Food

Along with the log cake and turkey, the festive ham is another must-have dish during Christmas. The huge chunk – usually pork but may also be chicken or turkey – is either wet or dry cured and may or may not be smoked. There are many variations of ham available and all are generally considered acceptable for Christmas. There have also been deviations from the original honey-glazed hams. Some restaurants and hotels have rolled out hams with a local flair for instance, and I’ve aimed to list some of the noteworthy ones down below.

You can also join our newly-launched telegram channel here and receive updates on price drops, exclusive promotions not found anywhere else as well as flash deals for  other F&B and travel-related promotions.

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Rounding up the last quarter of the year, we have new restaurant Imbue opening in Keong Saik Road. A concept by 1855 F&B (the same group behind Born, Path, The Spot, etc), Imbue is helmed by Chef Lee Boon Seng who also happens to be the Executive Chef of The Spot. At Imbue, Chef Boon Seng is taking on the role of chef-owner.

Imbue is a 38-seater modern Asian-European restaurant. Like other 1855 F&B concepts, this is a sauce-centric venue where condiments help to elevate the flavors and potential of each dish.  

Taste Chef Lee’s best creations across two tasting menus: The 8-course Simmer Menu ($198++ per person) and 5-course Infuse Menu ($158++ per person). During my visit to Imbue, I got to try the 8-course menu. 

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Most Singapore residents love a good omakase and the proliferation of venues serving this multi-course Japanese meal attests to that. When it comes to great omakase places, restaurants like Shinji, Ki-sho and Sushi Jiro easily come to mind. For those on a budget and looking for cheap omakase options on the other hand, names like Ryo Sushi and Teppei often pop up. 

I have tried my fair share of omakase in Singapore and after some time, I realized you don’t really need to go to those familiar names to enjoy a great meal. Without further ado, I present some of my favorite restaurants which are relatively under-the-radar. Some are new, others have been around for ages but they are all not as popular as the big names despite having great propositions in their own right. 

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In line with Mandarin Oriental Singapore’s closure throughout much of 2023 due to renovation work, the iconic steakhouse Morton’s which is at Level 3 & 4 of the hotel was also closed for a few months. It quietly reopened in September with a slew of new cocktails, grills and seafood.

Morton’s has now been in Singapore for 25 years and remains to be top-of-mind when it comes to steakhouses in the city. The venue’s happy hour was well known for a generation for providing sliders along with an order of a drink. 

Staying true to its all-American heritage, the revised menu still captures the essence of the USA, with classic dishes you’d expect to find in a steakhouse given a small update. 

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It has been some 7 months since Hanazen opened in Chijmes and it has since seen a change of chefs. Hanazen’s new chef is Taisei Iwao who is also Executive Chef in the Lumiere Group in Osaka and chef-owner of Karato. 

Chef Taisei Iwao was recently in town for a preview of the new omakase menu and I was invited over to Hanazen. I thought it was also a good opportunity to compare it with my maiden experience when they first opened.

Hanazen features an open-concept kitchen with counter seating surrounding the kitchen. Around 90% of the dishes in the omakase menu are cooked so diners get to see a lot of action. As this is my second time in Hanazen, I could see how quickly the staff cooks and prepares food for the 16 of us that night. With 10 dishes, the omakase was concluded in less than 2 hours. 

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Le Matin Patisserie, the popular e-bakery by ex-Noma chef Mohamed Al-Matin, has launched a new menu at their ION Orchard location. This comes roughly 8 months after their first physical store opened, with a menu that includes brunch mains, sides, and desserts.

For starters, customers can try the Bread & Butter (S$9), which consists of two whole-wheat milk buns with a side of fermented porcini butter. The buns are baked just right with a slightly crispy crust on the outside and a soft crumb within.

Another new starter to check out from the new menu is the Crab Waffles (S$20.90), which are crispy, nori-dusted heart-shaped waffles made with seafood butter. It comes with a side of umami crab tartare and taramasalata. We were advised to sink the waffles deep into the dip as the crab tartare chunks were quite substantial.

For mains,  there’s the more substantial Steak Frites (S$42.90), a 200g medium-rare hanger steak and slathered in a butter sauce. This dish also comes with a side of house-made fries and charred broccolini.

Le Matin Patisserie’s new lineup of desserts includes the Mangosteen & Lychee Granita (S$14.90), a bubbly cup with mangosteen sorbet, lychee granita and lemongrass bubbles. I found the lychee flavor much more prominent compared to the mangosteen.

The Soufflé Au Chocolat (S$18.90) is an indulgent dessert comprising dark chocolate souffle with a fragrant hazelnut praline. It is quite rich so it’s best to order this for sharing. 

The Lemon Thyme Madeleines (S$12.90) are a welcome treat, having been spiked with lemon and thyme. These were baked to order and was served warm and crispy. It also comes with fir syrup cream on the side.

The dine-in menu is available from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 2:30pm and 6pm to 9pm. 

Le Matin Patisserie

2 Orchard Turn
ION Orchard
#B2-49
Singapore 238801

6509 8801

La Bottega Enoteca, the Italian restaurant in Joo Chiat Road, recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary and secured the 19th spot on the prestigious 50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific 2023 ranking by 50 Top Pizza, making it the only pizzeria in Singapore to earn this recognition.

As a background to La Bottega Enoteca, it was founded by Antonio Miscellaneo who used to run the private dining “Casa Nostra” in his home in Tembeling Road. I had the fortune to have tried the private dining experience back in 2019 – and I loved it. While Antonio does not personally cook all the dishes at La Bottega Enoteca, he supervises closely and can be often found in the restaurant checking on the operations. The recipes of the dishes also come from him. 

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The mid-autumn or mooncake festival 2023 (中秋节) will fall on 29th September 2023. In the lunar calendar, the mid-autumn festival is celebrated every 15th of the eight month.

Mooncake Festival 2023

Despite runaway inflation, this looks to be another year filled with noteworthy and even some unusual flavors. This guide will be regularly updated with 2023’s catalog of the best mooncakes in Singapore as well as ongoing promotions and mooncake delivery options. The most common types of mooncakes include:

• Traditional baked mooncakes which come with lotus paste or occasionally with red bean paste. These baked mooncakes may also come with one or two salted egg yolks at the center. Sub-specialties include low-sugar baked mooncakes or those that replace the traditional lotus paste with something else, such as pandan.
• Snowskin mooncakes, which need to be chilled and have a shorter shelf life, usually come in fruit flavors with sub-specialties including durian mooncakes and even alcohol infused ones. Snowskin mooncakes are not baked and the crust is made with glutinous rice, enabling a texture similar to mochi. These mooncakes are usually considered less oily than the traditional baked ones.
• Teochew mooncakes are also baked but differ in the sense that the crust is made of filo pastry. Instead of lotus paste, the filling is made with yam, green bean or red bean.

I will also aim to show what the containers look like, so that you’ll know which hotels, Chinese restaurants and bakeries have the best and most beautiful mooncake boxes for 2023.

Is there mooncake fair in 2023?

Physical mooncake fairs are expected to persist in 2023. However, online mooncake fairs are likely to remain popular given the convenience it has provided the last few years. Brands are also more likely to give higher discounts for online sales due to lower expenses (i.e. rental) compared to the Takashimaya mooncake fair. The list below contains some exclusive mooncake promotions and deals not found elsewhere so check them out.

You can also join our newly-launched telegram channel here and receive updates on mooncake flash sales, exclusive promotions not found anywhere else as well as other F&B and travel flash deals.

Without further ado, check out these mooncakes for the 2023 season. All the brands listed below direct to their official online stores or their designated authorized e-commerce marketplaces. With the rise in mooncake scams in recent weeks, it is not advisable to purchase from Facebook or WhatsApp.

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