New Restaurants, Cafes and Bars: February 2015

For those who like their desserts with a touch of class and sophistication, Selfish Gene Patisserie is the place for you. Situated one floor above the popular Selfish Gene Cafe, this new patisserie is intended to be a more "adult" dessert extension to the existing Selfish Gene cafe concept. Meshing together Asian influences with French techniques, the patisserie offers plated and deconstructed desserts in a minimalist yet warm cafe setting. Go for the Soya - a deconstructed tofu cheesecake dessert with red miso sauce, crumble, homemade green tea ice-cream and mochi. Always check for exciting seasonal dessert items such as the Pierre Herme Ispahan-esque Rose Yogurt Panna Cotta that was available on the menu during the Valentine's Day period. Drinks are also available, making this place the perfect sweet ending to any night out.

Hot on the heels of Honey Creme comes Milkcow, the Korean organic soft serve ice cream shop that has already launched itself across Japan, Philippines and Malaysia. Setting up shop within The Cathay, Milkcow distinguishes itself from the competition by providing not just the usual honeycomb, affogato and caramel popcorn flavours that its rivals usually offer, but also intriguing flavours such as Green Light (cool mint syrup with almond flakes), Milky Peace (pistachio syrup, sunflower seeds and cashew clusters) and Samsam (red ginseng syrup with almond flakes). Milkcow promises that their desserts are healthy, 100% natural, and truly organic - that means you can pig out on the soft serve with slightly less guilt!

While Mad About Sucre primarily does European-style bespoke tiered cakes, they also offer exquisite bakes at their sophisticated, Parisian-inspired cafe shopfront. Their Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef leads the baking team in achieving sweetness through creative combinations of ingredients, resulting in aesthetically stunning creations that never fail to indulge the senses. Notably, their cakes are served in courses, with the light-tasting cakes always served before the heavier ones - that is the extent of Mad About Sucre's dedication to delivering the perfect gustatory experience. Go for the Coco Citron, a combination of lemon curd and coconut mousse, and the San Domingue, an intriguing creation of rum, dark chocolate and bananas.

Manzoku (which translates to "satisfaction" in Japanese) is the latest concept of the Yoi Group, which also manages the wildly popular Chikuwa Tei. In addition to the existing items on Chikuwa Tei's menu, Manzoku also offers yakitori items. This means that more seats are now available for diners keen on having Chikuwa Tei's star item -- their Chirashi -- a bed of rice adorned with thick slices of salmon, swordfish, tuna, and amberjack sashimi with ikura and tamago. The thickness of the cuts of sashimi here are the stuff dreams and legends are made of, and their Chirashi is arguably one of the most popular and value-for-money variants around. Remember to make a reservation!

Situated within POMO in the Dhoby Ghaut area, Montana Brew Bar serves a variety of burgers, waffles, sandwiches, and pastries. On the coffee front, Montana offers artisanal coffee blends -- from single origin roasts to their own special house blend. They boast a rather extensive waffle selection, both savoury (think Truffle Mac & Cheese) and sweet (Waffle Suzette, Cinnamon Apple Pie, Strawberry Fields). Go for the Southern Fried Chicken Waffle Sandwich and Red Velvet Waffle Stack! Prices are very reasonable.

The newest addition to the Les Amis Group of restaurants, Sushi Jin offers high quality Japanese cuisine in a high-end setting but at a lower price point than other locally run sushi places. Interesting sets such as the Jin Lunch Omakase, 5 Kinds of Torched Sushi, Assorted Sushi and Assorted Sashimi are available. Affordable rice bowl options like the Akami Yukke Don and the noteworthy Bara Chirashi are recommended. Also give their decadent truffle seafood chawanmushi a try! Not the cheapest, but check them out for the high quality of food served.

Newly opened in Ang Mo Kio, Murphy's offers authentic English fish & chips in a cafe setting, with their delicious arrowteeth fish fillet available in both its traditional pairing with fries, as well as in burger form. Don't forget to splash a generous glug of imported malt vinegars (Murphy's stocks both original and onion flavours) all over that perfectly fried fish for a legit experience. If fish isn't your thing, Murphy's also offers coffee and a small selection of cakes. Interesting fact: Murphy's currently has a partnership with the National Library Board of Singapore to be a Book Exchange Center under Project Earth, so you can actually trade used books with the ones on their shelves! Go ahead, bring an old book over and enjoy a spanking new book with a cuppa at Murphy's.

A sister outlet to the popular izakaya Katanashi at Boat Quay has opened along Boon Tat Street, and you can expect the same level of authentic Japanese hospitality and service experienced at the original branch. However, both outlets offer different Japanese tapas dishes, and Katanashi An is designed to feel more like a restaurant than an izakaya. Some of Katanashi An's notable items include their tofu topped with squid and sea urchin, marinated grilled chicken with lemon and yuzu pepper, and the mille-feuille sushi -- an inspired creation of layered sushi with salmon, tamago and tuna, topped with salmon roe.

This brand new tasting-menu restaurant helmed by Johnston Teo (formerly from Jaan and The Tippling Club) is the latest addition to Loh Lik Peng's Unlisted Collection. Contributing to Singapore's understanding of the growth of "bistronomy", Sorrel's space channels a chic bistro vibe while serving you really, really good food expected of a far stiffer restaurant. Lunches come in either three ($45) or five courses ($88), while dinners are available in five or seven courses ($118). The food here is often exciting and startling in both texture and flavour combination -- prepare to be wowed by their Pumpkin with Coconut and Smoked Eel, and the Roasted Langoustine with Pan-seared Foie Gras with Morel Mushrooms.

Serving specialty burgers modelled after the legendary Blacows burgers from Tokyo, Wildfire Kitchen + Bar is the new place to visit. Using their signature INKA closed door grill, Wildfire delivers charcoal-grilled premium meats and you can taste the smokiness in each bite! The Classic 001 burger is a must-try -- two epically soft buns sandwich a 100% beef patty with butterhead lettuce, sliced tomatoes, beer caramelised onions, cheddar cheese and Wildfire's signature master sauce playing tasty supportive roles. Happy Hours are from 6-8pm, so pair your burgers with $9 craft beers for an excellent man's night out, although we can see many-a-woman scoffing down this meat-heavy fare too!

Joining the throng of hip eateries along Tras Street, May May offers modern Asian-inspired Western cuisine in a sophisticated, clean setting. The Asian influences across the menu are diverse, with the use of ingredients ranging from kaffir lime and lemongrass to masala and shiso. The well-executed fusion of flavours lead to unexpected and often delectable results. The slow-cooked squid with poached pear, ginger, pistachio and lobster rice noodles with lemongrass, kaffir lime and coconut broth is stunning, and highly recommended. You also want to check out their value-for-money lunch sets -- choose from chicken, cod or pork belly rice bowls, all of which come with assorted vegetables and half an egg!

Situated at Kreta Ayer, the newly opened Les Delices (which translates to "The Delights") intriguingly pairs Chinese tea -- both hot and cold brew options are available -- with French choux pastries and cakes. Their signature choux pastry come in flavours such as Earl Grey Milk Tea, Valrhona Chocolate and Matcha, while cakes currently include the Mango Charlotte and Berry Popping Cheesecake. Go for the Lemon Strawberry Rosette and Earl Grey Milk Tea Choux!