For the love of food: New restaurants and menus to try in February 2022

Romance isn’t confined to 14 February. If you are looking to charm your significant other with a fine meal, look no further. These restaurants will leave your tummies (and hearts) full with their creative and inspired menus.

5 On 25

Chinese restaurants typically cater to big groups and families, not couples looking for a romantic night out. 5 On 25, the newly opened Cantonese restaurant at Andaz Singapore, is set to change the scene. Named after the five taste senses and its location on the 25th floor, the restaurant is a warmly furnished dining space wrapped in a lush palette of rich colours and textures. Ask to sit at the dining booth – you’ll get some privacy with your date as well as gorgeous views of the city.

The menu features classic Cantonese dishes with an unexpected twist. The Fried Bird’s Nest is highly recommended, a dish that’s briskly stir-fried with Sri Lankan crab, bean sprouts, double-boiled chicken stock, pressed Chinese ham and pork. Other dishes include Marinated Smoked Duck and Boston Lobster Claw with Homemade Chilli Sauce. A delectable dim sum menu is also available with classic steamed dumplings and fried delicacies.

Rosemead

Rosemead has become one of the hottest new restaurants since opening in December last year. Located in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, be whisked away into a modern Californian country home bathed in soft neutrals and earthy tones. An open hearth kitchen in the airy main room of the 1920s heritage building sets the stage for chef David Tang and his team to create flavoursome modern Californian cuisine, a contemporary take on fine dining that is refined and relaxed.

The menu is neatly divided into Chilled, Vegetables and Grains, and Cooked Over Orange & Lychee Wood Embers. A Dinner Menu and Valentine’s Day Set Menu are available for you and your significant other to enjoy dishes such as Hama Hama Oyster, Chitose Farm Tomato & Basil with Crackling Pork Skin, Embered Pumpkin and Mexican Mole, and Canary Island Seabass.

Small’s

Oysters and chocolate may be the go-to aphrodisiacs for most people, but chef Bjorn Shen has a different idea. Phallic-shaped motifs adorn the quirky restaurant, a cosy space that requires diners to take off their shoes before entering. It’s also a sushi-bar where instead of regular sushi on rice, you get seafood on bread. It’s not exactly the most romantic location for a date, but you’ll definitely have a fun and memorable experience.

A natural evolution of Small’s previous pizza concept, the new “bread sushi” menu features three snacks, eight to 10 “bread sushi”, one hotpot and two sweets. (Trust us, they actually taste much better than they sound.) The breads are given textures and tastes with different cooking methods – high and low temperature baking, binchotan grilling, deep frying, steaming; and each type of seafood showcased is paired with a style of bread that best complements it. Note that this “doughmakase” menu is subject to changes on a daily basis so as to accommodate ingredient availability and new ideas.

Main image (top): Rosemead