Cover Spring menu at Vue
Spring menu at Vue
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Chefs mark the start of spring with creative dishes that feature the freshest bounty of the season
This story was first published on March 19, 2022, and updated on April 1, 2022.
We might not have four seasons in Singapore, but we can still experience winter, spring, summer and autumn through the chefs’ ever-changing menus crafted with the best seasonal produce. If you can’t wait to see what Japan has to offer, head to sushi-yas Fukui and Taiga and savour their sushi creations updated with the best fish available. Beyond Japanese cuisine, you also have modern European restaurants La Belle Epoque, Aether House and Caviar showcasing premium ingredients such as asparagus and bamboo shoots in their lunch and dinner menus.
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1. Vue
Above White asparagus
Above Pan-seared foie gras
White asparagus
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Spring has arrived in executive chef Sam Chin’s kitchen, which is why he has updated his tasting menu to showcase the freshest bounty. In the appetisers alone, you have an array of choices starring the white asparagus, gently poached and served with jamon iberico, garlic puree and pine nut dressing; and the 14-day dry-aged Shizuoka kinmedai “tataki” spruced up with apple vinegar and battera kombu sauce. Also worth noting is the chef’s special spring inspiration dish, made up of broiled Kumamoto A5 Wagyu slices enriched with soy-marinated egg yolk, Japanese mushroom and shiitake mushroom.
The meal gets better with mains, and you can take your pick amongst four delightful creations. Vegetarians may opt for the spring vegetables, prepared tempura style, while seafood fans won’t be disappointed with the creamy and briny uni topped with sea urchin foam and parmigiano, and the grilled lobster tail enhanced with Oscietra caviar.
2. Caviar
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For its spring menu, modern European restaurant Caviar pairs the season’s best harvests with its luxurious caviar offerings. “I have personally handpicked the world’s most exciting varieties of caviar for their unique flavour, texture and appeal,” shares owner Jason Ong, and these star in innovative dishes such as the monkfish consommé. Every part of the Japanese fish, which is at its prime during spring, is used to create this satisfying starter. The tail meat is cured in kombu sheets for 12 hours and cooked over binchotan charcoal, while the fishbone is used to create the consommé, flavoured with house-made fish garum using the fish head and trimmings. The umami-packed soup is then served alongside Kaluga Queen Cross Breed Caviar, as well as a fish liver pate seasoned with shio kombu, and topped with Giaveri White Sturgeon caviar.
Caviar, 390 Orchard Road, b1-07 Palais Renaissance, S(238871), +65 9888 1217
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3. Fat Cow
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Modern Japanese restaurant Fat Cow welcomes the spring season with its annual Haru Matsuri (or spring festival in Japanese) menu. For Isaac Tan, the head of culinary and product innovations at parent company Commonwealth Concepts, there is no vegetable that spells the start of spring more than takenoko, or bamboo shoots. “They are not only healthy and delicious on their own, but they go well with all kinds of dishes and are also easy to prepare,” he shares. Diners can enjoy this seasonal vegetable as a simple appetiser, which is part of the restaurant’s Chef’s Table omakase menus or order it a la carte. The bamboo shoots are first boiled with dried peppers, rice and water, to ensure they remain sweet and crunchy. The shoots are then boiled again in dashi before being tossed in a mix of sansho peppers, salt and miso sauce to give them that much-desired heat and savouriness with every bite.
4. Taiga
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Master chef Taiga Kanekuni, who helms the eponymous sushi-ya at Regent Singapore, is always excited about spring. “The quality of the produce gets better,” he enthuses, which is why he uses a plethora of seasonal ingredients for his lunch and dinner omakase menus. They include negi (Japanese long green onion), sea bream, maguro (young tuna) and bonito (fish)—the latter is well-loved in his hometown of Kochi in Japan. One of his signature dishes is the smoked young tuna which is prepared “Kochi style”. A 15kg to 20kg maguro is first lightly smoked over a rice straw fire for two minutes, so that it is delectably tender. It is sliced thinly and paired with crisp julienned myoga, or ginger, and an umami-packed nori sauce to accentuate the natural sweetness and freshness of the fish.
Taiga, 1 Cuscaden Road, 01-03 Regent Singapore, +65 8031 4306
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5. Aether House
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“Spring is a great time to think about new recipes and dishes based on what’s in season,” shares Laurent Brouard, the operations and culinary director of modern French restaurant Aether House. This means a lot of fruits such as strawberry, melon and grapefruit, as well as vegetables such as beetroot and asparagus appear on his menu. For the asparagus, he uses the Pertuis, or Sylvain Erhardt variety, which is sourced from Provence in France, and serve them as “plat du jour”, or plate of the day due to its limited supply. While the vegetable can be prepared in various ways, Brouard simply boils the stalks until tender and serves them with a creamy hollandaise sauce made with French butter, egg yolk, and a spritz of lemon juice. The chef then showers the dish with freshly shaved black truffles as a finishing touch.
Aether House, 35 Robinson Road, 01-05 Sofitel So, +65 6592 0102
6. Fukui
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While waiting for Japan to open its borders to international travellers (hopefully, in time for spring and the sakura season), feast on the season’s bounty at sushi-ya Fukui. Head chef Nick Pa’an has crafted omakase menus where sushi creations are topped with the likes of hotaru ika (firefly squid), kegani (Hokkaido hairy crab) and ishidai (striped beakfish).
These are joined by Pa’an’s signature creations, among which are the Japanese yam cooked in a decadent lobster sauce, and the famed Negitoro, crowned with uni, ebiko and finished with his homemade anago (sea eal) sauce. And, to complete the dining experience, the beverage list has been updated to offer more coveted Japanese whiskies, sakes and wines.
Fukui, 25 Mohamed Sultan Road, S(238969), +65 6509 0909
7. La Belle Epoque
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Head to this casual modern European restaurant and tuck into chef Firdauz Nasir four-course spring delights lunch menu. Dishes have been tweaked to celebrate the season’s best and you have the panzanella garden salad tossed with red chicory, green frisee, romaine lettuce and goat cheese, as well as smoked duck Caesar salad finished with a punchy garlic aioli dressing.
Save space for the main course—options include the roasted chicken with a side of truffle mashed potatoes; lamb stew which is best had with the toasted focaccia; and handmade tagliolini tossed with Iberico ham, chillies and coriander tomatoes.
Peaches abound this time of the year, and this fruit is featured in Nasir’s refreshing panna cotta dessert made more decadent with a berry soup and savoiardi biscuits.
La Belle Epoque, 63 Boat Quay, +65 6732 1687
Dudi Aureus is the senior dining and travel editor at Tatler Singapore, covering the city’s most exciting restaurants, global travel trends, and the personalities shaping the culinary and lifestyle scenes. She also serves as co-jury chair for the Tatler Best awards in Singapore, celebrating the very best in hospitality. When she’s off duty, she can often be found at a favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai spot, savouring a perfectly balanced pad thai.
