Where to eat & drink: Irvins' salted egg pizza, Michelin Guide's gastrobar pop-ups & more

Always on the hunt for new dining spots? We bring you sound bites on where to eat, including new restaurant and eatery openings , the best places for your after-work tipple, and what’s new in the food scene.

This week, we’ve got an all-new gastrobar pop-up by Michelin Guide Singapore, the revamped Kinki, vegan dim sum , a new steakhouse, and more to get on your radar.

1. Fat Belly Social Steakhouse opens its doors

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Secondary cuts of beef are the main stars over at the new Fat Belly Social Steakhouse, an offshoot of Singapore’s first alternative steakhouse, Fat Belly. These include the lesser-known cuts such as the Flat Iron and the Zabuton, a well-marbled alternative cut.

The restaurant is also big on social dining, with the communal restaurant debuting a menu featuring small plates such as the Grilled Octopus and Grilled Ox Tongue, and large sharing plates that include both alternative and prime steak cuts such as the Rib Cap.

You can also choose from six different sauces to accompany their steaks, from a rich scampi to bordelaise sauce – made from four different red wines, bone marrow, and vegetables.

Fat Belly Social Steakhouse is at 21A Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069620.

2. Vegamama offers vegan dim sum

The choices can often be dismal when it comes to dim sum for vegetarians or vegans.

Meet Vegamama, a new virtual restaurant concept which doles out plant-based dim sum so you can dine on classic dim sum morsels like siew mai, char siew bao (steamed pork bun), lo mai gai (glutinous rice with chicken), and dumplings in chilli oil.

It’s also got other bites like satay, nuggets and sausage rolls – all created with a curated selection of plant-based proteins like fungi, peas and soy.

Vegamama offers delivery via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

3. Kin launches Chef Damian D'Silva's "New" Heritage Dishes

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A name synonymous with Singapore heritage food, chef Damien D’Silva helms Kin, a restaurant at Straits Clan serving heritage cuisine.

From March 1, he will be unveiling new additions to the menu, including recipes from his granddad, ‘Pop” well as beloved contributions from family friends.

Highlights to look forward to include Cuttlefish Kang Kong, a family recipe of chef D’Silva’s father’s favourite Chinese hawker dish, Pop’s King Prawn with Dried Sambal ($48) and Daging Sambal Hijau (beef with green chilli sambal, $42), and Aunty Zainab’s Nangka Rendang ($28).

Don’t miss its new cocktails, crafted with classic ingredients found in local heritage cuisine – think Chilli Padi ($18), tequila-based cocktail boosted with calamansi and green and red chilli paid, and Curry Leaves & Banana ($18), a mix of dehydrated banana, fried curry leaves and bourbon.

Kin is at Straits Clan, 31 Bukit Pasoh Rd Singapore 089845.

4. Michelin Guide Singapore unveils its first gastrobar pop-ups

From March 2 to 24, Michelin Guide Singapore, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board, has rolled out a crossover that will see four bars and four Michelin-recommended restaurants collaborating to present four pop-ups, each held over two days and at the premises of the partnering bars.

The collaborators will each present five handcrafted cocktails paired with bites or snacks, with at least one locally-inspired cocktail each. Sip on Kopi “Gu You”, Singapore-infused Margarita with Hae Bee Hiam Tincture, Uni-Corn, and various Southeast Asian-inspired cocktails. Below, the various pop-ups that’ll be happening:

1.Italian: Buona Terra x Tess Bar & Kitchen – March 2 and 3

2. Latin American: OLACocinadel Marx JuniorThePocket Bar – March 9 and 10

3. Nordic & Japanese: ZénxNo Sleep Club – March 16 and 17

4. Southeast Asian: Labyrinth xNative – March 23 and 24

Prices start from $130++ per person. For more information, visit its website. 

5. Kinki Restaurant + Bar reopens with a new look

Not that you need any, but there’s now one more reason to hit up the newly revamped Kinki.

Hitting the 10-year-mark of its opening in Singapore, the hip urban restaurant and bar has reopened its doors to unveil a fresh look, boasting a palette of dark sensual tones, LED light strips and artworks by furniture designer Sean Dunston, and new graffiti by local artist ANTZ at the rooftop.

It continues to serve up inventive takes on Japanese classics, with signatures like the Rock and Roll Maki, Cowabunga (seared A4 Wagyu beef slices rolled with cream cheese, cucumber and homemade spicy mayo, $36), and the Unagi Claypot ($35), a previously seasonal item that’s now a permanent fixture.

New menu additions include Corn Duo ($16) and Grilled Squid Chimichurri ($32). Then of course, there are the drinks; from sake to classic cocktails and the ‘Kinki Rockstar’cocktail line-up, there’s something for everyone.

Kinki Restaurant + Bar is at #02-02 Customs House, 70 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049423.

6. Sommer debuts modern European fine-dining in Marina Bay

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Beyond the discreet entrance of a standalone space at The Sail@Marina Bay is 28-seater modern European fine dining restaurant, Sommer.

Head Chef, Lewis Barker, formerly with Bacchanalia and Vianney Massot, helms the kitchen here. And you’ll be taken on a gastronomic journey with his modern European culinary approach using premium seasonal produce from around the world, notably Japan.

A four-course menu ($168++) and six-course menu ($228++) are available, with highlights like a Mackerel on “Toast” canape with homemade crumpet, smoked Japanese saba, and kaluga caviar.

Or indulge in the likes of Roasted Langoustine, Dry-Aged Irish Duck or gnocchi made from kuri squash from Hokkaido. A 3-course Discovery lunch menu starts at $68++.

Sommer is at #01-02 The Sail, 2 Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018987.

7. Pezzo teams up with Irvins for the Dangerously Addictive Salted Egg Pizza

To cater to our undying love for salted egg yolk anything, pizza Pezzo has teamed up with snack company Irvins to introduce the dangerously addictive salted egg pizza (from $6.90 per slice).

Slathered with a generous amount of Irvins salted egg sauce, the pizza also comes topped with crunchy Irvins fish skin krumbs and mozzarella cheese that’s bound to be a hit with both kids and adults alike.

The Irvins salted egg pizza will retail at all Pezzo stores from March 4, 2021, for a limited time only.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.