The Tatler guide to the best places to wine and dine at Orchard Plaza

If you’re the type to never get tired of oysters, head down to Kakiin Oyster Bar, serving up fresh oysters daily. There are plenty of options, like the Canadian or New Zealand raw oysters, or have them grilled in sake or garlic butter, sautéed in butter shoyu, or smoked with mackerel in oil to bring out its briny qualities. 

The oyster craze doesn’t stop there—the oyster garlic fried rice is exceptionally delicious with its assertive aromas and distinctive umami. Accompany your oysters with a series of hot and cold appetisers, like the scallop carpaccio with ikura and roasted Hokkaido Wagyu beef in mala sauce, or go for a teppan-grilled delight that includes Hokkaido Yongenton pork belly, chicken soft bone, and Hokkaido beef ribeye.

Kakiin Oyster Bar, 150 Orchard Road, 01-37 Orchard Plaza, S(238841)

Also from the team at Kakiin is Sakutto Tempura & Oyster, one of the newer Japanese bars to grace Orchard Plaza. Live oysters are a must, of course, with varieties from Murotsu, Hyogo and Edajima in Hiroshima, with an option to have them topped with uni and ikura. The tempura is excellent, fried in a light yet crispy batter that’s perfect to munch on as you swing back seasonal sake served at the bar. Take the amadai (red tilefish) tempura, with an additional crunch coming from its puffed-up scales as a result of frying, or the abalone tempura which is crisp on the outside, yet tender and ever-so chewy on the inside. A5 Miyazaki beef with truffle is also available as tempura, as is uni with Oba leaf, and if you’re looking for a full meal, classic offerings like curry udon and prawn claypot rice are on the menu to fill your stomach.

Sakutto Tempura & Oyster, 150 Orchard Road, 03-33 Orchard Plaza, S(238841), +65 9888 1510

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Apollon is a compact eight- to 10-seater sake bar, offering you two ways of drinking sake: draft tap sake, and top-shelf sake lovingly matured over years and years for an unparalleled complexity. It’s the kind of joint that you visit with friends for a cosy, intimate gathering over drinks and bar bites, which include Japanese omelettes with uni, roast Kagoshima A4 Wagyu beef, and chirashi platters chock-full with premium sashimi.

Apollon, 150 Orchard Road, 01-29 Orchard Plaza, S(238841)

One of those unmistakable Japanese-Western joints, Al Solito has been a go-to for foodies in the know. A cold angel hair pasta in an uni truffle sauce is one such eclectic fusion, blending some of the most sought-after ingredients in luxury gastronomy in a way that makes perfect sense—it’s refreshing, too. Elsewhere, feast on dishes like a salmon carpaccio, served in a fennel salad, as well as a rich and cheesy potato gratin, or go for hearty Japanese fare like an unagi bento or Japanese curry rice.

Al Solito, 150 Orchard Road, 03-49, S(238841), +65 6735 0763

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Another eclectic Japanese-Western joint, Bistro Du Le Pin is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has long been praised for its simple yet flavourful offerings. The eye snags on items like the smoked pork tongue, which is incredibly umami with a hint of creaminess, as well as items like a decadent mentaiko (pollock roe) pasta. Don’t miss out on its signature beef curry rice, which is rich, sweet, and spiced exactly how it should be, served with tender, perfectly-cooked beef.

Bistro Du Le Pin, 150 Orchard Road, 01-34 Orchard Plaza, S(238841), +65 6734 5530

Ao Ringo is an underrated gem in Orchard Plaza, nestled as it is in a contemporary space that’s half-art gallery and half-sleek tapas bar. With an ever-changing omakase menu featuring modern Spanish cuisine peppered with Japanese flavours, no one menu should be the same every few months. But looking at past menu items, you can expect exquisite delights along the lines of a deep-fried monkfish and shishamo (literally “willow leaf fish”, native to Hokkaido), as well as paella, a Spanish favourite served with plump, fresh prawns and a miniscule soft shell crab.  

Ao Ringo, 150 Orchard Road, 01-44 Orchard Plaza, S(238841), +65 8879 9837

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