Before the festivities of the end-year celebrations catch up to us, we’re spending our time pigging out at all the new cafes and restaurants in Singapore this November.
This month, guests around the island can relive their collective love for sourdough at two joints. Gusta Sourdough Pizza – as you can probably guess – spotlights their love for pizzas that are made with fermented dough, best explained in our review here. Spoiler alert: it’s good. Anna’s Sourdough, on the other hand, is a casual bistro in Punggol that doesn’t just serve pizza — you’ll get pasta and gnocchi made with sourdough here too. For those brave enough to bake their own, sourdough starter kits are also available in case you’re in the mood to try some new recipes at home.
Cafe-goers also have something to look forward to: Rough Guys Coffee, B for bagel, and September Coffee are places you should visit before the crowds start streaming in. Families and friends will love to indulge in Red House Seafood’s latest outpost at the Esplanade, especially with its view of the Marina Bay promenade, while Altro Zafferano and COL will promise a great date night out. In short, there’s something for everyone to try in Singapore this November.
Read on for the full list.
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Singapore
All the new cafes and restaurants to visit in Singapore this November 2022:
(Hero and featured image credit: B For Bagel)
Opened by the Les Amis Group, Élan replaces the now-defunct La Strada and offers modern French cuisine inflected with Asian ingredients and flavours. A standout highlight is the Aqina “Pineapple” Chicken for two, which is essentially a French take on traditional Hainanese chicken rice. The rice is aromatic and addictive, with its delicious infusion of lemongrass, ginger, coriander, pandan leaves and chicken fat. The whole roasted kampong chicken is particularly memorable too, with its golden-brown skin that’s slightly crisp on the edges, and meat that’s gloriously tender and juicy.
Other stellar items on the menu include the plump Carabinero prawns with uni and yuzu sauce, tilefish with crunchy scales paired with buttery “melted” leeks, and tempura battered frog legs — which are cut into dainty bite-sized chunks for easy enjoyment and resting on a bed of fluffy scrambled eggs. If you have room for only one dessert, make it the sweet and light-as-air lychee soufflé, which comes with a scoop of don papa rum ice-cream on a macadamia tuile. Also available are an extensive wine list and wide array of gourmet cheeses. —Sara Yap
Address
1 Scotts Rd, #01-13 Shaw Centre, Singapore 228208
Website
After 10 glorious years of serving diners at Ocean Financial Centre, Zafferano marks the decade with a brand new facelift and a new menu to boot. Now known as Altro Zafferano, the space has also transformed to feature a 12m-long open kitchen that flanks the walkway into the main dining area, allowing guests stellar views of the gastronomic delights it promises.
The menu has also been overhauled to become “contemporary Italian cuisine through the South Italian lens of Executive Chef Andrea De Paola,” complete with stories of chef’s culture and memories in Italy. Standouts from the menu include the Silver Cod with Peperone Crusco and Mussels Veloute — the silky roulade of Chilean sea bass is paired with a velvety red pepper with cod and potato, and topped with a sweet yellow capsicum cream that really brightens up the dish. Other dishes we enjoyed include the House-made Ravioli with Wagyu Beef Genovese and Anchovy Colatura, as well as the Amalfi Lemon with Pink Pepper and Limoncello.
Address
10 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049315
Website
David Beckham’s former private chef, Colin Buchan, has opened a new modern European restaurant and bar in the buzzy Keong Saik area. The intimate space is perfect for sharing plates of Irish oysters and charcuterie over a glass of wine, but for peckish guests, heartier portions of the aged beef burger, hand-rolled tagliatelle and the Black Opal Wagyu Entrecôte await.
Address
1 Keong Saik Rd., #01-05 The Working Capitol Building, Singapore 089109
Website
One of Singapore’s oldest seafood restaurants, Red House Seafood, has opened its third and newest outlet in Singapore, this time facing the Marina Bay Promenade in the art-centric Esplanade. Here, expect signature Singapore Nanyang-style seafood that’s been prepared with the ultimate finesse. The decadent Lobster in Signature Creamy Custard Sauce and the beautifully aromatic Alaskan King Crab Wok-Fried and Tossed in White Pepper are two of our must-orders. The Esplanade outpost also sees a BBQ section that’s exclusive to the locale. This includes succulent sticks of Chicken Satay served with a delightful sauce of peanut, sesame, pineapple puree, and crushed peanuts, as well as an aromatic four-hour marinated BBQ Squid you’d want seconds of.
Address
8 Raffles Ave., #01-14 / 16 Esplanade, Singapore 039802
Website
Love sourdough? A fan of pizza? Now you can get the best of both worlds at Gusta Sourdough Pizza. The industrial-chic space boasts crowd-favourites like Margherita and Hawaiian, but local inspired flavours like Mala Chicken and Singapore Chili Crab are also available. Read our full review here.
Address
326 Serangoon Ave 3, #01-378, Singapore 550326
Website
Chef Yohhei Sasaki, previously of il Cielo, has set his sights on a new locale: La D’Oro, located at Mandarin Gallery. The joint features Italian-Japanese cuisine with the best of seasonal produce from both countries. Chef’s signature Linguine with Hokkaido Sea Urchin sees a rich uni sauce coating each pasta strand with ease, elevated only by some yuzu juice in its dressing to lighten up the entire dish.
Address
333A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery, #01-16/17, 239987
Website
Chinatown’s newest kid on the block is September Coffee, an aesthetic cafe hideout great for beating the year-round summer heat. Here, you’ll find hearty plates of Beef Ragu and Fried Chicken French Toast, best washed down with a frothy Iced Black Sesame Latte.
Address
258 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058807
Website
Bagels are all the rage in South Korea these days. B for bagel, a Korean bagel brand from Gangnam, Seoul, has landed in Singapore to offer diners here their popular sweet and savoury bagel sandwiches and toasts. The dessert-like Peach Cloud is stuffed with whipped cream and peach slices, while the generous Bacon Cheese Egg Omelette Sandwich is a well-loved option with a thick, fluffy egg omelette in the middle. Be sure to order a cup of Einspanner to complete your meal.
Address
163 Tanglin Rd, B1-125,126, Singapore 247933
Website
Rough Guys Coffee is Singapore’s latest speciality coffee joint, dreamt up by a former barista of Kurasu Singapore and the previous co-founder of Beng Who Cooks. Here, the shophouse locale is decked out in a chic monochromatic interior, with a neat menu of classics like white cold brew and matcha. At the the soft launch stage for now, they are playing host to a selection of bakes from Yeastside to cater to peckish guests.
Address
214A South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058763
Website
If there’s one thing the pandemic has made us realise, it’s how much we love sourdough. Now, Eastsiders can keep their cravings at bay thanks to Anna’s Sourdough, a casual bistro in Punggol spotlighting the fermented dough. Apart from a range of sourdough pizzas, they’ve also got plates of spicy Red Sea Prawn Aglio Olio that’s made with fresh sourdough pasta too. Can’t get enough of the fragrant bread? Get a sourdough starter kit or two here while you’re at it to try your hand at making your own.
Address
681 Punggol Dr., #01-04 Oasis Terraces, Singapore 820681
Website
