While we love indulging in bubbly buffets and afternoon teas every once in a while, good and affordable lunch sets are a great midday pick-me-up, too. From hearty Italian fare to alfresco diners with fab views, here are 9 restaurants perfect for lunch catch-ups with the girlfriends.
Jamie’s Italian
Available from 12pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday, Jamie’s refreshed Super Lunch deal ($24.90 for two courses) is one to bookmark. Start with a light Bibb Salad with Crispy Prosciutto – fresh lettuce with red radish, chopped shallot, sliced avocado, “goddess” dressing and prosciutto – or go for a hearty Roasted Squash Bruschetta, a combination of pumpkin, squash, lemony ricotta, parmesan, seasonal greens and sticky aged balsamic. For mains, the Chicken Al Matone (exclusive to Forum) is a popular choice, and features butterflied chicken breast cooked under a brick with peperonata, balsamic onion and salsa verde. Prefer something heartier? The restaurant’s signature Pizza Primavera comes topped with broccolini, peas and mozzarella, finished with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Then, round up the meal with a dessert (top up $8); we’re eyeing the Eton Mess, served with Italian meringue, zesty cream and berries compote.
If you’re visiting in the evening, check out the set dinner ($39.90 for three courses), available from Monday to Thursday from 6pm onwards. A must-try is the Braised Beef Brisket – a dish exclusive to the VivoCity branch.
#01-165/167 VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk | 6733 5500
583 Orchard Road, #01-01/04 Forum
jamiesitalian.sg
Nassim Hill
Gather your girlfriends for a laidback lunch at this cosy bistro bar in Tanglin Post Office. On offer is a great variety of boozy drinks, multi-cuisine eats – think pastas, brunch dishes and steaks – plus a fab ladies’ night promotion to boot. For lunch (11am to 4pm), you’ll find a mix of salads, light bites like sandwiches and pizzas, as well as heavier items like pastas if you’re on the hungrier side. A new dish we’re dying to try is the dry laksa pasta ($26) – a combo of creamy laksa sauce, spaghetti, fish cakes and fresh prawns. Other new additions to the menu include truffle pizza ($15), chicken pesto panini ($18) and sloppy egg mash ($9), featuring poached egg, truffle mashed potatoes and chives served with toast. Brunch lovers can also tuck into all-day breakfast items from 8am to 4pm; you’re spoilt for choice with the number of egg dishes available here.
Psst… This gastrobar offers one of the longest happy-hour promotions we’ve ever come across. From 9am to 9pm daily, enjoy one-for-one on draught beers, as well as affordable house pours priced from $8 to $12.
#01-03 Tanglin Post Office
56 Tanglin Road
6835 1128 | facebook.com/nassimhill
Picotin Express
In need of a midweek break? Get your health back on track with a morning yoga session followed by wholesome brunch fare at Picotin Bukit Timah. Happening every Wednesday at 9.30am, Picotin’s Yoga & Brunch includes a 60-minute yoga class by MyYoga (9183 0087 | heike@myyoga.sg) at the restaurant’s beautiful surrounds, as well as a healthy meal right after. Look forward to starting the morning right with a progressive series of Asanas (postures) that’ll help to improve flexibility and strength, while relieving chronic muscular tension caused by stress. The class is open to all levels – including beginners! Thereafter, you’ll be treated to a delightful meal with healthy options like niçoise salad, multi-grain avocado toast, and a yogurt bowl with house-made granola. Sign up through this link.
Psst… This family-friendly European bistro has a new outlet in the East (382 Joo Chiat Road | 6342 0382) that’s equipped with a projector, sound system, snooker table and mini football table – perfect for family gatherings and private events!
60 Fairways Drive
6877 1191 | events@picotin.com.sg
picotin.com.sg
Ricciotti
Open since 2004, this breezy riverside gem serves unpretentious, delicious and affordable homemade Italian fare with a contemporary flair. The two-course lunch is priced at a wallet-friendly $25, while the three-course option will set you back $30. The lunch menu changes on a weekly basis, but the restaurant is best-known for their selection of pizzas, pastas, breads and desserts, which are mostly made from scratch using fresh, quality ingredients. Signatures on the a la carte menu include the Vellutata di Zucca e Stracciatella ($16) – pumpkin soup with Stracciatella cheese and crispy barley – caprese salad ($20) and Tomino Piemontese, Salsa Verde e Salsa Rossa ($20) – melted cow cheese with oyster mushrooms, grilled veggies, parsley sauce and capsicum chilli sauce.
Psst… If you’re a die-hard cheese fan, don’t leave without trying the Tortelloni di Bufala ($26): homemade buffalo mozzarella D.O.P stuffed pasta, cherry tomato confit, pearl onions and basil sauce. The Pizza Genovese ($24 for 9-inch, $32 for 12-inch) – topped with two types of cheese, basil pesto, olives, green beans and pine nuts – is another signature that’s great for sharing.
#B1-49/50, The Riverwalk
20 Upper Circular Road
6533 9060 | ricciotti.co
Stellar
With its stunning city-view and classy space, the Stellar experience is one to savour over and over again! Located right in the heart of the CBD, this fine-dining restaurant offers scenic views of the city skyline at 282 metres above ground level. Helming the kitchen is executive chef Christopher Millar, who delivers progressive Australian fare at this sky-high spot. The set lunch menu changes every month based on the seasonality of the ingredients.
Tuck into a two-course ($38) or three-course ($48) lunch; appetisers include salmon tartare with cucumber, cherry and organic green peppercorn, while mains feature heartier options like roasted pork belly with chorizo, raspberry vinegar and green lentils. Feeling healthy? Get creative by creating your own salad at the salad station, filled with a variety of seafood, toppings and dressings. End your meal on a sweet note with a diving dessert – we pick the cold lemon soufflé with cracked pepper cheesecake and lemon crackers!
Level 62, 1 Raffles Place
6438 0410 | 1-altitude.com/stellar
Baba Chews Bar and Eatery
If you’re a fan of all things Peranakan, visit the Katong neighbourhood, a Peranakan enclave where you’ll find rows upon rows of colourful conservation shophouses and Peranakan eateries. Housed in the former Joo Chiat Police Station, Baba Chews Bar and Eatery offers mod-Peranakan dishes in a charming colonial setting. Must-tries include the ayam buah keluak burger ($18), a fusion burger consisting of a chicken patty doused in a signature sauce of buah keluak (a type of nut), served between two ciabatta buns and with a side of archar (pickled spicy vegetables).
Lunch-wise, you’ll find an affordable three-course set ($15.90 per person) available from Monday to Friday (12pm to 2.30pm). Tuck into hearty mains such as ikan goreng –sweet and spicy fried fish with rice – as well as oh-so-popular Babi Pongteh – pork belly with fermented soya bean, mushrooms and potatoes. Don’t miss dessert, too; top up $2 for a dessert of the day!
#01-01 Katong Square, 86 East Coast Road
6723 2025 | facebook.com/babachewssg
The Spot
Whether you’re having a business lunch or a catch-up sesh with the girlfriends, this newly opened CBD joint suits both occasions. Helmed by Executive Chef Lee Boon Seng (formerly of Osia and Curate), the food offerings here are largely modern European with an Asian slant. What we like about the lunch menu is having the flexibility to choose between two ($30), three ($38) or five courses ($68), depending on whether you’re able to withstand the post-lunch food coma (or not). If you’re feeling extra hungry, we recommend the five-course lunch, which gets you two appetisers, one main and two desserts. Highlights include the pan-fried red snapper, a gorgeous combination of crispy skin, tender flesh and a flavourful green curry emulsion, and the licorice ice-cream – caramelised candied parsnip, malt molasses, coffee crumble – an interesting dessert that happens to be the chef’s fave.
#01-26/27 Marina One The Heart
5 Straits View
6284 2637 | thespot.sg
Atlas
Housed in Singapore’s very own “Gotham Building”, otherwise known as Parkview Square, the 690-square-metre space is adorned with furnishings synonymous with the era – think lavish and luxurious brass plating and art murals. The restaurant bar offers European cuisine by executive chef Daniele Sperindio, previously of Open Door Policy, so you’re in good hands if you arrive hungry. Go for the two-course ($38) or three-course ($48) lunch set, and tuck into delicious dishes (also available à la carte) like ricotta and spinach agnolotti pasta with shaved mushrooms, truffle and whipped butter ($26), and creamy polenta with stracchino cheese, herbs oil and fennel flower ($22). Supplement your meal with a wine pairing; two glasses ($24) or three ($30) if you’re feeling indulgent!
Parkview Square, 600 North Bridge Road
6396 4466 | atlasbar.sg
Summerhouse
Open for dinner and weekend brunch, this is one pretty spot you can’t miss. Located in a beautiful colonial bungalow in the redeveloped Seletar Aerospace Park, The Summerhouse is a multi-faceted dining enclave that offers nature-inspired cuisine prepared with home-grown ingredients. For lunch (12pm to 3pm on weekends), tuck into a series of unique eats like the miso shiitake linguine ($22), which features handmade pasta, braised shiitake, miso cream, sous vide poached egg, lemon zest and fried sakura ebi. Desserts wise, a top hit is the brandy marinated orange ($14): mandarin ice-cream with honeycomb and blue pea flower.
3 Park Lane
6262 1063 | thesummerhouse.sg
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