Singapore for me is always a welcome getaway, especially for food and great dining experiences. What never ceases to amaze me is that every time I go, there seem to be new, more trendy international dining experiences to suit all budgets but especially in the mid-to-upper-smart segment. Singaporeans take food very seriously and a good introduction for the serious food lover is to visit the city during the World Gourmet Summit every April. Organised by Peter Knipp,an efficient team puts together a complete culinary itinerary which surpasses itself every year.

This year the Summit was spread over a month and had chefs as iconic as Anne Sophie Pic, the only woman in France to have earned the coveted 3 Michelin stars, Pebeyre truffle dinner, wines from the ‘Kings of Spain,’ Alvaro Palacios, Dominio de Pingus and Vega Sicilia as well as Antinori from Italy and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte and Beaucastel from France. There are cookery demos by world-renowned chefs, known as Masterclasses, Gourmet Safaris, where you tear around eating a different course in a different restaurant. It sounds mad, but all works like clockwork. Then there are the Vintner dinners you cannot miss. Here, invited world-class chefs from around the globe recreate their signature dishes in their hosting establishments. These experiences are once in a lifetime.
These are my picks from a week in Singapore for 2008.

HUMBLE HOUSE Art in a dish
Andrew Tjioe is the man behind the Tung Lok group of restaurants, which includes the very chic Club Chinois (French-Chinese cuisine), Ling Zhi (very popular Chinese vegetarian) Lao Beijing (specialises in noodles) and the eclectic My Humble House. His new restaurant Signature’s is a more down-to-earth Chinese affair which overlooks a newly refurbished, throbbing Clark Quay.

My Humble House is a Chinese fantasy come true – a real fusion of East meets West, fuchsia meets grey, only you get the best of both, not the worst as with most ‘fusion’ concepts. The restaurant is situated in what is known locally as the new ‘Durian’ building, the Esplanade. Enter an artistic enclave; an oversize velvet maroon chair greets you as you walk in. You are not quite sure whether somebody will read your palm or give you a table. The food is art on a plate; quirky, exciting, fun but not flippant. It is exceptional quality and painstakingly detailed. Dishes are beautifully described as Bubbly Joy (grilled king scallops with cream of champagne), Side Walking on Silk and Drifting Clouds of the Autumn Sky. Chef Sam Leong is considered one of the top chefs in Singapore and the restaurant was selected as one of the top 10 romantic spots in the city.
If you are looking for drama both in the surroundings and on your plate, this is the place.

MEZZA 9 Soup in a box
This has been constantly one of my favourite restaurants in the city since it opened in 1998 in conjunction with the relaunch of the Grand Hyatt, Singapore. A play on both the fact that it is on the mezzanine as well as the fact that it has nine different dining experiences in one very fashionable space – international style grills and rotisserie (including a fantastic seafood bar), steam basket, (Chinese), a fashionable martini bar, sushi, Thai, patisserie, a deli, yakitori, a gourmet shop. There’s jazz playing in the background and Singapore’s chic set always comes here. What’s even more astonishing for an experience like this is the speed and the service and the amazing value for money. Four of us ordered dishes from different sections for lunch. Their new bento-box lunch formula gives you a choice of a lunch time offering from several cuisine styles – soup, salad, main course, served all together in a box and very reasonably priced.

The food is straightforward with no hidden agendas – you get what you see since all the kitchen sections are open. You can’t leave without trying the dessert platter – the most sinful and indulgent one in Singapore. Dinner is a special affair – you can even dine in a fine wine cellar, which boasts a well-stocked and chosen international selection.
This is the perfect place to relax, pause and enjoy life if you’re in the Orchard Road area. This is considered one of the top 10 restaurants in Singapore.

INDOCHINE Creme brulee heaven
IndoChine is one of the most magical locations in Singapore for dinner. Situated on the river, you can sit outside by candlelight or in the fashionable bistro-style restaurant inside. While lady waitresses serve you in traditional Chinese satin pyjamas inside. Although a charming setting, the humidity can be uncomfortable outdoors. The dynamic Michael Ma, previously a commodities trader (and oddly enough, the financial district is right opposite the restaurant) first opened the trendy IndoChine, Club Street in 1999 serving Vietnamese and Laotian cuisine. An active environmentalist, he doesn’t serve shark fin, caviar, lobster or roe in IndoChine kitchens. Dishes to try are the Vietnamese fresh rice paper duck rolls, grilled prawn quenelles (paste) on sugar cane, seafood and raw papaya salad, stir-fried scallops with lemon grass and the steamed sea bass in lemon juice. The lemon grass crème brulee – one of the best I have ever had – creamy and unctuous with a heady citrus aroma.
IndoChine was voted one of Travel & Leisure’s ‘100 Fabulous Places and Things for 2001’ worldwide. It is the perfect place for a romantic dinner.

AU JARDIN Colonial grace
I first met the young Chef Justin Quek about 10 years ago when he was at the newly opened Les Amis, a French restaurant off Scotts Road. It was chic and simple and served some of the best contemporary French food I had eaten. It was obvious that he was going places. Today he is at the helm of a small empire comprising of Les Amis, a new Japanese restaurant next door to Aoki, a gourmet food shop ‘Lazy Gourmet’ and bistro (Café Le Amis), the very exclusive Lighthouse at the Fullerton hotel, Sebastian’s and Au Jardin ‘In the Garden’.

Set in the middle of Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, a delightful experience awaits you at the end of a path lined with magenta Frangipani in an enchanting old colonial house. You really feel ‘received’ in a style and grace reminiscent of the best restaurants in Europe. The house has several small dining areas so you never feel that you’re in a restaurant. The ambience, mood, crockery, cutlery, glassware and the menu are decidedly classical French, and the wine list is international and outstanding.
If the menu confuses you, just opt for the six-course ‘Menu Degustation’ or the eight-course Menu Gastronomique. The restaurant has won several awards since it opened in 1998.

ORIGINAL SIN Vegetarian bliss
Here’s a lovely, little, unpretentious restaurant in a street opposite Holland Village. Ideal for the traveller, who is weary of five-star hotels. This is a totally vegetarian Italian bistro. It has the most basic cement flooring, wooden tables and chairs and table-tops made with bits of tiles like crazy paving. And it’s chock-a-block with ladies out to lunch and expats. Prices are around the same as a five-star-coffee shop but the portions are enormous. In fact, I would strongly advise you to order one dish for two people. The Mezze Plate is superb. You’ll get hummus, dolamades (stuffed vine leaves), falafel, tzatziki (a yoghurt and mint dip), baba ganoush (mashed aubergine dip) and the most delicious pumpkin, raisin and pinenut salad. Salads are fresh and very good value. There is a wood-fired pizza oven which produces deliciously crisp pizzas with great toppings like Feta and Goat cheese with roasted tomatoes.
The owner Angelo is a large Pavarotti lookalike who also owns Sistina and Michelangelo, an upmarket Italian and an Italian fast food, a few doors away.

CHEF CHAN’S Superior stock
One of the best Cantonese Chinese meals I have ever had in Singapore is at Chef Chan, which is quite a find, tucked at the back of the National Museum (which itself is a must visit), past their lovely gift shop. Inside, you feel you’ve been transported to a China of the last century – it looks like a movie set with ornate furniture, chests, vases and lacquer boxes – all part of Chef Chan’s personal collection. The ladies who serve in traditional Chinese satin pyjamas, are more comfortable speaking in any Chinese language but the menu is clear and well translated. We chose the eight course sit-down menu which is available for lunch and dinner – but there are simpler alternatives. Dishes to die for are the shark’s fin with eggs, beansprouts and spring onion served in lettuce leaves, Chef Chan’s famous crispy roast chicken served with sichuan pepper and salt on the side and the sliced garoupa with tomato, bean curd and salted vegetable in superior stock. These are all authentic dishes which are difficult to replicate since they are both traditional and require great expertise.
I would keep an afternoon for this experience followed by a long nap or a spa treatment!

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