Just opened March 2019: New restaurants and bars in Singapore

It's not every month that a kitchen appliance brand opens their own restaurant, let alone one led by someone like Chef Ryan Clift of Tippling Club fame.

Other new openings include a Barcelonian-style bistro and a pasta bar with daily lasagna specials - yummy. On the drinks side of things, award-winning bar The Old Man has made its way here from Hong Kong!

NEW RESTAURANTS IN SINGAPORE

OLIVIA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

Sitting in the newly-launched KēSa House, Olivia is a window of sorts to Barcelona's rich dining scene.

Drawing upon generations of tradition and classic techniques, the establishment champions elevated homestyle cooking with a Mediterranean soul. Highlights to order include the free-range oak forest ham Jamón Iberico de bellota ($32) and Envoltini de Bogavante y Aguacate ($25), a homemade tribute to the avocado-lobster roll from Catalunya restaurants. If you're a beef person, the Wagyu Striploin ($64) with truffle sauce and confit piquillo peppers comes highly recommended.

Olivia Restaurant & Lounge is located at 55 Keong Saik Rd #01-03, Singapore 089158. Open Tue-Thu 11.30am - 2pm, 6pm - 10pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am - 2pm, 6pm - late. Closed Sun-Mon.

PASTA BAR

Eleven different pastas, eleven different doughs, and one daily lasagna - it sounds simple enough, but it's really not. Chef Alessandro Giustetti's Pasta Bar wants to invigorate the Italian dining scene with authentic pastas - made fresh at the open kitchen to a mesmerising tune of kneading, tossing, and artistic plating. Start with the Mama's Baked Pasta al Forno ($30) with smoked mozzarella, eggplant, and prosciutto, then a melt-in-the-mouth Tortelli with Pumpkin and sage. If you can only go for one, make it the Lagane with Chickpea ($28), a rustic eggless version of pasta from Italy's south.

Pasta Bar is located at 55 Keong Saik Rd, #01-05, Singapore 089158, p. +65 6222 0627. Open Sun-Sat 6pm - 11pm. Closed Mon.

V SINGAPORE

Remember Ryan Clift from Tippling Club? The esteemed chef is the culinary director at V, the first Modern European fine dining restaurant by Swiss kitchen appliance brand V-ZUG. Designed to demonstrate the competence of its appliances to gastronomes, the menu sees things like oven-baked Hamachi Collar served with textures of green curry, as well as Laksa mousse topped with fried taupok, dehydrated laksa leaves, and coconut cream. A five-course Chef Selects menu for lunch goes for $90++, and for dinner, V offers a six- and 10-course set at $130++ and $180++ respectively.

V Singapore is located at 6 Scotts Rd, #03-13, Singapore 229209, p. +65 6950 4868. Open Tue, 5.30pm - 9.30pm, Wed-Sun 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.30pm - 9.30pm. Closed Mon.

51 SOHO

51 Soho is the kind of place that provides everything you need through the day. Drop by in the morning for a smooth mellow coffee, or something called Mr Bean Coffee ($12, made with red bean). At noon, comfort your stomach with a DIY power lunch bowl (from $15.90) filled with proteins, greens, and wholegrains. Then, with sunset comes an array of creative cocktails that includes a Soju Sangria ($20), as well as charcoal-grilled chicken, pork, and beef skewers for dinner. You'll have to check out their menu for the full rundown, because honestly, we've barely scratched the surface.

51 Soho is located at 51 Telok Ayer Street, #01-01, Singapore 048441, p. +65 9755 1058. Open Mon-Fri 8am - 11pm, Sat-Sun 10am - 11pm.

THE MASONS TABLE

The Masonic Lodge along Coleman Street has always been a bit of a mystery to the general public, but with the opening of The Masons Table, foodies can now enjoy the pleasure of a Burgundian lifestyle. This luxurious and contemporary brasserie serves up affordable set lunches at $28 for two courses and $32 for three, while a la carte dishes start from $14. Expect sumptuous dishes like Foie Gras with pink peppercorn gastrique and braised pear, or a classic Duck Leg Confit with potato sarladaises and citrus salad.

The Masons Table is located at The Masonic Hall, 23A Coleman St, Singapore, +65 9127 5030. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am - 9.45pm, Sat 3pm - late. Closed Sun.

INDIAN EXPRESS

Indian Express is the second concept from the people behind The Song of India and boasts Umed Singh, the protege of Michelin-starred chef Manjunath Mural, at the helm. Highlighting the best homestyle dishes from Northern India, delight in the signature Punjabi-style Tandoori Mix Grill Platter ($19), a hearty medley of lamb chop, fish, chicken tikka, and kebab served on a sizzling hotplate. Also popular are the succulent morsels of Methi Fish ($12) in tangy fenugreek-peppercorns curry and the fabulously tender and juicy Kashmiri Lamb Rack Wazwan ($14).

Indian Express is located at 38 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218555, p. +65 6733 3894. Open daily 12pm - 11pm.

NEW BARS IN SINGAPORE

THE OLD MAN SINGAPORE

First a movie star and now, a novelist. This award-winning cocktail bar from Hong Kong comes inspired by the 1952 Ernest Hemingway novel about a Cuban fisherman and the biggest catch of his life. Decked in modern tropical decor and presenting an award-winning bar team, sip on inventive libations like Death In The Afternoon, a curious mix of absinthe, sparkling wine, and coco-pandan yoghurt. Looking for a safe choice? The bar's perpetual favourite is A Farewell To Arms, featuring butter fat-washed gin, dry vermouth, sous-vide nori, and salted Pernod.

The Old Man Singapore is located at 55 Keong Saik Rd, #01-04, Singapore 089158, p. +65 6909 5505. Open Mon-Sat 5pm - 11.45pm. Closed Sun.

IDLEWILD

The cocktail menu at Idlewild is something of a globetrotter. Celebrating 10 cities along the popular transatlantic route, the bar's head Andy Griffiths has developed a programme of 20 cocktails (two for each city) immortalising air travel's resplendent years. Using artisanal spirits sourced from small batch distilleries in each location, try innovative concoctions like the French Cook - a combination of French Gin, fresh lemon, chardonnay and Chartreuse Genepi lightly carbonated for a playful tingle on the tongue. Also on the list are craft beers, global wines, and over 250 spirits and liqueurs from the world over.

Idlewild is located at 80 Middle Rd, Lobby Level, InterContinental Singapore, Singapore 188966, p. +65 6825 1045. Open Tue-Thu, Sun 5pm - 1am, Fri-Sat 5pm - 2am. Closed Mon.

MADAME FAN BAR

The Cantonese restaurant Madame Fan by famed restaurateur Alan Yau has launched its highly anticipated extension: a 40-seater cocktail bar led by Davide Boncimino, previously the Head Bartender at The Other Room. Fusing culinary ingredients and techniques with mixology, expect high-quality garnishes that you actually want to eat. The bar's signature drink (Not) Classic PBJ ($28) sees Chinese kumquats caramelised into peanut butter fat-washed Glenfiddich 15 whisky. The list of 13 cocktails also includes the aged rum-based Marshall ($26), Davide's winning cocktail from the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition in 2017.

Madame Fan Bar is located at 32 Beach Rd, Singapore 189761, p. +65 6818 1921. Open daily 12pm - 11pm.

RISKY BUSINESS

We have many ideas for cool bar concepts, but one inspired by Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise isn't one of them. Enter Risky Business, the new watering hole that's basically designed after the actor's movies, Risky Business and Cocktail. Run by the same folks behind Pandora's Garden and Brightside, you'll find signatures cocktails ($18) like the vodka-powered You've Lost That Loving Feeling and a heady rum- and bourbon-laden Your Ego Is Writing Cheques Your Body Can't Cash. We imagine the Negroni-lookalike You Can't Handle the Vermouth will make a good companion to the playlist of 60s era sing-along tunes.

Risky Business is located at 37 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089615, p. +65 8787 0765. Open Mon-Sat 5pm - 12am. Closed Sun.

This article was first published in City Nomads.