New Bites: August 2014 | OpenRice Singapore

Our pick of ten new restaurants for the month of August comprises a pair of spicy Thai contenders, an alternative-themed D-I-Y pizza bar, as well as a new chill out spot in Jalan Besar that's filled with snazzy cocktails and dishes teeming with French and Japanese nuances. Alt. Pizza D.I.Y Pizza Bar in Suntec City

Alt. Pizza – Design your own pizzas in this hip and funky pizza bar in Suntec City, where pizza boxes resemble alternative music album art and red neon lights snake across the ceiling to add on to the vibrant interior. Here, the D.I.Y pizzas start at $8 with one sauce and comes with a wide variety of unique toppings like wagyu short rib meatballs and blue crab. Heads up to all vegetarians – they do some pretty mean vegetarian pizzas here, such as Lean & Green ($12), which comes with roasted garlic pesto, baby spinach and roasted squash. Order this: Idaho Spud Cheddar Fries ($8) – Heavenly thick cut steak fries that brims with a hint of sweetness and pinches of smoked bacon; for meat lovers, we recommend the Wagyu Short Rib Meatballs ($12) and The Hangover ($16); Hokey Pokey ($4 per scoop) – Organic New Zealand ice cream made with bits of honeycomb candy; Pizza Doughnuts ($8) – A definite must-try, be sure to pair these addictive and chewy doughnut holes with the accompanying Nutella dip. Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard #B1-111, Singapore 038983. Tel.: 6325 3883. Image credits: Alt. Pizza Old Hen Coffee Bar Cold brew masters of Rangoon Road

Get your afternoon dose of joe at Old Hen Coffee Bar, Rangoon Road’s newest café addition that fuels your coffee addiction starting 12pm on weekdays (do note that they recharge on Tuesdays) and 10am on weekends. Opened by three brothers, this humble space seats 22 comfortably and is thrust into minimalism with the belief that less is indeed more. Perfect for humid days are their Bottled Cold Brew, which has earned itself a loyal following barely three weeks into operation. Also, we hear the Buttermilk Waffles with blueberry compote aren’t too shabby either. Filling in the glass display are pastries by Kreme Couture, while coffee beans are sourced from Oriole. 88 Rangoon Road #01-03, Singapore 218374. Tel.: 6341 5458 Image credits: Old Hen Coffee Bar Facebook Page Babette Restaurant & Bar Jalan Besar's first resto-bar

Babette Restaurant & Bar arrives at Tyrwhitt Road as owner 987FM DJ Darren Wee's inspiration by the 1980’s Danish film, “Babette’s Feast” - a film about food, love and relationships. Giving the Jalan Besar hipster stretch an additional bar boost, this spacious 64-seater brings us a blend of French cooking techniques with Japanese ingredients and sauces in a lively and laid back casual environment. If you’re up for a cocktail, do try their special in-house concoctions like the signature Babette ($16++), made with a passion fruit puree, lemon, mint and gin. Order this: Bacon Tempura ($10) – Served with yuzu mayo, back bacon is used as opposed to streaky bacon for extra meat; Roasted Avocado ($12) – Think baked potatoes in the avocado form, with aburi salmon and diced tomatoes; Steak & Foie Gras Donburi ($28) – Drizzled in a special Babette sauce, a marbled steak cut that comes close to wagyu is paired with creamy foie gras and Japanese rice; For dessert, the Matcha Lava Cake ($12) is the sure way to go. Vanilla ice cream topped with glossy azuki red bean accompanies the sugarless cake, which holds in a green tea infused white chocolate fondant ready and waiting for that magical flow out. 165 Tyrwhitt Rd, Level 1, Parc Sovereign Hotel, Singapore 207569. Tel.: 6341 7727. Image credits: Babette Restaurant & Bar Sweet Basil Nasi Padang style Thai eatery in Cityhall

Sweet Basil – This modest looking Thai eatery in The Adelphi is slowly becoming a go-to place during lunch for office workers in the vicinity. Aside from the usual picks like Red Tom Yum Seafood Soup with rice ($6.80), you can also adopt the familiar Nasi Padang ordering style and choose from their variety of 12 dishes. With a team of three experienced Thai chefs in the kitchen, you can expect nothing but authentic and fiery flavours. Order this: Green Curry Chicken with Rice ($6.80) - Whilst seemingly small in portion, the curry contains a good amount of coconut milk for that creaminess and goes swell with a bowl of steamed white rice. The Adelphi, 1 Coleman St #02-07, Singapore 179803. Tel.: 9220 7699 Whale & Cloud Selegie Road's hidden coffee gem

Hidden in the back alley of Niven Road is an elusive café that opens only once a week from 9am to 4pm (or until they run out of coffee beans). Already creating much buzz on Instagram, Whale & Cloud sits in a beautiful mess of potted plants hung from the ceiling, old cinema seats in one corner and adorable D-I-Y elephant stools in another. Without a fixed menu, food here varies from week to week, with possible bakes such as the Earl Grey Lemon Loaf, Carrot Cake Loaf or Pancake cookies. Unlike most cafes in Singapore who depend on local roasters, Whale and Cloud uses coffee beans sourced from their travels. This includes Handsome Coffee Roasters from Los Angeles, California. 48 Niven Road s228396. Text and Images by Sarah Ong Corner House Fine dining Gastro-Botanica cuisine in Botanic Gardens

Taking over the black and white bungalow that used to house the now defunct Au Jardin, Corner House serves up contemporary fine-dining cuisine and pays homage to its botanist namesake, E J H Corner. Expect a multi-layered dining experience as Singaporean chef Jason Tan’s French cooking techniques blends with global influences he gains from his avid travels. Prices here range from $38 for a 3-course set lunch to $248 for a Discovery Menu Experience. 1 Cluny Road, Nassim Gate, Singapore Botanic Gardens E J H Corner House, Singapore 259569. Tel.: 64691000. Image credits: Corner House Soi 60 Contemporary Thai Restaurant Opens in Robertson Quay

Soi 60 joins in the party of cafes, restaurants and bars at Robertson Quay, bringing to the table modern Thai fare. The menu of contemporary dishes, designed by Martin Boetz – previously with award-winning Longrain Restaurant & Bar in Sydney – includes Thai Ribs, a 'clean and lean' Thai Duck Salad, as well as a Coconut Panna Cotta dessert, hitting all sweet, sour, salty and spicy notes as expected of in Thai cuisine. Don’t miss their Thai-inspired cocktails. Highlights include Royal Julep with dark rum and kaffir lime leaves as well as Tamarind Sour – bourbon shaken with tamarind essence. The Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay #01-04, Singapore 238252 . Tel.: 6635 6675 Image credits: Soi 60 Thai Facebook Page Sunday Folks Soft serve ice cream in Holland Village

The people behind Creamier are going all out to steal your weekends at their second café, Sunday Folks, located in Holland Village’s Chip Bee Gardens. Boasting a larger space compared to its sister café, this new dessert spot offers the same crispy egg waffles with a slight tweak. Instead of the usual scoops, waffles are topped with soft serve ice cream, which are available in six different flavours: Sea salt gula melaka dark chocolate, earl grey lavender, roasted pistachio, summer strawberries and Madagascar vanilla. Go wild with toppings like torched marshmallows, lemon cheesecake or even popping candy, before lashing with a chocolate hazelnut or summer berries coulis sauce. Chip Bee Garden, 44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-52 s278116. Tel.: 64799166 Image credits: Sunday Folks Facebook Page Chabuton Ramen additions to Somerset

Following its success in Japan and Thailand, famous ramen chain Chabuton opens its first outlet in Singapore, located at Somerset 313. Queues start to form up shortly after noon and we soon see why – the extremely value for money weekday lunch set. For $12.30, you get a relatively substantial junior sized ramen, one side dish of your choice, a beverage and either Matcha ice cream, chocolate ice cream or 2 pieces of Konnyaku Jelly for dessert. Order this: Chabuton Tonkotsu Ramen – Despite sporting a less creamy body than most of its competitors, the tonkotsu broth here holds great flavour and does well in staying below the dangerous zone of gelat. 313@Somerset, 313 Orchard Road, #B2-01, Singapore 238895. Tel.:6636 8335 Sifu Singapore’s newest Cha Chaan Teng

After years of turning to the Xin Wang / Central chains for a dose of Hong Kong-styled tea café food, Sifu is a welcome breath of fresh air with its menu of Hong Kong staples and new-fangled desserts. Cha Chaan Teng groupies would like the traditional offerings of noodles, rice and dim sum complemented by dainty desserts such as banana cake rounds, and crispy you tiao with ice cream. Order this: Caramelized Roasted Ribs ($3.90 per pc) – A trip to the Sifu, Master Ribs wouldn’t be complete without trying their signature roasted ribs with its caramelized glaze atop each individual rib; Custard Bun ($1.20) – While it has none of the flowing indulgence of a Liu Sha Bao, a rich goodness belies the simple bun exterior, exuding savoury with every bite. Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria St #01-69, Singapore 188021 By Peh Yi Wen & Bernard Tan Missed our past New Bites finds? July 2014 | June 2014 | May 2014 | April 2014 | March 2014 | February 2014 | January 2014 See Also: Don't miss the best eats in town - check out OpenSnap now! Bars and lounges worth checking out