If you needed a reason to dine out in 2020, it’d be with Hi5SG. The nationwide dining campaign by the people behind #savefnbsg aims to provide much-needed support to the struggling F&B industry through sumptuous dining experiences all across town. Best of all, part of their proceeds will also go to =DREAMS, a charitable drive assisting underprivileged children to reach their potential.
Ground Pot Chicken (di guo ji) at Peng Cheng Xiao Chu. Photo: Peng Cheng Xiao Chu
Peng Cheng’s historic culinary history - we’re talking over 4,000 years - continues to thrive at the unassuming Peng Cheng Xiao Chu along Temple Street. The quaint establishment doles out a plethora of dishes telling stories of the Han Dynasty and what’s now known as Xuzhou. The highlight is the Ground Pot Chicken (di guo ji) which consists of braised chicken and slices of bing zi, a chewy flour cake, that’s been soaking in a umami-laden gravy but you’d also want to grab a plate of their crowd-pleasing Deep Fried Dough Twist and Chinese Popiah (peng cheng yi jue) and the Stewed Assorted Delicacies (quan jia fu) that signifies prosperity for the whole family with handmade meat and fish balls, squids eggs, to name a few.
Promotion: Signature five-course set meal for 2 at $55++
Fish Soup Noodles at Ka-Soh. Photo: Ka-Soh
Thick, succulent slices of fish swimming in a milky broth of snakehead fish bones and evaporated milk, topped with a splash of Chinese wine, this Cantonese-style Fish Soup Noodles is a star dish that has had Ka-Soh winning crowds since 1939. The homegrown restaurant, formerly known as Swee Kee Fish Head Noodle House, is now helmed by third-generation Cedric Tang, who continues to excite our taste buds with traditional dishes done impeccably. Other notable items in the menu include the Signature Prawn Paste Chicken, which is considered one of the best in Singapore, the homely Seafood Mui Fan and their Red Bean Pancake.
Promotion: $55+ Set Menu for 4 pax
Food spread at Cloudstreet. Photo: Cloudstreet
For one of Singapore’s best dining experiences, head to Cloudstreet, where acclaimed chef Rishi Naleendra marries disparate cultures, influences and unique ingredients into one unforgettable tasting menu. Always a surprise, the experience may showcase Naleendra’s Sri Lankan and Australian heritage in the Curry with Western Australian Marron, or the Sakura Ebi with Dhal and Aioli. Throw in a fine beverage pairing, be it wines influenced by volcanoes to non-alcoholic combinations of teas, fruits and lacto-fermentations, by sommelier Vinodhan Veloo, and there are few things better than an evening at this stellar establishment.
Promotion: Diners will be able to donate $1 added to their bill to =DREAMS
Squid Gado Gado at laut. Photo: laut
laut is an ode to Southeast Asia’s seafaring past of the Orang Laut, with its name taking inspiration from the Bahasa Melayu word for sea. The restaurant and cocktail bar prides itself in innovative takes on the region's bounteous ocean and Straits Chinese flavors, as well as our local produce, including hand-picked seafood from Ah Hua Kelong. A visit there will be remiss without the Squid Gado Gado topped with fish crackers or the Laut Curry featuring an aromatic rendang broth, as well as their curiously named cocktails boasting unlikely Asian ingredients, such as the Soy with a Gula Melaka-infused Arrack, spiced mango, tamarind, chrysanthemum and clarified fermented soy.
Promotion: $1 from Tuna ($15++) and Squid Gado ($25++) will be donated to =DREAMS
Thai food at Blue Jasmine. Photo: Blue Jasmine
Travel plans may be shelved but we’d very much still like to savour Thailand’s beloved street food staples - and, luckily for Singaporeans, there’s Blue Jasmine. Perennial favourites are its seafood dishes, including the Stir Fried Pad Thai Prawns with an appetite whetting tamarind sauce and the Crispy Lemongrass Sea Bass that comes with a citrusy Thai Herbs Salad for a perfect pairing with a classic Tom Yum Fried Rice. Desserts are no pushover either with their refined take on the eye-catching Red Ruby that’ll take you straight to the beaches of Thailand with ample jackfruit slices and a coconut sorbet.
Promotion: Bento five at $56
Related: All Thai Recipes
Biryani Nigiri at Meat Smith Little India. Photo: Meat Smith Little India
Who would’ve known that spices, rubs and sauces commonplace in Indian cuisine would find a match made in culinary heaven with American-style barbecue? Well, it looks like chefs Andrew Baldus and Kurt Sombero did, and we get to savor their delectable fruits of labor at Meat Smith Little India. Classics are reinterpreted with fiery and aromatic spices in sharing plates, ranging from a Kerala Beef Short Rib, a personal favorite of Ikura & Creme Fraiche Papadum and the never-seen-before Foie Gras & Turmeric Doughnuts as a la carte or part of their platters. Complete the experience with their usual offerings of easygoing pints or quell the spice with a Mango Lassi.
Promotion: Bucket of 5 Four Pines Ale for $40 and chef Kurt's Biryani Nigiri for $5
Popiah at Straits Chinese Nyonya Restaurant. Photo: Straits Chinese Nyonya Restaurant
Straits Chinese Nyonya Restaurant is a champion for Peranakan cuisine - a marriage of Chinese ingredients and cooking techniques of Malay and Indonesian communities. Considered the oldest Nyonya restaurant in Singapore with founder Yap Chee Kuee opening its first outlet at Joo Chiat back in 1953, the homegrown establishment serves up tangy, aromatic and spicy recipes privy only to the family. Over the years, it has become a bastion for the cuisine and its culture with a traditional spread you’ll no doubt find at a Nyonya’s (name for Peranakan women) humble abode. A tip: turn up with an empty stomach.
Promotion: $55++ Set Menu
Related: All Peranankan Delights
Teochew Braised Duck at Ye Shanghai. Photo: Ye Shanghai
We say taxi drivers have the best tips when it comes to some of Singapore’s “cheap and good” spots and they’ve definitely hit the jackpot with Ye Shanghai Restaurant. With over 50 home cooked specialties, ranging from the tender Teochew Braised Duck to the unassuming Chilled Teochew Mullet that’s a dream with a tangy chilli sauce made in-house, you’ll hardly go wrong with your choices here. The key to taking your teochew porridge experience up a notch is in the sauce, which you can make yourself by mixing the salted fermented soybeans, chilli and the flavorsome braised sauce. Watch the seasoned insiders while you’re there cause they know exactly how it’s done.
Promotion: $25 Signature Teochew Steamed Fish and Teochew Braised Duck
A spread of food at Red House Seafood. Photo: Red House Seafood
Red House Seafood has gained a following for its extravagant - as the name suggests - seafood dishes inspired by flavors from Cantonese, Fujian and Hainanese cuisine. The homegrown spot curates some of the world’s top sustainable seafood from the North Sea, Indian Ocean and Oceania region for signatures such as the Red House Chilli Crab with your choice of the meaty Sri Lankan Mud Crab, delicate and sweet Scottish Brown or the succulent Alaskan King. You’ll also find a variety of prawns, lobsters and fish in a vast range of cooking styles and sauces, alongside refined zi char classics, including an indulgent Scallop Egg White Fried Rice.
Promotion: $55 Set Menus with $50 Return Voucher
A spread of food at Yàn at National Gallery Singapore. Photo: Yàn at National Gallery Singapore
Those looking to impress will be at ease at Yàn at National Gallery Singapore. The grandiose restaurant is not only pretty to look at, but is also one of the top spots for an elegant Cantonese meal. Head chef Ng Sen Tio expertly dishes out the crème de la crème of the cuisine in his fuss-free set menus which features the Yàn Peking Roast Duck and a laborious Braised 6 Head Abalone with Black Mushroom and Vegetables. But what’s a Cantonese dining table without a double-boiled soup? Ng handpicks each nutritious ingredient that goes into his repertoire of soups, including the collagen-rich Superior Chicken Broth with Fish Maw and Bamboo Pith and the invigorating Double-boiled Peru Maca Soup with Dried Seafood.
Promotion: Fifth guest dines free
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