Budding New Taste

As an international food paradise, Singapore is never short on dining options. In the last year alone, CapitaMalls Asia has added new malls and refurbished ones to the retail scene and, with them, new restaurants and eating places to whet jaded appetites. So, start the New Year by giving these eateries a try and ring in the year with new dining experiences.

Star Attractions

The fresh taste of Boston seafood can now be sampled at Boston Seafood Shack at The Star Vista. The seafood restaurant offers hearty New England cuisine that relies heavily on seafood and dairy products. Expect lobster, prawns, cod and salmon to feature prominently on the menu as well as all the usual specialties Boston is known for.

The Boston Clam Chowder is rich and creamy with chewy bits of clam. The Maine Lobstah Bisque is thick and slurp-worthy with a recognizable lobster flavour.

A delectable choice is the Boston Premium Lobstah Roll that has a soft and fluffy hotdog bun stuffed with sweet lobster chunks. The sandwiches also come in wrap version for those who eschew carbohydrates.

If you are someone who likes choices, then the Golden-Battered Fish and Chips will have you cheering. You can pick the type of fish - cod, snapper, Barramundi, catch of the day - you want and have it deep-fried to a warm, golden hue, with a batter that is crisp yet light. Another good choice for those who cannot make a choice is the Basket 'O' Seafood which has different types of batter-encased fish, and shrimps served with thin crispy fries.

Another new-to-market offering at The Star Vista is Morganfield's. The diner offers good old-fashioned mid-western American fare. Its house special is the Sticky Bones, prime pork ribs slow-cooked and smoked in coal and hickory wood for that smokey flavour, then basted with a homemade gooey, sweet and sour tomato-based sauce. The result is a fall-off-the-bone, finger-licking good slab of ribs. Other rib-tickling, tantalising options include ribs cooked in Hickory BBQ sauce, and Tuscan Baked Spicy Spare Ribs.

Morganfield's is a meat-lover's dream come true. Apart from ribs, the menu is primarily made up of steaks, chops, burgers and chicken choices. One chicken dish that might pique interests is the Tequila Spiked Chicken. A char-grilled half chicken in a spicy Tequila and lime paprika marinade, the hot and tangy mix is a heady concoction that is an upgrade of the humble roast chicken.

More Suburban Treats

Bringing a new eating experience to the suburbs is Eat at Taipei (吃在台北) at JCube. It boasts a new dining concept patterned after Taiwan's night market. Authentic Taiwanese street food is, therefore, its specialty.

Do not miss the Vermicelli with Oysters & Pig's Intestines that is the quintessential Taiwanese comfort food that is slurped on virtually every street corner.

The Tainan 'Coffin' Toast is another must-try. Its morbid name comes from its shape - a huge rectangular hunk of deep-fried bread with its top sliced out and soft insides hollowed. The loaf is then filled with assorted seafood cooked in a buttery, cream sauce reminiscent of those round loafs filled with chowder. Other street eats include Sweet Potato Fries, a heavenly blend of sweet and salty; Rock Salt Crispy Chicken, a Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken seasoned with chilli powder for oomph; oyster omelette studded with succulent oysters; Braised Pork Belly Rice doused in a flavourful sauce and cooked till tender; and Taiwanese Spicy Braised Beef Noodles swimming in a beefy broth.

The desserts and drinks menu is redolent of the best of Taiwan: shaved ice and super smooth beancurd in different flavours and, of course, an assortment of Pearl Milk Tea and Bubble Tea.

Plus Points

Visit the new, youth-oriented, trendy Bugis+ and try these new restaurants that sprung up to match its new image. Poulet, the first French casual dining restaurant chain concept in Singapore, was one of them. Poulet is French for chicken and the casual French bistro offers that and more.

For starters, there is French Onion Soup, a home-style soup with red wine and sherry and topped with crunchy croutons; and Escargot de Bourgogne, juicy snails in almond garlic butter and tomato fondue.

The restaurant's namesake comes slow-roasted in a rotisserie. The Poulet Rosti is wonderfully crisp on the outside and tender and succulent on the inside. The homemade mushroom sauce soaks right through to the bone thanks to 24 hours of marinating while the creamy mushroom Chardonnay sauce that accompanies the dish serves to accentuate the mushroom flavour. Another main that is a hit is the Oxtail de Bourguignon . Pressure-cooked oxtail in a red wine sauce, this is French-style country cooking at its best.

Living in Singapore, the search for new tastes will always be rewarded; and there is no better place for these new eats than CapitaMalls with its continual influx of fresh dining options.

Boston Seafood Shack
1 Vista Exchange Green
The Star Vista
01-16
Singapore 138617
Tel: 65 6694 3984
www.bostonseafoodshack.com.sg

Morganfield's
1 Vista Exchange Green
The Star Vista
02-23
Singapore 138617
Tel: 65 66943635
www.morganfields.com

Eat at Taipei
2 Jurong East Central 1
JCube
03-03/18
Singapore 609731
Tel: 65 6684 3032
www.eatattaipei.com.sg

Poulet
201 Victoria Street
Bugis+
04-12
Singapore 188067
Tel: 65 6509 9411