Welcome to our first Hot New Tables of 2020! We’re not even a month into the year and we’re already excited about so many new bars and restaurants – no complaints here. We’ve got an exciting Taiwanese night market making its way to the Lion City, a new joint serving up moules-frites in different flavours and Le Petit Chef extending its stay till 31 June, just to name a few.
Black Marble by Otto
Chef Otto Weibel needs no introduction, with over five decades of experience in the culinary industry. Needless to say, we were stoked to check out his newest venture. His first restaurant, Otto’s Deli Fresh, has been rebranded to Black Marble by Otto and the space has gotten a facelift as well. The 55-seater restaurant is drenched in a monochrome palette of black and grey with brick accents on the walls.
Specialising in grilled food, chef Otto’s philosophy is to “keep it simple with perfection”. That’s lovingly reflected in the dishes, especially since all the sauces are made from scratch and the beef is dry-aged in-house. Take the dry-aged Angus ribeye, for example: Served medium rare, it’s so good on its own that you don’t need any sauce to go with it. Another worthy contender has to be the grilled lamb rack. No gamey taste whatsoever, and it pairs nicely with the chimichurri sauce for a refreshing flavour. Seafoodies can dig into the fresh ocean platter, which features Boston lobster tail, Tasmanian mussels, tiger prawn, octopus and salmon trout or saffron risotto, which is topped with sweet lobster chunks and scallops.
Black Marble by Otto, #02-01, Raffles Holland V Mall, 118 Holland Avenue, Singapore 278997
Taiwan Food Festival: Ningxia Night Market
From now till 9 February, foodies can head over to Sentosa to have a taste of Taiwan’s famous Ningxia Night Market, aka the “stomach of Taipei”. This pop-up, which spans from Siloso Point to Siloso Beach, will feature over 30 vendors and 130 different types of snacks, including popular street food like flaming beef cubes, egg-bombed scallion pancake, Taiwanese sausage with glutinous rice and more!
Taiwan Food Festival featuring Ningxia Night Market, Siloso Point, Sentosa, Singapore 099598
Le Petit Chef at Grand Hyatt Singapore
Those who missed out on this immersive dining experience last year will be glad to know that Le Petit Chef is continuing its run till 31 June 2020! At this two-hour culinary experience like no other, you will travel the Silk Road without leaving your seat. From the Middle East and all the way to China, you’ll be treated to a feast that pays tribute to each of the locales with music, captivating visuals and delectable dishes. The menu includes a trove of oceanic delights on seashells as the “chef” makes his way to the Middle East by boat; and when you arrive in India, a plate of naan bread, butter chicken and raita await. The hotel’s executive sous chef Steffan Heerdt and his team have also crafted an exclusive plant-based menu for vegan diners!
Le Petit Chef at Grand Hyatt Singapore, Mezza9, Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211
BTM Mussels & Bar
New to Duxton Hill, BTM Mussels & Bar specialises in Belgian’s national dish: Moules-frites aka mussels and fries. And after sampling what it has to offer, we’re convinced that this spot will be as popular as its neighbouring steak counterpart, L’Entrecote.
During our visit, we tried four different flavours of moules-frites: Marinières, ardennaise, thailandaises and au roquefort. Marinières is a classic flavour cooked with white wine, butter, parsley and onion for a light and flavourful broth. For something tangy, the au roquefort fits the bill with a mixture of blue cheese and cream, which helps to mellow the acidity. As much as we loved the European flavours, we were huge fans of the inventive, Asian-inspired thailandaises. Made using lime leaves, chilli, lemongrass and coconut, the tasty broth halted our minds at a crossroads for a split second before we eagerly dived in for a second spoonful. And of course, once you’re done with the rustic beauties, sop up the broth with crispy fries.
Joining us at the table was the owner of restaurant group Déliciae Hospitality Management (DHM), Olivier Bendel, and boy, was our dinner eventful. Each dish was paired with a riveting anecdote or fun fact about everything under the sun, from when he first arrived in Singapore to the proper way of preparing mussels and how he has developed over 250 mussels recipes to date. So look out for new flavours popping up on the menu from time to time.
While mussels may be the star of the menu, don’t overlook crowd-pleasers like Le Croq-Truffle, a truffle-loaded croque monsieur that is the perfect blend of salty and cheesy; bitterballen, a dutch beef meatball that is crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside; and the escargot tartes flambées, a French-style pizza that had us dreaming about the light and flaky crust for days.
BTM Mussels & Bar, 5 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089591
1-V:U
Don’t let the name throw you off; it’s pronounced as “one view”. And what a great view it boasts, from its perch up high on The Outpost Hotel, the city’s first adult-exclusive property in Sentosa. Housing a chill day club and a smart-casual Asian restaurant, the space beckons you with spectacular sights of the Singapore Straits, which makes it an ideal spot to watch the sun go down on another day. If you’re all about luxe beach partying, take a dip in the infinity pool or lounge on sunbeds with a cocktail in hand and a beat backdrop of groovy house, soul and nu-disco. In the mood for something heartier than bar bites? Hit up the 60-seater restaurant for sharing plates whipped up in the open kitchen. The communal menu is divided into “Terra” (land) and “Aqua” (sea) dishes, with highlights such as the Korean-inspired glazed beef oyster blade steak, Josper-grilled octopus with gochujang emulsion and lion’s head Asian hamburg. To sample a little bit of everything, we’d recommend you try the tasting menu for five to seven courses of unique, flavourful creations.
1-V:U, L7, The Outpost Hotel, 10 Artillery Avenue, Sentosa, Singapore 099951
Allium
Experts in the local F&B scene predicted that one of the food trends in 2020 would be sustainable dining, and the newly-sprouted Allium confirms that – what perfect timing too, since it’s Veganuary. It’s not a full-on vegan restaurant, but plant-based dishes like fenugreek white wine curry, pine nut and root vegetable congee, and black truffle braised beancurd steal the limelight. Meat eaters can still get their fill, although beefy dishes take up no more than one-twentieth of the menu. Wash it all down with the curated selection of wines.
Allium, #01-11, Kensington Square, 2 Jln Lokam, Singapore 537846
Need more Honeycombers in your life? Head this way…
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