SAINT PIERRE
#01-15, 31 Ocean Way, Quayside Isle, tel: 6438-0887. Open Tue-Thur, 5.30pm-midnight; Fri-Sun, 11.30am-3pm and 5.30pm-midnight.
Saint Pierre’s new fine-dining vegetarian creations, the brainchild of chef-owner Emmanuel Stroobant, are almost too pretty to eat. Choose from an a la carte menu like we did, or have the five-course classic menu for $108++ per person, which must be taken by your entire party.
Must-tries:
• A refreshing starter, the Tomates ($34) is a cherry tomato confit served with quail egg and literally smoking thousand island snowballs, made by freezing the spheres in liquid nitrogen. Scoop them up with the avocado spread for a rich, sweet-salty combination.
• The Potimaron ($30) is a smooth kabocha pumpkin soup with a roasted-cauliflower chawanmushi in the middle. The chawanmushi was a surprising hit, and the sprinkling of sunflower seeds in the soup added texture and crunch.
• The Epeautre ($28) is a perfectly al dente barley risotto cooked in a flavourful seaweed stock that’s full of bite – yum!
• The pretty Watermelon Carpaccio ($14) is a wonderful blend of sweet and tart, from the watermelon slices and tangy sorbet. Dip it in the balsamic and melon drops for extra kick.
JOIE RESTAURANT BY DOZO
#12-01 Orchard Central, tel: 6838-6966. Open daily, 12-3pm and 6-10pm.
Joining the meatless trend is Joie Restaurant by Dozo, helmed by Chef Sherwin Sim, formerly of Coriander Leaf, who continues to dish out innovative meals. The six-course lunch ($38.80++) and seven-course dinner ($68.80++) come with choices for all courses, except the amuse-bouche that starts the meal. The courses are also available as a la carte options.
Must-tries:
• The Matsutake Cake ($12.80), a steamed cake made from prized matsutake mushrooms and teamed with crisp enoki mushrooms, rosemary gelee, pistachio crumbs and a vanilla creme dip. Light and fluffy, the aromatic cake was a good way to whet our appetite.
• Not only is it elegantly presented, the Snow Pear and Napa Cabbage Consumme ($12), a clear,sweet, double-boiled vegetable soup, is also rich and comforting.
• The Trio of Spheres ($36) - comprising wild mushroom puff pastry with truffle oil and onion, a butternut pumpkin risotto ball with curry mayonnaise, and a crispy ball of mozzarella arancini – hit all the right notes. We especially liked the bold and creamy curry mayonnaise.
SMOR
#B1-23 One Raffles Place, tel: 9430-1500. Open Mon- Fri, 8am-8pm; Sat, 9am-4pm.
A open-face sandwich specialist, Smor is a new Scandinavian deli in the heart of the business district. It offers three sandwich sets. each comes with a generous quantity of your choice of hot or cold toppings and is accompanied by a side salad. You get one sandwich in the light sandwich set ($6.90), two in the regular set ($12.90), and three in the Viking set ($17.90).
Pick from four types of freshly baked organic bread: rye, multi-grain, brioche or chia seeds with Omega-3 (gluten-free). What makes the sandwiches tasty and wholesome is the mix of carbohydrates, fibre and protein.
Must-tries:
• The Kale & Mushroom Sandwich is chock-full of juicy mushrooms and sweet - yes, sweet!- kale that's springy too, with a pleasant punch from the chilli-infused olive oil.
• A classic Nordic favourite, the Smoked Icelandic Salmon Sandwich, served with horseradish, dill and parsley, and topped with salmon roe, was fresh and savoury. We loved the occasional bursts of saltiness from the roe.
• The unbelievably tender beef that makes up the Beef Sandwich is roasted overnight to let the herbs slowly infuse into it. It is layered with caramelised onions and thin slices of crisp beetroot, and served to you.
SUFOOD
#02-19 Raffles City, tel: 6333-5338. Open daily, 11.30am-4.30pm and 5.30-10pm.
The dishes at Sufood only add to the growing awareness that vegetarian food doesn’t have to mean bland and boring. You won’t find traditional mock meat offerings here – instead, the Italian-inspired menu put a creatives spin on classic recipes and keeps every dish free of artificial flavouring and monosodium glutamate. Its set menu ($25++) includes seven items – an appetiser, bread, salad, soup, main, dessert and drink - and offers choices for most of them. You can also order the set-menu choices as a la carte items.
Must-tries:
• Cream of Pumpkin Soup ($8.80), cooked with soya milk and sweet potato instead of cream. We loved its subtle hint of sweetness.
• The sizeable Baked Potato Al Funghi ($16.80) is sure to please – think juicy, earthy King Oyster mushrooms juxtaposed with a sweet-potato mash and baked potato.
• Round off your meal with the fragrant Sesame Panna Cotta ($4.80), served with a black sesame seed puree.
FOODOLOGY FRESH @ THE URA CENTRE
#01-02 The URA Centre, 45 Maxwell Road, tel: 6223-9724. Open Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm.
The self-service deli makes a good pit stop if you need a quick, nourishing bite. Its revamped menu is compact, with a few salads, sandwiches, wraps and soups.
Must-tries:
• Salads ($7.50 to $8.50). We tried four different ones and they were all excellent. The ingredients in each were a good mix in terms of flavour and texture. If you like yours light, there’s the Roasted Chicken, Grape & Apricot Salad laced with a tangy white wine vinaigrette. The medley of textures in the Smoked Duck Breast Salad with soft beetroot cubes, creamy feta cheese and crunchy caramelised walnuts were a pleasure for the palette.
• Savoury muffins ($4.80 each). One is enough for a light lunch. Unlike the salads, which have surprising ingredient combos, the mix in the muffins, like sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella, and feta cheese and black olives, is safe, but delicious.
This article was originally published in Simply Her January 2015.