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Experiences

Wine classes, new restaurants, hyperlocal tours: Best offerings at 9 Singapore hotels to check out right now

Capella, InterContinental and Mandarin Oriental have new restaurants and exploratory experiences, while The Regent has revived its well-loved weekend brunch and cheese room. Whether you’re a tourist or playing one, these hotels are ready for you.

Wine classes, new restaurants, hyperlocal tours: Best offerings at 9 Singapore hotels to check out right now

Prime cuts, dry-aged steaks and sustainable seafood await at The Cellar at Andaz Singapore. (Photo: Andaz Singapore)

The people are back and luxury hotels in Singapore are losing no time in rolling out new dining and exploratory experiences while bringing back well-loved favourites.

Tourist numbers from January to April this year have exceeded the total number of arrivals in 2021, and the throngs in malls and on public transport are signs of life revving back to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the latest research from the Mastercard Economics Institute, Singapore recorded one of the highest international tourist spending on experiences in destinations globally, with a 60 per cent increase in spending from pre-pandemic levels through March 2022.

The tourists’ gains are also ours. CNA Luxury checks out the latest places to hang out and stay over.

ANDAZ SINGAPORE

Stylish dining paces are trending, and you can now add 5 On 25 with its splendid views of the Bugis district to your list for chi-chi corporate lunches and social gatherings.

Designed in Chinoiserie grandeur by renowned designer Andre Fu, the Cantonese fine-diner is helmed by head chef Lim Hong Lih, who was previously at one-Michelin starred Cantonese restaurant Summer Pavilion.

5 On 25 serves classics such as dim sum and roast meats. (Photo: Andaz Singapore)

The menu melds classics such as dim sum and roast meats with creative chef signatures such as fried bird’s nest with Sri Lankan crabmeat and superior stock and chocolate mandarin egg tart with lychee lime sherbet. The beverage list includes an extensive range running the gamut of Old and New World labels to sparkling tea and zero-ABV wines.

Hot on its heels is a new extension The Cellar to 38th-floor steakhouse 665°F, which has just received a new chef de cuisine Poh Boon Neo, who has worked in the kitchens of Michelin-starred Les Amis and JAAN by Kirk Westaway.

The dining room at The Cellar. (Photo: Andaz Singapore)

Prime cuts, dry-aged steaks and certified sustainable seafood headline the cuisine served in a jewelled-toned space decorated with a “library” of wines. We love the tasty beef wellington that comes with mashed potato and a generous helping of truffle shavings, the Spanish octopus cooked two ways as a kataifi and as a grilled leg paired with subtle laksa oil, and a hojicha tiramisu ramped up with dark rum.

CAPELLA SINGAPORE

It may be hard to tear yourself away from the comfy rooms, but the hotel’s four new Capella Curates excursions would be worth it.

Learn about Peranakan culture, architecture and cuisine under A Peranakan Way Of Life, discover Singapore’s coastal ecosystem under The Untamed Paths, visit Tiong Bahru market with one of Capella’s chefs under Mornings At The Wet Market and explore the artistic side of the city through A Walk On The Art Side.

The Untamed Paths experience lets guests explore Sentosa's intertidal zone. (Photo: Capella Singapore)

On Jun 15, new Italian restaurant Fiamma replaces the hotel’s former The Knolls restaurant. The 138-seater by famed chef Mauro Colagreco of World’s Best Restaurant Mirazur in France will be a tribute to familial Italian cooking and communal meals in a soothing space of pastels and neutrals designed by Andre Fu.

HILTON SINGAPORE ORCHARD

Formerly at Marina Bay Sands, Osteria Mozza by American celebrity chef Nancy Silverton returns as a 120-seater iteration of the original one Michelin-starred restaurant in Los Angeles.

Osteria Mozza makes its return to Singapore at the newly minted Hilton Singapore Orchard. (Photo: Osteria Mozza)

Besides classic pizzettes, pastas and the famous Mozzarella Bar, this outpost also features destination-specific dishes such as the Cacciucco traditional fish stew and Cencioni pasta with Dungeness crab and saffron, both created to sate the local fondness for seafood.

The wine list celebrates the Italian wine-producing regions such as Piemonte. Tuscany and Veneto, with the inclusion of organic wines and classic Italian cocktails.

INTERCONTINENTAL SINGAPORE

InterContinental launched a culinary casting call to give one chef a blank canvas to bring his gourmet ideations to life. The winner out of 120 applicants was Italian chef Davide Giacomelli, who has worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe.

Acquerello lobster. (Photo: InterContinental Singapore)

LUCE by Davide Giacomelli brings a refreshingly homely flair to produce-driven dishes such as a delicious carnaroli rice in a hearty lobster stock served with pieces of Boston lobster, and an irresistible Luce-misu that elevates the classic tiramisu with espresso syrup and chocolate.

The drinks list focuses on Italian labels and crafted cocktails such as the signature InterContinental Negroni and tropical The LUCE Sling. Two- and three-course lunch sets are also available on weekdays.

MANDARIN ORIENTAL, SINGAPORE

Guests staying on the Club floor of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore can look forward to new culinary offerings at The Oriental Club such as daytime bites and snacks, evening cocktails from award-winning MO Bar, and late-night refreshments.

The Oriental Club. (Photo: Mandarin Oriental, Singapore)

After that, work off the calories either on two wheels or feet. The new “Bikecation” package includes complimentary bicycles for four hours each day while the new MOSingapore Running Club gives you a scenic insight into the city and the Marina Bay waterfront with general manager Philipp Knuepfer and his team on morning and evening jogs.

SHERATON TOWERS SINGAPORE

Take an exploratory spin on wine appreciation at Sheraton Towers Singapore’s new ground floor wine lounge Graft Bar, which is a partnership with fine wines merchant Grand Vin. Intimate Tasting Thursdays sessions of just 10 persons go through four different glasses of wines across estates, varietals or regions.

Graft Bar. (Photo: Sheraton Towers Singapore)

Tastings are either live with the bar’s experienced sommeliers or conducted over Zoom with winemakers around the world. Linger on to explore premium labels by the glass, such as Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Brut, Burgundian gem Domaine Faiveley’s Grand Crus and Napa cult Hundred Acre Deep Time.

SHANGRI-LA SINGAPORE

If you want to explore southern Italian recipes, Waterfall Ristorante Italiano’s new chef from Puglia Simone Loisi presents a delicious feast in a stylish space resembling a grand colonial living room.

Gnocchi Mare e Monti. (Photo: Shangri-La Singapore)

Must-trys include the Orecchiette Broccoli E Salsicca, a moreish dish of broccoli, Italian pork sausage and ear-shaped pasta that satisfyingly picks up the sauce, as well as Gnocchi Mare e Monti, a combination of pillowy potato gnocchi with a dream team of prawns, porcini mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. The extensive wine list focuses on labels from the north, central and south of Italy.

RAFFLES HOTEL SINGAPORE

If pricey air tickets to Thailand and Italy are making you delay travel, you can get a preview at Raffles Hotel Singapore first. 

Giuseppe Carneli from Bangkok speakeasy whisky bar Lennon's. (Photo: Raffles Hotel Singapore)

From now until Jul 3, Bangkok’s best bartenders are taking over the level 3 Long Bar in the latest Bangkok Tipples: A Pop-Up event in collaboration with Perrier. These include Asia’s 50 Best Bars listers and discoveries such as rum-focused Tropic City and Lennon’s, a whisky bar with vinyl records as the inspiration behind their drinks.

Sicily Afternoon Tea. (Photo: Raffles Hotel Singapore)

The new Sicily Afternoon Tea at The Grand Lobby, from now until Aug 28, will whisk you away to the sunny Mediterranean island through delectable savouries and sweets such as cassata cake, paste di mandorla almond cookies and arancini cheese-stuffed fried balls.

REGENT SINGAPORE

Basilico's brunch buffet. (Photo: Regent Singapore)

The famous Basilico buffet brunch and dedicated cheese room are back at Regent Singapore. There are a la minute mains, irresistible house-made desserts and – the best part – a pageantry of over 35 artisanal Italian cheeses complemented by dried fruits, nuts and truffle honey.

Yoko Ono-inspired cocktail Peas and Love. (Photo: Regent Singapore)

After that, hop over to Manhattan where new cocktails have been added to its New York Personified menu. The herbaceous Yoko Ono-inspired Peas and Love is an easy-going fave and the Notorious RBG is as punchy as the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself.

Source: CNA/mm

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