From The Straits Times    |

 

Photo: Odette

 

Anyone who feels stifled by typical, uninspired fare will find liberation from culinary boredom at these top restaurants in Singapore. Featuring an eclectic menu from the best chefs, even the most cynical gourmand will find himself a convert. 

 

1. Odette

Photo: Odette 

The French restaurant jumped 10 spots to crack top 20 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2018, and in 2019, shot to No. 1. The showstopper is its Heirloom Beetroot Variation. The medley of red, white and golden beetroot with beetroot sorbet, radish slices and buttery burrata is a contrast of cold sorbet and crunchy radish.

Address: #01-04 National Gallery 

 

2. Candlenut

Photo: Candlenut

 

Chef Malcolm Lee pushes the boundaries at his world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant. Take his buah keluak ice cream. It’s a fascinating fusion of bitter Valrhona chocolate on a bed of salted caramel chocolate crumble and chilli specks. The rich flavours are an intriguing combo of salty, sweet, spicy and bitter.

Address: 17A Dempsey Road

 

3. Restaurant Zen

Photo: Restaurant Zen

 

Opened Opened in November 2018, this is an off shoot of Frantzen, the only restaurant in Sweden to get three Michelin stars. In Singapore, Restaurant Zen’s cuisine is part Nordic, part French, part Japanese-inspired, and features a $450++ nine-course tasting menu; there is no a la carte menu. It’s a lot to pay for a meal (plus $250 if you want wine pairing), but one look at the eatery’s box of ingredients– featuring white truffles, wild trout roe and caviar– in its downstairs kitchen will reassure you. The Raraka, a signature dish (and import from its parent Frantzen), is a crisp bird’s nest-like cylinder of fried potatoes stuffed with creme fraiche and roe from a freshwater whitefish called vendace. The dish looks like a work of art in itself and is unequivocally delicious.

Address: 41 Bukit Pasoh Road

 

ALSO READ: 10 BEST SINGAPORE RESTAURANTS, AS PICKED BY LOCAL FOODIES