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Hearty, no-nonsense delights are on offer in these recently opened restaurants to try this May
Fine dining can be excellent, but if you need a break from protracted three-hour long meals and tiny tasting menus, these recently-opened restaurants prioritise honest, sincere cooking that still have their own unique twists.
Les Amis group has two new outlets at the reopened Shaw Plaza—Picolino and Mui Kee. Go to the former if you’re craving Italian comfort food with Asian influences, and dine at the latter if you want simple but delicious Hong Kong Cantonese fare. A good, hearty lunch also awaits you at Uya; its new outlet at Novena serves up its signature unagi bowls.
Looking for a new place to satisfy your beef cravings? Head down to Changi Road’s newest halal steakhouse, Charr’d, and feast on premium Japanese Wagyu beef. And if you’re in the central business district, Common Man Night Shift is the perfect place to end a busy week with its offering of natural wines and innovative modern cuisine.
Don't miss: 5 exciting new restaurants to try this April 2023
1. Picolino
Above Pastas on offer at Picolino
Pastas on offer at Picolino
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One of two new outlets opened by Les Amis Group at the newly renovated Shaw Plaza, Picolino is serving up twists on your favourite pizzas and pastas with Asian-inspired touches. The salmon parma rosa linguine, for instance, is luxuriously spotted with chunks of salmon and swimming in a luscious and creamy rose sauce, topped with briny ikura from premium keta salmon. Pizzas are not to be missed either, proofed as they are for 48 hours for a distinct and aromatic tang. The duck rillette pizza is a hot favourite, topped with tender, shredded duck confit and drizzled with orange jam and balsamic glaze for a pizza bursting with savoury, sweet and acid all at once.
Picolino, 360 Balestier Road, 01-21/22 Twin Heights, Shaw Plaza, S(329783), +65 9819 7518
2. Mui Kee
Above Claypot rice at Mui Kee
Claypot rice at Mui Kee
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You won’t need to go to Hong Kong for a taste of famous congee joint Mui Kee. Also opening at Shaw Centre, Mui Kee will be serving up hearty Hong Kong offerings made lovingly by chef-owner Choi Kok Tung with heritage recipes and techniques. The steamed baby threadfin fish, for instance, is dressed in a scallion ginger soy sauce for a distinct aroma that’s perfect on rice or on congee. A claypot frog leg rice is also an outlet exclusive that many of us may have grown up eating, tender and chewy that goes well with the charred bits of rice at the bottom of the claypot.
Mui Kee, 360 Balestier Road, 01-27 Shaw Plaza, S(329783), +65 9819 3211
Read more: Les Amis Debuts Cloud Kitchen Concept Kitch With a Menu of Popular Dishes
3. Uya
Above Sea urchin and Wagyu rice bowl with ikura at Uya
Sea urchin and Wagyu rice bowl with ikura at Uya
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Uya is opening up a new outlet at Oasia Hotel Novena and it is not one to miss. The unagi specialty restaurant that has captured the hearts of foodies with its fresh eels flown in weekly will be offering signatures like the histsumabushi, a Niigata rice bowl with charcoal-grilled unagi and served with strips of crispy nori, homemade dashi, pickled cucumbers, and a miso soup with yuzu zest.
More excitingly, there will be new menu items exclusive to the Novena outlet, which includes a smoky unagi ham that sees tightly-rolled unagi grilled over sakura wood chips and a side of cream cheese. The grilled unagi fin is another char-grilled delight that engulfs the senses with its smoky, savoury flavour, making these the perfect bites to pair perfectly with Uya’s collection of sakes.
Uya, 8 Sinaran Drive, 01-05, Oasia Hotel, S(307470), +65 9788 0071
4. Common Man Night Shift
Above Duck and foie gras pie at Common Man Night Shift
Duck and foie gras pie at Common Man Night Shift
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Head down to Stanley Street in Telok Ayer, where Common Man Night Shift has taken over wine bar Drunken Farmer. The after-dark concept is the brainchild of Common Man Coffee Roasters, one of the most beloved cafés in Singapore, and offers an eclectic selection of natural wines to accompany its fresh and modern mélange of Japanese and Italian cuisines, with touches of Middle Eastern influence.
One menu highlight includes a cacio e pepe udon pasta, which sees house-made QQ udon dough shaped into a thick pasta shape, and tossed in pecorino romano cheese, black pepper, and topped with a mountain of parmesan and a runny egg. It’s incredibly rich and savoury, as is the duck and foie gras pie, another highlight that features puff crust from Tiong Bahru Bakery, filled with duck mince, foie gras, and black truffle. It’s best downed with a natural wine, including a funky Mariano orange wine with notes of orange peel and blood orange.
Common Man Night Shift, 11-12 Stanley Street, S(068730), +65 6877 4855
5. Charr’d
Treat yourself to premium cuts of steak at Charr’d, a new halal steakhouse on Changi Road. It boasts A5 Wagyu beef imported from Mie, Japan for its offerings, which include cuts like ribeyes, tenderloins, and sirloins served with a range of sauces like a classic béarnaise or a zesty chimichurri.
You’ll want to come with friends to share the Heavenly Meat Board, a generous platter of Australian grain-fed hangar steak and Japanese A5 ribeye, sirloin, and filet and a choice of two sauces. Wash it down with housecrafted mocktails such as the Smoke Above Water, a piquant concoction of ginger, smoked oak, wild mint, lemon juice, orange, and soda that refreshes the palate after a hefty dinner of premium meats.
Charr’d, Changi Road, 324F, S(419799), +65 8031 4122
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Ethan Kan was Tatler Singapore’s dining writer.
