From The Straits Times    |

Everyone loves a piping hot plate of char kuay teow. But at times you want to spoil yourself or a loved one with something nicer. And by nicer, we’re thinking more of a decadent multiple-course dinner with waiters at your beck and call, rather than Sushi Express.

If you want to enjoy dinner at a true fine dining restaurant (rather than a fancier casual restaurant), you’re usually looking at forking out more than $100 per head, and even more if you drink wine.

Here are six fine dining restaurants that charge relatively affordable prices.

The Clan

Photo: Moneysmart

1 Selegie Road PoMo #02-01/08 Singapore 188306

If eating at fine dining restaurants isn’t a habit of yours, The Clan makes for a good first experience as staff are friendly and the vibe not too stuffy or intimidating, despite an exclusive-looking interior. The restaurant has moved from its previous premises on Neil Road to PoMo.

Their 6-course set dinner costs $78++ and you have a choice between mains such as wagyu beef loin ($48 à la carte menu) and Spanish pork belly ($32 à la carte).

Bridge

31 Seah Street Singapore 188387

Bridge is one of Singapore’s most affordable fine dining restaurants, and is targeted at ordinary people who want to have their first taste of the formal dining experience. That means they design their menus to be cost effective. You won’t see waiters walking around in tuxedos here.

The three-course menu costs $55+ per person and currently includes a choice between chrysanthemum infused snapper ($30 à la carte) and corn-fed chicken with coconut kaffir sauce ($30 à la carte), while the five-course menu costs $95+ per person. The à la carte menu includes foie gras and melon honey vinegar sauce ($22) and black venera rice and oyster ($32).

Senso Ristorante & Bar

Photo: Moneysmart

21 Club Street Singapore 069410

Senso is one of Singapore’s best loved Italian fine dining joints and has been around for ages. The vibe is very classic, so try not to wear your tshirt with the banana print.

Homemade pasta dishes include ravioli al vitello ($32) and taglierini neri o bianchi ($34) (that’s squid ink pasta), while mains include roast cod fillet ($40).

Definitely get a subscription to The Entertainer if you’re thinking of dining here, because you can get one-for-one main courses—that would lower the price of your pasta to under $20. You can also use the Entertainer to get 1-for-1 on their Sunday prosecco brunch, which means you and a friend can go for $49 per person rather than $98.

Fat Cow

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1 Orchard Boulevard, Camden Medical Centre #01-01/02 Singapore 248649

This Japanese-inspired steakhouse attracts carnivores in droves, all hankering for the juiciest cut of wagyu.

Meat of this quality doesn’t come cheap—this isn’t Aston’s. A half cut of Grade A3 tenderloin saga costs $98—and that’s the cheapest cut on the menu. A full cut of Grade A5 ribeye tochigi will set you back $320.

Use The Entertainer and you’ll get 1-for-1 on your mains. That means you and a friend each save a whopping $160 on your Grade A5 ribeye tochigi, which is even more than the cost of the subscription.

Aura

Photo: Moneysmart

1 St Andrews Road #05-03 and #06-02 National Gallery Singapore 178957

The new National Gallery opened to much fanfare in 2015, but many Singaporeans are more excited by the fact that it’s the building where Aura is housed than the actual exhibitions.

The restaurant has a sky lounge with the usual stunning views of the city skyline.

Their four-course set dinner costs $88 and features contemporary Italian dishes—during the Chinese New Year season they’ll be serving up porcini mushroom tortelli with pumpkin and candied ginger, and whole steamed Italian seabass with asparagus and sea urchin sauce ($39 à la carte)

Labyrinth

8 Raffles Ave #02-23 Esplanade Singapore 039802

Local cuisine rarely gets much airtime when it comes to haute cuisine, which is what makes Labyrinth so unique. The menu has been designed to display Singaporean flavours and textures.

Order from the à la carte menu and you should be able to keep the bill to under $100 per person.

Their starters include Hokkaido scallop ($20) and hiroshima oyster laksa ($18), mains include roasted pork belly siew yoke umami rice ($24) and cod XO fish noodle soup ($30), and there’s lychee, corn and strawberry ice kachang ($16) and xiao long bao chendol ($8) on the dessert menu.

 

The original version of this story was published in Moneysmart on January 19, 2017.

For more of the best foodie tips and treats, check out www.herworldplus.com/lifestyle/food.