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FOOD & WINE
Taste: Where to Eat Now, August 2023
by Anton D. Javier
02 Aug 2023
02 Aug 2023
Navigate Singapore’s vibrant dining landscape with this roundup of the latest eats.
- BACATá EXCITES WITH CREATIVE COLOMBIAN CUISINE
- KAGAYAKI REFINES THE TEPPANYAKI EXPERIENCE
- CELEBRATE SOUTHEAST ASIAN FLAVORS AT RESTAURANT FIZ
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Tiradito, Chile, and Sardinas -
Chipiron -
Lengua
Chef Fernando Arévalo breaks away from the rigours of fine dining and emerges with a more casual and personal concept, Bacatá. Here, he highlights his unique style of Colombian cuisine by utilizing modern techniques and a variety of ingredients, resulting in dishes that allow diners a peek into his rich culinary culture. He shares, “I envision Bacatá as someone wearing a tuxedo with sneakers – there is that mix of elegance with playfulness, rule-breaking, and edge.”
While an ala carte menu is available, the seven-course Chef’s Tasting Menu is the way to go, where seasonal produce and Arévalo’s creativity come together for a one-of-a-kind experience. Standouts include the Chipiron, comprised of Japanese cuttlefish, layered with chimichurri, and finished with ‘Nduja sausage sauce for a hint of heat and spice. We also loved the Toro dish, where fresh and fatty otoro sits atop a crispy empanada filled with San Marzano tomatoes cooked down to a rich paste with fermented garlic and sherry vinegar. Those who have previously dined at Preludio, Arévalo’s first restaurant, will find the Iberico Pork Presa dish familiar. Here, tender pork presa is slow roasted, finished on the charcoal grill, and glazed with pork jus and aged balsamic vinegar resulting in a sweet, smoky, and tangy finish.
Visit Bacatá at Frasers Tower, #03-01/02, 182 Cecil Street, Tel: 9618 5303
- BACATá EXCITES WITH CREATIVE COLOMBIAN CUISINE
- KAGAYAKI REFINES THE TEPPANYAKI EXPERIENCE
- CELEBRATE SOUTHEAST ASIAN FLAVORS AT RESTAURANT FIZ
Kagayaki Refines the Teppanyaki Experience
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Ultimate Crispy Yaki Steak using Masuda Kagayaki Beef -
Seasonal fish -
Beef curry rice
Think teppanyaki and a meal that brings together OTT showmanship and average food might come to mind. Thankfully, there’s none of that at Kagayi by Ishigaki Yoshida, which recently opened along Keong Saik road. The 18-seater Singapore offshoot of the Tokyo restaurant is helmed by Head Chef Nobuyasu Kamiko, whose quiet confidence and expert handling of prized, seasonal ingredients trumps performative acts like tosses, flips, and flaming grills.
Whether you opt for the 8-course ($380++) or Omakase ($480++) menu, expect top notch quality in every dish served – the restaurant’s name refers to “brilliance” in Japanese after all. The star of the show here is Masuda Kagayaki Beef, where the prized cut from female premium cattle is proudly shown off to guests first (including a birth certificate and nose print) before it’s carefully cooked low and slow on the teppan, and then grilled over ubame oak Tosa binchotan to achieve a perfectly crisp exterior. This is complemented by other outstanding dishes, such as the Scrambled Eggs with Uni, where premium Japanese eggs are carefully cooked to achieve a silky, creamy texture and topped with fresh, sweet uni. Other menu highlights include perfectly seared Japanese wild scallops, Beef Garlic Fried Rice, and freshly made warabi mochi for a sweet finish.
- BACATá EXCITES WITH CREATIVE COLOMBIAN CUISINE
- KAGAYAKI REFINES THE TEPPANYAKI EXPERIENCE
- CELEBRATE SOUTHEAST ASIAN FLAVORS AT RESTAURANT FIZ
Celebrate Southeast Asian Flavors at Restaurant Fiz
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Hidang course -
Quail -
Blood cockle
“Southeast Asia has so much to offer. It is possibly one of the most diverse regions on the planet with an abundance of culinary traditions that deserves its time in the spotlight,” exclaims Hafizzul Hashim, the chef-owner of Restaurant Fiz. At this three-month-old establishment, new and familiar flavors are explored in an intelligently crafted episodic menu ($288++ for 8 courses), traversing culinary traditions and techniques from Malaysia to the Philippines and beyond.
The current menu draws inspiration from Chef Hashim’s food memories and experiences, starting with the Blood Cockle, an ingredient commonly found in hawkers or pasar malams. In this iteration, we find akagai from Hokkaido expertly grilled and sliced thinly, finished with sambal made from roasted macadamia nuts and turmeric leaf oil. As for the Quail, it is inspired by ayam percik, or chicken marinated in a bold spice paste cooked over a charcoal grill. Here, Coturnix quail from Australia is hand minced, marinated in herbs and spices, and shaped around a chicken leg bone before it’s grilled in a Josper oven. For the mains, anticipation builds around the Hidang course, comprised of a dizzying spread of dishes to be eaten with rice – a nod to communal family meals cross Southeast Asian homes. The course is anchored by two indigenous varieties of rice accompanied by dishes like grilled sea bream with sambal tumis, jungle vegetables with beef tripe and tendon, young jackfruit salad, and salted ikan kurau (Indian threadfin) served with acar sambal.
Visit Restaurant Fiz at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, Tel: 9679 8021
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