What to Eat in August 2022

We’ve got haute interpretations of cai fan favourites, champions of local produce and house-grown herbs as well as Singapore-exclusive dining experiences. So scroll along for four of the best of this month’s recommendations.

Restaurant Born

Once home to a rickshaw depot, the heritage building on the corner of Tanjong Pagar and Neil Road now houses a fine-dining restaurant of contemporary cuisine. The main dining room, flanked by an elegant open kitchen, is bathed in light from a glass ceiling supported by graceful colonnades. A massive paper sculpture by Dutch artist Peter Gentenaar floats above the space, fashioned into a billowing form.

The menu at Restaurant Born is inspired by chef-owner Zor Tan’s life. What results is a parade of Chinese courses that marries chef’s Malaysian-Chinese heritage and the French techniques gleaned from the elite kitchens he’s helmed. Each dish is story-telling on a plate, encapsulating a harvest of memories and representing the culinary expression of chef Zor’s “Best of Right Now”.

The course kicks off with the Buri, Galangal, and Daikon – a tribute to his early stint at a Japanese restaurant. The Chicken Liver, Smoked Oil, and Forest Mushroom pays homage to chef’s mentor, Andre Chiang, whose Foie Gras Parfait was a star dish at Restaurant Andre. Another rich course sees glutinous rice balls filled with crab miso, topped with crab roe sauce, crab bisque, butter, and a playful flourish of egg white caviar.

Visit Restaurant Born at 1 Neil Road. Tel: 9270 8718

Nobu Singapore

Fans of this celebrity-favourite Japanese restaurant no longer need to travel for a taste of chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s New-Style cuisine. Nobu Singapore sits within the Four Seasons Hotel and is reached by walking through a scenic Japanese garden.

The fine-dining spot is esteemed for its fusion of Japanese cuisine and South American influences, resulting in global favourites like the Black Cod Miso, Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño, Toro Tartare with Caviar and, of course, its outstanding sushi spread. Special dishes come in familiar forms here, inspired by Singaporean flavours and ingredients. 

Nobu’s outpost in Singapore is also the group’s first to feature a Chef’s Table as part of a private dining space within the restaurant. Exclusive to a select number of Nobu restaurants worldwide, a lively sake bar and teppanyaki dining experience also set up house here.

Visit Nobu Singapore at 190 Orchard Blvd, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, Level 3. Tel: 6831 7653

Ocean Restaurant

Sustainability is embedded in the heart of Ocean Restaurant, where its sophisticated new look takes centre stage: From a deep sea colour palette and fluid architectural lines to furnishings constructed with traceable materials. The restaurant’s renewed vigour was influenced by the manta ray – representing a form of balance and grace which the restaurant hopes to exude.

With the refurbishment comes an elevated menu, and with that, a new celebrity chef, Olivier Bellin, who is most renowned as the chef-owner of two Michelin-starred L’Auberge des Glazicks. The result is a seafood-focussed menu straddling sustainably-sourced seafood, local produce and house-grown herbs.

This is immediately apparent in the first course of Cauliflower Purée and Squid Ink Sauce with Oscietra Caviar from Kaviari. The Lobster Raviolo is served after, steep in Roasted Shell Sauce with the freshness of Granny Smith and Foie Gras.

The mains are a Butter Poached Dover Sole, as well as a Josper Oven-baked Wagyu Beef that is complemented by Seared Asparagus, Confit Potatoes and Seaweed. Rounding out the feast on a refreshing note is the Strawberry Pavlova topped with Diplomat Cream with Matcha Tea and Strawberry Sorbet.

Visit Ocean Restaurant at 22 Sentosa Gateway, Equarius Hotel, B1M, #B1-455 & 456. Tel: 6577 6869

Oumi

Oumi is one of the dining concepts within the 1-Arden F&B and lifestyle destination at CapitaSpring, specialising in contemporary Japanese Kappo cuisine. The possibilities of its ever-fickle menu are left to what the season provides.

This month, Oumi cranks it up a notch with a two-day-only, “six-hands” collaboration. The experience will see chef Lamley Chua of Oumi work closely with Australian guest chef Michael Ryan of 2-hat awarded Provenance, and resident chef John-Paul Fiechtner of Kaarla.

Presented for lunch and dinner on 17 and 18 August, the omakase-style menu teems with exquisite picks treated with a “nose-to-tail” approach. From the land and seas of Japan comes Kagoshima Satsuma Wagyu and Kinmedai (Alfonsino), while the coasts and inland of Australia present Abrolhos Islands Scallops, Marron, and Australian Winter Truffle. 

The selection is further enhanced by rich pickings like Daikon, Tigernut and Wasabina harvested at the Food Forest in the restaurant’s backyard, under the guidance of 1-Arden’s dedicated head farmer, Christopher Leow, from Edible Garden City. Lunch is a four-course meal, while diners for dinner can expect a six-course menu.

Visit Oumi at 88 Market Street, CapitaSpring, #51-01. Tel: 8338 3251