Cover Photo: Open Farm Community/Facebook

Dine with a conscience at these establishments that do their part to take care of the planet

We only have one Earth, so we need to take care of it or we won’t have a home to live in. That is why it is important for us to commemorate Earth Day on April 22—an annual event celebrated since 1971, this year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet”, and it encourages everyone to incorporate sustainable practices in our daily lives and help combat climate change.

In Singapore, many restaurants have joined this movement by creating innovative menus with Mother Earth in mind. This means going beyond sourcing for sustainable produce and making a conscious effort to limit food waste, provide meat-free options and invest in eco-friendly materials. We highlight five establishments at the forefront of sustainable dining practices on the island.

Read more: 9 Best Sustainable Stores and Grocers in Singapore

1. Kausmo

Tatler Asia

Modern European restaurant Kausmo challenges food norms that cause unnecessary food wastage. Dishes here showcase thoughtfully sourced ingredients, including sustainably sourced seafood, fresh secondary cuts of meat, and ‘ugly’ and oddly shaped vegetables—each part of the vegetable or animal finds a part to play. “We want to show that ingredients not ideal for retail can be perfect on our plates,” shares restaurant manager Chew Shian.
 
The kitchen works around the availability of produce, and that is why there is no fixed menu. However, diners can still anticipate well-loved signatures such as wild fish congee with preserved plum. Through its delectable offerings, co-founder and chef Lisa Tang demonstrates how lesser-loved produce are as palatable as its popular counterparts. Book here.

Kausmo, 1 Scotts Road, 03-07, S(228208),+65 8126 8538

2. Open Farm Community

Tatler Asia

Open Farm Community is a farm-to-table restaurant which hopes to connect people with food. Here, ingredients are mostly sourced locally, supporting local farms like Ah Hua Kelong, Toy Thye San farm and Hay Dairies. The restaurant is situated beside its edible garden, where fresh herbs and vegetables are harvested daily and used as garnishes.
 
The restaurant also boasts an extensive natural wine list, promoting forgotten grapes and regions. These selected domains favour authenticity and responsible ethics, while refraining from the use of herbicides and chemicals in its vineyards and winemaking. Other than ethically sourced produce, the restaurant also strives to limit single-use plastics, wasteful water and electricity usage. Book here.

Open Farm Community, 130E Minden Road, S(248819), +65 6471 0306

3. Salted and Hung

Tatler Asia

Hoping to minimise waste and the impact on the environment, chef-owner Drew Nocente serves up every edible animal part, using produce to its fullest potential. At this modern Australian restaurant, creative dishes are coupled with innovative cooking techniques—almost every ingredient is either smoked, cured, pickled or grilled. For example, after cuts of turbot are used for its buttery aged turbot, its bones are hung and dried to make a dashi tea broth while its skin and trimmings are fermented to make garum (fermented fish sauce). Book here.

Salted and Hung, 12 Purvis Street, S(188591), +65 6358 3130

In case you missed it: Why More Singapore Chefs are Serving Southeast Asian Herbs in Their Restaurants

4. Labyrinth

Tatler Asia

Sustainable dining has a broad definition, from providing meatless options to reducing its overall carbon footprint. For Labyrinth, sustainable dining means providing guests with a 90 per cent locally sourced menu. Diners will find ingredients procured from local farms like Ah Hua Kelong and Edible Garden City. “It’s really about discovering these gems of produce out in Lim Chu Kang, Lorong Halus, Chua Chu Kang, [and] Kranji that is locally farmed by local people,” shares chef-owner Han Liguang. Its menu also puts the spotlight on local flavours, such as the rojak. This dish features sorbet of jackfruit and cempedak sourced from the local Tekka market, and 12 herbs and vegetables from local farms such as Edible Garden City. Book here.

Labyrinth
Singaporean   |   $ $ $   |  

8 Raffles Avenue, #02-23 Esplanade Mall, S(039802)

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5. Naked Finn

Hidden in Gillman Barracks is seafood-centric restaurant, Naked Finn. Its bounty is sourced from small fisheries that focus on non-mainstream species, so the popular varieties that are under threat from extinction are able to recover. It’s for this reason that obscure fish and those which are vulnerable to overfishing (such as tuna and Atlantic halibut), won’t appear on the menu.

Instead, look forward to tantalising dishes featuring less vulnerable marine species—among which are the juicy giant river prawns grilled a la plancha; narrow-barred Spanish mackerel grilled over binchotan; and chewy Japanese abalone braised in abalone dashi for six hours. Sauces and dips are also made in-house and are served to enhance the natural flavours of the dishes. Book here.

Naked Finn, 39 Malan Road, Gillman Barracks, S(109442), +65 6694 0807

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