We decided to go a little out of the way for our readers (thanks for the suggestion) and did a walkabout of the tri-area of Suntec City, Marina Square, and Millenia Walk. With two out of three malls under remodeling, here’s the lowdown you sorely need on where to go for lunch.
Millenia Walk
Hooray! CBD fave Joe & Dough (#02-31) has finally opened in Millenia Walk. Besides offering a good cuppa, the sandwiches are pretty kick ass. We love the Cajun Chicken and the Teriyaki Chicken. Another spot for sandwiches is the aptly named Simply Sandwich (#01-92). The beauty about this place is that they have tasty made-to-order sandwiches and those that are pre-packed are fine if you’re pressed for time.
Joe & Dough
Yet one more place that dishes out good coffee, paninis and wraps is the Commune Café & Bistro (#02-50). The extra kicker about this café is the excellent baked goods and desserts. We recommend the chocolate tart and the strawberry cake.
No mall (especially in the city) is complete without a salad bar, and Millenia Walk’s is The Green Bar (#01-91B), which made our top 20 salad bars by the way. Try something different here, like the Absolutely Wicked Strawberry (strawberry, mesclun, roasted chicken and Danish blue cheese) or the Smoked Duck Surprise.
Check out Singapore’s first pasta, noodle, and wine bar (courtesy of the people behind SaladStop!), Doodle! (#01-88), where pasta comes in cute flavours like Seoulful Sensation, Laksa Lips, and Under the Tuscan Sun. If you don’t like anything they have, you can make your own pasta. Just next-door is Switch! (wraps), which offers wraps with the same Asian twist – think Yakitory Story and Kinky Kimchi.
If you have a Muslim colleague, you probably know about the halal Fika Swedish Café & Bistro (#01-20) already. Even if you don’t, try out this place for the Swedish meatballs – they have an option for gluten free pasta too. For more Asian inspired cuisine, the Thai food at Ruby (#01-06) is decent and will definitely fix your tom yum/green curry craving.
Keisuke Tokyo
Get your ramen fix at two absurdly famous ramen shops, Keisuke Toyko (P3-02) and Nantsuttei (P3-06), at Parco Marina Bay. Unfortunately, the department store’s closing down and the ramen joints are going along with it. The last day of operations is 23 Feb 2014, so hurry!
Suntec City
With Towers 1-4 still under renovation, you’ll only find food at the Convention Centre and the Fountain of Wealth.
Aside from the typical lunchtime crowd pleasers like Din Tai Fung (#02-302) and Soup Spoon (#02-308) – face it, it’s where you head if you have a bigger group that just cannot agree on what to eat – there’s also Smoothie King (#02-312). Hailing from New Orleans, this smoothie chain offers hot (have the Grilled Spicy Chicken) and cold wraps, as well as salads (we heart the Citrus Walnut salad).
Fellas, you’re in luck! One of the hottest Vietnamese eateries in town, Nam Nam Noodle Bar (#B1-131), has an outlet in Suntec. With a $9.90 set lunch – salad + pho with chicken or beef slices + Vietnamese coffee/lotus tea/bottled water – expect a daily lunch queue. They also have Banh mis (Vietnamese baguettes), starting at $5.90.
L’Entrecote
Feeling ravenous? Pick either New York Grand Kitchen (#B1-133), where the price of the mains includes unlimited helpings at the soup-and-salad bar, or L’Entrecote (#B1-128), where the only main (Entrecote steak) comes with unlimited servings of fries. Now you definitely need some coffee to stave off that food coma!
For spicy fare, check out Punggol Nasi Padang (#B1-100) – the chili gave our pores a really good workout without, well, the workout – and a Singaporean favourite, the fish head curry at Muthu’s Curry (#B1-109), which is great for big groups. The butter chicken is pretty good too. Another restaurant great for large groups is Peperoni Pizzeria (#B1-130), which you’re probably no stranger to, so enough said.
Marina Square
Part of Marina Square’s Dining Edition, Japanese-Italian restaurant Nuvo (#02-100) offers (duh) fusion food, even in their two-course set lunches at $19. Trust us, have a go at their kurobuta pork belly! If you’re looking for affordable ($13 and up) bento sets, head to Hifumi (#02-106A), where you’ll be spoilt for choice with over 30 types of set meals available. The best part? FREE FLOW appetisers, we’re not kidding.
Hifumi
Team Honeycombers love all types of ramen, including the (original) hand-pulled Chinese version, which can be found at Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine (#02-181). Try their signatures with the set lunch – it comes with a bowl of noodles and a side of 4 xiao long baos (pork dumplings).
Craving for steak? Parisian chain Hippopotamus (#01-204) is offering a two-course meal (main and dessert) at a mere $15.90. We had the skirt steak, medium rare, which was surprisingly well done. But if you have a lunch date with a vegetarian colleague or client, try Pita Pan (#02-183A), which dishes out (meatless but) tasty Mediterranean fare like falafel sandwiches, shakshukas, and veggie shawarmas.
Big eaters will find lunch at Suki-Ya (#02-183B) extremely good value for money. With unlimited servings of vegetables, noodles, and thinly sliced beef, pork, and chicken for $17.90, you’ll definitely need an extension on that lunch break since you’ll get to indulge for a full 80 minutes. Tip: bring a friend, ‘cause the second diner only forks out $10.90!
Top Image: Nam Nam Noodle Bar