New Spring 2023 Menus To Try In Singapore

From Japanese seafood and fresh Italian produce to nourishing Chinese soups, here are some new Spring menus to sample at the following fine restaurants in Singapore.

Mikuni

Aptly named ‘Genten’ (Japanese for ‘origin’), Executive Chef Keisuke Uno’s new a la carte menu connects diners with the rich history of Japanese cuisine through rare and premium ingredients personally sourced and curated by him. The experience begins with a fresh selection of assorted sashimi accompanied by classic springtime produce like Shogoin radish and ponzu. You’ll also find toro prepared in two ways: kampachi tartare topped with caviar and wasabi soy sauce, and black truffle carpaccio with tamari soya sauce. The latter utilises a special Kyushu soy sauce painstakingly sourced by Chef Keisuke.

One of the menu highlights is the whole Hokkaido abalone steamed in premium Akumochizake sake until ultra tender and then lightly seared on the teppan, and served with a creamy abalone liver sauce.

There’s also the signature slow cooked 24-Hour Miyazaki pork belly. For this dish, the chef uses Kannonike pork, a rare breed of Japanese pig. The belly is prepared sous-vide with soy sauce, mirin, ginger and garlic, and  then grilled on hot charcoal until beautifully caramelised.

Best for a relaxing dinner is the shabu shabu hot pot – which comes with a generous portion of A5 Ohmi sirloin and vegetables. Dunk the thinly sliced meat into your individual hot pot of housemate premium bonito dashi and enjoy with the housemade sesame sauce.

Round off your lunch with the saikyo miso infused cheesecake, a refreshing savoury-sweet dessert using white miso sourced by Chef Keisuke from a family-owned business in Kyoto, the hometown of his grandmother.

Fiamma

This spring, Fiamma’s menu presents light and fresh flavours through starters like Burrata Primavera served with seasonal fava beans and peas, and Asparagi Verdi Alla Griglia composed of grilled asparagus paired with homemade arugula pesto and a light dressing of olive oil.

Particularly memorable creations include the Risotto al Granchio e Ricci di Mare – the richly flavourful risotto brim with naturally sweet fresh crab and sea urchin. And the Tortellini Panna Prosciutto e Tartufo, comprising parcels of handmade tortellini with creamy truffle sauce, scattered with prosciutto, peas, and aromatic fresh truffle shavings.

At Fiamma, you can’t go wrong with the well executed pizzas. There’s a variety of excellent flavours, but try the Calzone Napoletano, a traditional foldeded Neapolitan pizza loaded with sausage, eggplant, Provolone del Monaco cheese, and tomato sauce.

Celebrate springtime produce by way of Trancio di Rombo, a juicy turbot steak served with a citrus sauce alongside grilled white asparagus. Meaty proteins like the Costoletta di Agnello alla Brace or succulent grilled lamb chop is simply seasoned and served with rosemary potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Completing your meal are desserts like the Delizia al Limone, a celebration of all things lemon with lemon cream, lemon ice cream, and yoghurt espuma drizzled with honey. Or the smooth pannacotta topped with mangosteen pulp.

Esora

Esora’s Chef Araki presents a menu filled with his fond childhood memories around springtime’s best produce.Throughout the tasting menus (lunch at $328, dinner at $368), you’ll find gastronomic gems like Aori Ika (bigfin reef squid) served alongside deep-fried spring takenoko (bamboo shoot) and nanohana (rapeseed stalks), which takes inspiration from Chef Araki’s childhood where he would pick wild bamboo shoots and nonohana in spring.

There’s also the fish course of Menuke (rock fish), whose presentation is inspired by the springtime activity of hanami or cherry blossom viewing—cured menuke is grilled over binchotan and plated with clam stock that’s dotted with green spring onion oil and pink daikon petals, capturing the moment of being under a sakura tree in the park.

Dessert is no less wonderful with the Ume dessert, where a plum-shaped candy shell is filled with ume sorbet and drizzled with an orange-yuzu sauce. With the ume tree long giving Japanese people a sense of the changing seasons, this dessert is a wonderful way to end your meal and welcome the start of spring.

Yue Bai

Delicate Southern Chinese dishes anchored by ancient dietary principles that ensure an optimum balance of health—this ethos explains why you’ll likely leave feeling light even after a hearty meal at Yue Bai.

The spring menu here is full of nourishing treasures; sample Chef Lee Hongwei’s choice dishes through set lunch ($78 – $98) or dinner tasting menus ($188 – $258). In the set menus, you’ll find the likes of deep-fried organic purple rice cake with XO Sauce, and the hydrating slow-braised duck with sea cucumber, hawthorn, and snow pear.

From the a la carte menu, the double-boiled silkie chicken soup with fish maw and dried longan —this nourishing double-boiled soup sees fresh jasmine flowers added right at the table, bringing a welcome fragrance to the dining table while boosting the dish with calming benefits.

Hashida

Chef Kenjiro Hashida has rolled out his Spring 2023 menu featuring the finest seasonal produce from Japan. The dinner omakase menu kicks off with a beautifully plated eight-item starter that celebrates the season. You’ll get to savour ama ebi in a special homemade koji marinade to bring out the sweetness of the delicate shrimp, hotaru ika (firefly squid), unagi zushi, and naturally sweet snow crab. The seafood is juxtaposed with fresh spring vegetables like nano hana (Japanse kalian) and udo (mountain asparagus).

The silky smooth chawanmushi comes with uni and tiger prawn along with a touch of lily root flower and mitsuba dashi sauce. For lunch, a lighter version of clam chawanmushi with yuzu and daikon in Japanese spinach dashi and topped with ikura is served instead.

Another new lunch item to enjoy is the delicate sakura mochi filled with baked sea bream and shrimps, and served with a shoyu dashi sauce and crunchy pickled ume.

Text: Arista Kwek