Dinner
The moment I stepped out of the lift on the fourth floor of Cuppage Plaza, the unmistakable scent of charcoal smoke hit me, a smoky invitation that teased my senses before I even saw the sign. This old building near Somerset, usually filled with faint aromas of soy and sizzling food, suddenly felt alive with…
Visiting Tim Ho Wan PEAK wasn’t part of my plan, but the inviting aroma drew me in. I was simply passing through The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands when an irresistible aroma stopped me in my tracks, the sweet, smoky scent of perfectly roasted char siu. It was one of those smells that pulls you…
I almost walked past it. Cuppage Plaza does that. You take the lift up, the corridor’s a bit dim, and you start wondering if you’ve got the wrong floor. Then a door slides open, charcoal smoke drifts out, and you know you’re in the right place. I visited on a Tuesday, around 7pm. Quiet night.…
The first thing I did was take off my shoes. I hadn’t expected that. You climb the steps into Shinjuku Restaurant, and a staff member gestures, politely but clearly, toward the rack by the entrance. Shoes off. And something about that small act made me slow down before I’d even looked at the menu. Cuppage…
I didn’t set out to write this. It started as a habit. Somewhere between the shopping errands and the quiet afternoons, I began drifting up the escalators at Takashimaya, looking for a plate of raw fish and a corner to sit in. Over the past two years, I’ve eaten sashimi at nearly every Japanese restaurant…
I wasn’t planning to dine here. It was a regular weekday in Singapore, hot and sticky, and I was killing time along Orchard Road. Then I spotted the balcony on the fourth floor of Orchard Central: a few tables, a decent breeze, people eating what looked like very good bowls. I went up. That was…
The first time someone brought me to Cuppage Plaza, I almost walked past it. It sat there off Orchard Road, a little worn at the edges, nothing like the polished malls nearby. My friend just said, “Trust me,” and led me up a quiet stairwell that smelled faintly of grilled fish and soy sauce. Then…
The first time I ate sushi in Takashimaya, I was eighteen and completely broke. My aunt slid a plate of salmon across the counter and told me to eat slowly, because good fish deserves patience. I’ve never forgotten that. Over the past six years, I’ve eaten my way through nearly every Japanese restaurant and sushi…
I almost walked past it. Fortune Centre isn’t the kind of building that makes things easy. The corridors are narrow, the lift is slow, and half the units look like they haven’t changed since the nineties. I took it up to the third floor, turned left, and found Izakaya Hikari tucked behind an unassuming door.…
The first time I really understood chirashi don in Singapore, I was sitting alone at a counter in Cuppage Plaza, rain on the old windows outside. I’d ordered it on a whim. What came back was a comforting bowl of cool vinegared rice topped with cubed sashimi, a spoonful of salmon roe catching the light.…