On Singapore’s bustling Amoy Street, you’ll find diners heading to amazing restaurants serving delicious cuisine from all over the world. There’s Italian, Korean, Sichuan, Japanese and French food, to name a few, on this short but exciting road. But one place that stands out to me with its locally inspired menu is Avenue 87.

Named after the streets in Hougang, in the heartlands of Singapore, that chef-founders Glen Tay and Alex Phan grew up on (Avenue 7 and Avenue 8, if you were wondering), Avenue 87 is a modern Asian restaurant that brings together Singaporean flavours and creative, contemporary techniques. 

Here, you’ll be blown away eating the snacks that are just the prelude to the meal. In their current hawker-inspired tasting menu, these bites include a Prawn Sphere, inspired by local hawker prawn noodles. The intense, crustacean-based broth is encased in an orb that bursts with flavour, topped with Avruga caviar and Sakura ebi.

Further along in your meal, you’ll find a dish inspired by something you don’t expect to see at a fine dining restaurant. ‘Tofu’ is chef Glen Tay’s tribute to the humble tau kwa pau at Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau, a hawker stall he missed dearly while working overseas. Instead of the simple stuffed tau kwa, a kind of firm tofu, Avenue 87 stuffs their double fried pressed tofu with plant based OmniMeat, cucumber, quail egg braised in oolong tea, and drizzles it all with a braised sauce reduction.

The desserts pay equal homage to well-loved local dishes. Chef Alex Phan’s ‘Taro’ is inspired by orh nee, a traditional taro-based dessert. This elevated take on a Teochew classic features yam purée and ice cream, rum-infused ginkgo nuts and a pumpkin seed financier. 

Avenue 87 is one of those experiences you’ll remember, with food that genuinely carries the stories of Singapore. The menu here is a skilful blend of nostalgia and modernity, but what ties it all together is the friendship of the two chefs, and the love and care they put into every single dish.

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• Address: 47 Amoy St, Singapore 069873
  
• Tel: 9838 8401 
• Mondays to Saturdays, 11.30am – 2.30pm 
• Mondays to Saturdays, 6.00pm – 10.00pm