Where to eat in Singapore this week: Noka, Lofty Peaks, Straits Bakery and more

The recently opened Apolo’s Food Village on Serangoon Road is a trailblazing 350-seat Pan-Asian restaurant offering over 600 dishes spanning the culinary diversity of Asia, with local fare, Indo-Chinese, North and South Indian, and East Asian cuisine. Here, you can sink your teeth into classics like garlic naan or try unheard of offerings like American chopsuey, a pasta casserole most typically found in New England. End the meal with a visit to Lofty Peaks, a stall within the compound which offers expertly crafted cocktails like the house signature ‘Take Me to Chennai’.
 
Apolo's Food Village, 48 Serangoon Road, Little India Arcade, S(217959)

At Straits Bakery, you’ll be served authentic and sincere Peranakan cuisine with an innovative touch. The ayam buah keluak is a highlight, and hits all the right tangy notes with its tender chicken covered in black nut and tamarind sauce; it’s the same with the nyonya babi pongteh, slow-braised pork belly and dark sauce of fermented soybeans that packs a savoury punch.
 
For a more special offering, Straits Bakery also offers an omakase menu upon request, and this depends on the freshness and quality of ingredients at the market. Allow the chefs to take you on a culinary journey that merges cuisines in bold fusions, always with a nostalgic Peranakan slant.
 
Straits Bakery, 2 Havelock Road, Havelock 2, B1-10/11, S(059763), +65 9831 5769

Head down to Origin Grill on March 22 for another four-hands dinner to kick off Shangri-La Singapore’s annual Festival of Wines. Wine and dine in the company of experts; Vincent Tan (wine director of Odette) will work with Britt Ng (area head sommelier of the Shangri-La Group) and Nathan Griffin (chef de cuisine of Origin Grill) to curate an exclusive four-course sommelier wine dinner.
 
Exciting pairings include the highly anticipated 2011 Curlin, Plavac Mali, Barrique Polozaj Pocelina, Peljesac, Croatia, which holds its own when paired with the Rangers Valley signature black tenderloin. The latter is served with an umami forest mushroom purée, grilled organic mushrooms, kale, and truffle jus.
 
Origin Grill, 22 Orange Grove, Tower Wing Lobby Level, S(258350), +65 6213 4398

Read more: Singapore’s Top Chefs Tell Us Why Sustainability Matters in the F&B Scene
 

It doesn’t get any better than a Veuve Clicquot champagne brunch at Origin Grill. On March 26, spend a lazy Sunday afternoon savouring a four-course brunch menu paired with some of the most premium champagnes on the market. You’ll be particularly delighted with the strawberry dessert, which features pistachio frangipane, strawberry basil confit and white chocolate sunflower that pairs exceptionally well with the fruity Veuve Clicquot, Brut Rosé.

Don’t miss out the La Grande Dame 2012 either—its blend of pinot noir and chardonnay entices the palate with its freshness. It pairs beautifully with the Bangalow pork chop; its savoury flavours are balanced by the bubbly’s acidity and fruity notes.

Origin Grill, 22 Orange Grove Road, Lobby Level Tower Wing, S(258350), +65 6213 4595

Friends of Manhattan: Chef Series is returning on March 25, and it’s an exciting collaboration between Manhattan head bartender Kelvin Saquilayan (No. 33 on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list) and Vietnamese-American chef and restaurateur Peter Cuong Franklin of Anan Saigon (The Best Restaurant in Vietnam at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021).
 
For one night only, you’ll be treated to a five-course cocktail pairing tasting menu featuring Flor de Caña rum. Franklin’s brand of progressive Vietnamese street food will be elevated by Manhattan’s rum cocktails. Highlights include the rich chả cá lã vọng style Hà Nội (black cod, turmeric, local dill cream sauce) paired with the ‘Shores of Mekong’, a Manhattan creation featuring a buttered mushroom-washed Flor de Caña 12 years, Baldoria Umami Dry, Mancino Bianco, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and DOM Benedictine.
 
Manhattan, 1 Cuscaden Road, Conrad Singapore Orchard, S(249715), +65 6725 3377

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