Entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment
Women
Women
Women
Women
Wellness
Women
Wellness
Wellness
Obsessions
Living
People
Living
Style & Beauty
Entertainment
Style & Beauty
Obsessions
Experiences
Dining
Dining
Experiences
Travel
Experiences
Experiences
Travel
Dining
Dining
These hip, cleverly concealed spots are good for a cosy catch-up or a secret job interview with a potential new employer.
(Photos: Synthesis, Ume San 100)
Hidden restaurants are all the rage these days – cleverly concealed behind decoy entrances or out-of-sight doorways. But part of the fun lies in the search and the reward is enjoying a meal (with or without tipples) in a place that feels like you’re out of Singapore without travelling. Good for cosy catch-ups without distractions or if you’re going for a secret job interview.
Here are six new buzzy spots to check out:
1. KOU TEPPAN
This new 68-seat omakase restaurant, by F&B company RE&S Enterprises (the folks behind Kuriya Dining and Ichiban Boshi), is at Great World’s basement level.
It offers an unusual dual teppanyaki experience, where diners can request for seats at a live teppanyaki counter equipped with two teppans (iron plate grill). Instead of the usual single grill, there is a belt-style teppan that circles the dining table, so you can watch your food being cooked up close, while dramatic acts like setting wagyu beef on fire are done at the larger grill behind.
The restaurant is helmed by Kansai native chef Sawada Ko, formerly from Itoh Dining by Nobu in Hakone. Despite the upscale ambience, prices start from a reasonable S$58 for the six-course Enya Lunch Omakase set to S$88 for the eight-course Hino Dinner Omakase.
The dinner omakase, which 8days.sg previewed, includes interesting highlights like sea bream, asari clams and veggies cooked over teppan in a parchment paper bag of broth, as well as grilled A5 wagyu served with your choice of iron pot-cooked kamameshi rice or fried rice.
Wine and sake pairings are also available, at S$48 per person or S$15 for a sake flight (a trio of sake samplers).
1 Kim Seng Promenade, #B1-134, Great World, Singapore 237994. Open daily 11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 10pm.
2. THE BANK
Going to the bank gets a new meaning with the opening of The Bank. The entrance to this retro-style burger bar along Craig Road (yes, it dishes out burgers and beers but not cash) is hidden behind a faux ATM.
It is run by “the people who were the hands and legs of the famous Burger restaurant in Amoy Street” and operates with a no-frills menu. There are three types of burgers in your choice of single or double patty: Signature cheeseburger with hand-formed prime-grade Angus beef patties (from S$18.80), a fried buttermilk chicken burger (from S$18) and grilled portobello burger (from S$18).
You can also order sides like cheese fries (S$11), mozzarella sticks (S$10) and a Baileys milkshake ($17). There is a craft beer board with 12 taps on rotation too.
46 Craig Road, Singapore 089684. Open daily, Mon-Thu 11.30am to 11pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am to 11.59pm, Sun 11.30am to 8pm.
3. ANIBA
How to get to this stylish cocktail lounge slash restaurant with a window view of the Singapore River: Find the discreet entrance at 6 Battery Road and take the private lift up to the fifth floor, where a copper-toned tunnel lined with mushroom-shaped lamps lead you to a cosy, magical bar where a DJ spins house tunes on weekends.
The Middle Eastern-themed Aniba is opened by The Foragers, who also run other cool spots here like Miznon and North Miznon. It features a menu by Israeli chef Meir Adoni, who has worked at three Michelin-starred restaurants like Noma, Arzak and Alinea. Head chef Ido Zarmi, who was previously head chef of members-only club Soho House in Tel-Aviv, helms the kitchen.
Diners can choose from seats at the buzzy Chef’s Bar flanking the open-concept kitchen, or the circular bar where a resident mixologist serves up libations conceptualised by spirits company Proof & Company. The food here is served as sharing plates, with picks like lady fingers-wrapped fish kebabs (S$54) and Yemenite tacos with bluefin tuna toro (S$57).
6 Battery Road, #05-03, Singapore 049909. Open daily except Mon. Sun-Thu 12pm to 12am, Fri 12pm to 5pm, Sat 8pm to 2am.
4. UME SAN 100
A row of vending machines may not be an unusual sight in Singapore. But a particular cluster of machines at Fortune Centre aren’t dispensing any drinks. Instead, the faux front pushes open to reveal a dry ramen bar by day and umeshu bar by night (just look out for the ‘machine’ selling condoms).
Called Ume San 100, the 40-seater claims to house “Singapore’s largest umeshu collection” with over 100 types of beverages.
During the day, the wood-clad izakaya serves ramen bowls like Signature Nagoya Dry Prawn Ramen (S$20) and Angry Asari Soup Ramen (S$16) with spicy soup, as well as a fusion Lok Lok Oden (S$18). Other than a selection of cocktails, Ume San 100 also has an Umeshu Tasting Set (from S$16) that gets you three types of umeshu of your choice.
190 Middle Road, #02-07, Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979. Open daily, Mon-Fri 11.30am to 2.30pm, 5pm to 11pm, Sat 5pm to 11pm, Sun 5pm to 10pm.
5. SYNTHESIS
If you have walked past a traditional medicine hall at Suntec City and thought it random, well, it’s actually a bar.
The quirky entrance with a strong waft of Chinese herbs is a decoy for this trippy eatery serving bites like glazed pork satay bee hoon (S$28), nasi lemak kueh pie tee (S$15) and ikura papadum (S$14). Chase down your meal with a Yuan Yang Tiramisu (S$14) and “TCM-inspired” cocktails like the gin-based Tiger’s Eye Pu Erh (S$22) and cognac-infused Date with Jia Jia (S$24) with, you guessed it, Jia Jia Herbal Tea.
3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-643, Suntec City Tower 4, Singapore 038983. Open daily, Sun-Thu 4pm to 10.30pm, Fri-Sat 4pm to 12am.
6. HAKU SUSHI
Located right next to Kou Teppan, Haku Sushi specialises in Kansai-style sushi omakase with air-flown ingredients from Osaka. Instead of clean-tasting rice, sushi from this Japanese region is well-known for its loosely-pressed rice spiked with sushi-zu (a rice vinegar blend).
Haku Sushi’s chef Yoshiki Yamamoto will debut his proprietary blend here, which includes red wine. His nine-course Irodori Lunch Omakase costs S$68, while the 12-course Nishiki Dinner Omakase is priced at S$88. Chef Yamamoto has previously worked at swish sushi omakase restaurant chain Sushi Ginza Onodera, which also has outlets in New York and Shanghai. Other than counter seats, the 28-seat Haku Sushi also offers private dining rooms.
1 Kim Seng Promenade, #B1-135, Great World, Singapore 237994.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Copyright© Mediacorp 2023. Mediacorp Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
We know it’s a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.
To continue, upgrade to a supported browser or, for the finest experience, download the mobile app.
Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us