry coulis or nutella & banana mousse.
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Taste: 3.5/5

Absolutely stellar accompaniments with each and every one of @koal.grill 's set lunch rice bowls, including the Grassfed rib eye's accompaniments of refreshingly tart and crunchy kimchi, as well as umami marinated shimeji and shio kombu edamame. The meat however, though smoky and flavourful, was a little tough and chewier than I would have liked.
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Taste: 3.5/5

A well-executed twist on classic tiramisu, this is my pick of desserts for the 3-course set lunch. The earthy hojicha comes through but not overwhelmingly so, with just a touch of Japanese whisky adding character to the lusciously creamy tiramisu specked with crushed pistachio.
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Taste: 3.5/5

If you’re in Orchard at lunchtime and are hankering after a little something more upmarket that won’t break the bank, casual Asian grill restaurant @koal.grill 's 3-course set lunch is on the money.
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Whet the appetite with chilled tofu smothered in a funky and spicy beef lao gan ma sauce, then move on to a hearty rice bowl topped with melt-in-your-mouth slices of pork alongside marinated shimeiji, charred broccoll and shio kombu edamame. Absolutely satisfying.
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Taste: 3.5/5

Tangy enough that it didn’t need me to dirty my hands with a squeeze of lime, this bowl of saucy noodz was quite satisfying, but I left still feeling hungry. The friendly owner told me her customers had feedbacked that the portions were previously too large, hence she tweaked it to the current smaller serving size, but to please ask her for an upsize next time!

Taste: 3/5

Not too sweet nor thick, the gravy nevertheless still had enough body and flavour, with a pleasantly spicy punch and I think I even tasted hints of dried shrimp. Loads of shallots, spring onion and green chilli is the way I like it too, but the tau kwa was a tad too chewy this time round.

Taste: 3/5

All the dishes preceding our main were so outstanding that even though this was no slouch, we felt it lacked the je ne sais quoi of the starters.

Whilst the kebab spice rub on the pork was flagrantly fragrant, the meat itself was a tad tough. As for the miso tonkotsu broth, it was serviceable if unmemorable, very clearly at odds with the kebab spice and thicker-than-chashu cuts of pork.

Taste: 3/5

Highlighting local ingredients across practically all their dishes, Laut’s simply titled “Frogs” is a prime example and sees Frenched local frog legs from Jurong Frog Farm coated in an oatmeal and cereal crumb blend. Inspired by the “tze char” dish cereal prawn, yet so much better, the frog lollipops encased in crunchy cereal batter are mouthwateringly tender and extremely flavourful from the curry leaf butter-infused mound of cereal “sand” and fragrant curry leaves.

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Taste: 4/5