New Restaurants, Cafes And Bars: August 2014

The Klatch is located on the second story of a shophouse along Princep Street. It may be a little tricky to find, but once found, you're in for a good cuppa made with beans from Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee, and a time of quiet in a laid back environment. Great for reading, work (they have free wifi!), and times of quiet reflection.

Arterial is one place to head to for good coffee, soups, pastas, and open-top sandwiches. Their sandwiches include pleasures like flaked salmon, ham & cheese, and mushroom. A fried egg and feta cheese can be added for an additional $2, which comes highly recommended by Tastemaker Xing Wei, who says "It was a mess to eat, but seriously this is why it just tastes so good!" As they continue to update their menu and pour great coffee made from Liberty Coffee blends, this new cafe along Temple Street is set to make waves in the Chinatown cafe scene.

Dessert-lovers rejoice - Kki is finally open after their 8-month hiatus, and in a more convenient location to boot! Grab a cuppa to go with your stunning cake, and relax in this lovely space. Go for the Onigri, a Basil Dark Chocolate mousse cake with a Bitter Orange soft-core centre.

If you thought Tiong Bahru had enough cafes, you thought wrong. With the opening of Whisk and their signature lemon meringue tart, you'd be glad that this cafe has joined the party. As Burpple Tastemaker Chua Xing Wei remarks, "Lemon curd was tangy enough but still maintained a bit of egginess for a bit of sweetness. Fluffy torched meringue was not cloying sweet and added a subtle sweetness to the tart." Located right opposite Tiong Bahru Market, you'd want to add this place to your cafe-hopping list of the area. Make sure you try their macarons, lemon tarts, and cheesecakes!

The people behind The Humble Loaf have come back stronger to provide a unique blend of European and Asian flavours - in a much larger space that accommodates 50, in a far more convenient location. Doing much more than just sandwiches now, you can indulge in the ever-popular 63° eggs with jamon, Creamini Mushroom Linguine, 200g Hokubee Ribeye Bowl, and share a communal-sized rib eye. If you drop by for tea, they also have desserts and pastries to go with their shoyu caramel latte. They're still in the early days of their launch, head down to support these earnest guys, they deserve it!

FIX, a brand new cafe opened by the people behind GRUB, brings you the naanwich. These signature naan/sandwich fusions come with a variety of fillings like chicken tikka, smoked turkey ham & cheese, and even beef & kimchi, all nicely wrapped in soft naan and served with a side of cheesy nachos. Be sure to try their range of desserts, which are all made in-house. Located at HomeTeamNS @ Balestier, you'll even get to enjoy good food with a poolside view. Not too shabby.

Opened by the Les Amis Group, Comnam serves up Vietnamese cơm tấm, giving Singaporeans a taste of Vietnam that is rarely offered here. Cơm tấm is a Vietnamese dish made with broken rice and is usually served with grilled pork. At Comnam, try the pork cutlet rice bowl, which comes with pork strips, pickled vegetables, and a tamago omelette. You get to choose between Vietnamese broken rice and kimchi brown rice, though you should try the broken rice first. At $9.90 for a set lunch, portions are generous and make for a filling meal.

Pho Hanh focuses on unpretentious, flavourful, comforting, Vietnamese food. This unassuming restaurant along Joo Chiat with a humble storefront and decor whips up some great classics. Go for the Special Beef Noodle Soup ($7) - a light soup with robust flavours, filled with generous servings of sliced beef, beef balls and brisket. Also try their Lot Lot Roll with Fried Beef (a simplified version of Bò lá lốt), fried beef wrapped in fragrant herbal betel leaf, a nice treat.

Taking over after Au Jardin at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Corner House channels its excitement by ushering in a new era of what Chef Jason Tan calls "gastro-botanic" cuisine. Surrounded by the gardens, Corner House places strong emphasis on seasonal produce and herbs. Order the free-range chicken with surf & turf sauce, and don't miss their impeccably presented cocoa pebble dessert, it might help you better understand why gastro-botanic was coined!

When it comes to fusion food, there usually are hits and misses. In the same way, Babette's take on French/Japanese cuisine works in some areas, but not all. Start with their irresistable Bacon Tempura, and choose from the better donburis - Chirashi ($19), Steak & Foie Gras($28), or Duck Confit ($28) for your main. For dessert, try the Matcha Lava Cake with ice cream and a red bean sauce ($12), and wash it all down with a beer / wine / cocktail!

If you love Indian food and would like to take it up a gastronomical notch, Saha is the place to go. Award-winning chef, Abhijit Saha, has put interesting twists on regional Indian cuisine that just work. An al fresco Terrace Bar boasts a selection of Indian tapas and unique Indian-inspired cocktails. Try the Grand Old Monk Mojito or the Drunken Cigar!

This brand new restaurant in Pan Pacific recognises that diners have different preferences, and allows you to mix and match your favourite meat (Iberico pork collar/ lamb cutlets/ grain-fed striploin) or seafood (Atlantic cod, striped bass, Maine lobster) with various sauces and accompaniments. Meats can be either charcoal-grilled or pan-roasted, and seafood can also be poached or steamed. Perfect for dining in groups, everyone will be spoilt for choice!