Unconventional Food Places
With the new year approaching, it’s time to live – and eat – out of the ordinary. Try something new you haven’t had time to this year. Try dining on a boat floating down the Singapore River. Or in a cable car 100 meters above ground. Or even just among like-minded people, paying for your meal with nothing but a story.
Year end is coming. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new! Along with dining among the stars in cable cars, here are 10 awesome dining places that are not just restaurants to spice up your foodventures!
1. Admire private jets taking off in front of you while you brunch
You can’t not be blown away by this hidden gem: tuck into some homely grub while watching private jets and helicopters take off in plain view – pun completely intended. Comfortably sat right by Seletar Aerospace, Seok Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafe boasts an awe-inspiring view of the dynamic airspace.
The cafe is exactly as its name suggests – you’ll understand once you step in and spot the panorama of bicycles lovingly displayed on the cafe walls. A popular chill-out spot for cyclists, grab a bike for yourself and cycle down to unwind at the cafe for the rest of the day.
Expect local fare such as Mee Goreng as well as Western food such as a hearty Sirloin Steak and Beef Kebab.
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm daily, closed Mondays
Phone: 6659-6124
Address: #01-01, MAJ Aviation Building 80, Seletar Aerospace
2. Dinner with a 360° view of Singapore
Feast with your loved ones with the glorious Sentosa-HarbourFront view as your backdrop. As you zip through the city skyline, hanging more than 100 metres above the sea level, this dining experience is beyond compare. Take this rare chance to bond with your loved one, and all of you will literally feel that much closer to cloud nine.
Specially for this new year, Faber Peak Singapore is offering a delicious festive set menu of 4 oriental faves, including king prawns marinated to perfection and char grilled beef tenderloin topped with foie gras. It’s going to be Christmas and New Year soon, and you know everyone is going to go full kiasu mode. Book early online to beat everybody else.
Price: $318++ per couple
Opening Hours: 6pm – 7.30pm
Phone: 6377 9688
Address: 109 Mount Faber Road , Faber Peak, Singapore 099203
3. Experience what it’s like to dine in total darkness
Dine In The Dark by NOX is an experience you cannot see to believe. Literally. It’s a social enterprise that allows sighted people to understand what it’s like to be visually impaired. Set in a pitch dark room, you’re stripped of your sight and will have to rely on your other senses to enjoy your meal.
You’ll be assisted by blind waiters while in the room. Nox calls this a “transfer of trust”, which allows you to place trust in individuals who society normally thinks of as vulnerable.
Price: $88
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 6PM to late | Saturday: 5PM to late | Sunday: 5PM to 11PM (last reservation 9PM)
Lunch: Nox is open for group bookings.
Website: http://www.noxdineinthedark.com/reservations/
Address: 269 Beach Road Singapore 199546
4. Dinner while floating along the Singapore River
Update, 2017: Float @ The Bay is temporarily closed. Look out for updates here.
Bonding over conversations while luxuriating in fine food on a leisurely river cruise only existed in dreams – till now. Singapore River looks fabulous when adjacent buildings light up at night, and to have dinner while floating by Singapore’s night scenery on a dainty craft is an experience like no other.
With Float @ The Bay’s all-new Dinner Cruise on the River, you’ll be served a decadent four-course dinner, complete with a lip-smacking delicious triple chocolate cake to end the fare. Head down only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only though! The cruise does not operate on other days of the week.
Website: https://floatatthebay.com.sg/
5. Enjoy a home cooked Bengali supper and make new friends
You read that right – at Khana Commune, you can munch on home-cooked food with people you’ve never met before. Khana Commune is a supper club which aims to be what an ordinary restaurant can never replicate – a home where people can make new friends over cuisine prepared with love.
Specialising in Bengali fusion cuisine, Khana Commune invites patrons to taste the uniqueness of the delicacy such as fragrant Balti rice and sappy dahl.
Khana Commune is currently on a hiatus, but they have mentioned the possibility of organising a surprise dinner soon. So, be sure to join in their mailing list and stand a chance to experience a completely new way of dining!
Price: $60/person for a 5-8 course menu
Email: khanacommune@gmail.com
Address: Pasir Panjang*
*Actual location will only be given once booking is confirmed.
6. Pay for a meal – with nothing but your story
At The DMZ Dinners, there’s a new way to pay for dinner: with your story. What’s super cool about The DMZ Dinners is that you get to eat dinner for free, provided you talk about your experiences pertaining to language, race, or religion. This encourages all of us to think about our lives in Singapore and the experiences of people of other races or religions.
Be spoilt by a wide array of cafe faves ranging from fresh Caesar salad for starters, to succulent Ribeye steak for the mains. The DMZ Dinners are held at Food For Thought @ National Museum of Singapore, perfect for fostering deep discussions anchored in heritage.
Price: Absolutely FREE
Opening Hours: 7pm – 9pm
Email: outreach@foodforthought.com.sg
Address: 8 Queen Street, Singapore 188535
7. Groove to live music – with hipster food
If you really want to have a refreshing time out with your buddies and mingle with people from every corner of Singapore, go andLepark. The open-air dining locale is an unconventional one. With local budding musicians making regular appearances to bring in the crowds and you chilling at the rooftop, you’ll be surprised how riveting the dining experience will be.
Being a rooftop bar in good ol’ Chinatown, Lepark serves mod-sin street food and very affordable craft beers. The chicken rice sushi that got many people raving was born in Lepark’s kitchen, so head down and let your tastebuds understand what the hype is about.
Price: Menu can be found here
Opening Hours: 4pm – 11pm (Tues – Thurs); 4pm – 12am (Fri); 12pm – 12am (Sat); 12pm – 11pm (Sunday)
Email: meow@lepark.co
Address: 1 Park Road, Level 6 People’s Park Complex Singapore 059108
8. Up your doodling game and go cray with food at the same time
For all the artsy-fartsy people, you’ll love Arteastiq’s hybrid concept of a boutique tea house and an art jam studio. Arteastiq allows you to do two of the most therapeutic things in life, eating and expressing yourself through art. Painting on canvas is not something you do daily, much less in a normal restaurant. If there’s a budding artist inside of you, you now know where to unleash him!
Price: Refer to pricing here.
Opening Hours: 11am – 10:30pm(Mon – Fri); 10am – 10:30pm (Sat & Sun)
Phone: 6235 8370 (Mandarin Gallery); 6336 0951 (Plaza Singapura); 6763 4755 (Turf City)
Address: Mandarin Gallery Outlet: 333A Orchard Road, #04-14/15, Mandarin Gallery, Singapore 238867 | Plaza Singapura Outlet: 68 Orchard Rd #03-70/72, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839 | Turf City Outlet: 200 Turf Club Road, #02-K70/71 Pasarbella At The Grandstand, Singapore 287994
9. Dine on board a floating restaurant off mainland Singapore
If you’re looking to dine off the beaten track, here’s one for you that’s not even on a track. Smith Marine is Singapore’s first-of-its-kind floating seafood restaurant – more lovingly known as a kelong – just off Pulau Ubin.
Reignite some raw kampung vibes on this homely kelong, where you get to fish for your own food – so you know you’ll be enjoying the freshest catch for your meal, cooked to perfection in whichever way you’d like.
With the glimmering sea as your backdrop, it’s no ordinary meal, but also a fabulous retreat from the hustle and bustle of mainland Singapore.
Price: Refer to pricing here.
Opening Hours: 10am – 7pm, daily
Phone: 9792 7609 (Jessie Toh)
Easiest way to get there
Charter a return bumboat trip from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Smith Marine ($100 for a return trip for up to 12 people). Contact Jessie at 9792 7609.
10. Have a mystery dinner at Andsoforth
Last but certainly not least, immerse yourself in a food adventure of your life steeped in mystery. Andsoforth has a unique concept: they release the theme and date for the dinner in advance, but no other information.
This allows everyone to plan their wardrobe according to the theme and be led to a mystery location on the day of the dinner itself. Each Andsoforth dinner is unique and will never be repeated.
Be wowed by a food lineup that’s specially customised to every theme and more importantly, secret. The last time we were there, we were treated to a lightly roasted artichoke and a chunk of luscious cod. Besides that, we downed a couple of… oops. Sorry, we can’t divulge any further.
Address: Unknown
Details: Watch Andsoforth’s Facebook page for future events
Celebrate the festive season right
Note: The contest below was held last year so it is now over!
This December, get out there and plunge into immersive dining experiences you can’t find anywhere else. Food’s not just for eating – it’s about the company you’re with and the overall experience.
See out the end of 2015 floating down the Singapore River or book a private dinner in a cable car up with Singapore Cable Car’s High on Celebration Cabin ($488++/cabin) that’s available only on 31st December. With a capacity of 6 people and timed perfectly for the perfect view when fireworks erupt at the stroke of midnight, there won’t be a better spot to catch the fireworks with your friends.
Many of us haven’t been in a cable car in a looong time, but cable cars haven’t lost any of their charm. Singapore Cable Car’s Sky Dining promotion is ongoing from now till 31st December, and includes a special price of $318++ per couple, which includes 3 round trips lasting 90 minutes. Cabins are decked out in 4 festive themes, so pick your favourite! Find out what other promotions they have on offer here.
If you’re feeling lucky and want to have a free Cable Car Sky Pass, you’re in luck. Singapore Cable Car is giving away 5 pairs of Cable Car Sky Passes (worth $38/pair)! All you have to do is:
Step 1: Like TheSmartLocal and Singapore Cable Car on Facebook.
Step 2: Share THIS announcement post on Facebook.
Step 3: Leave a comment belowTHAT same Facebook post, telling us how you’d like to celebrate your countdown to the new year!
Contest runs from 10 December to 17 December 2015. Results will be announced on 18 December 2015. Good luck!
There are few better ways to spend time with a loved one then with a dinner that will last in their memories.
Find out more about Faber Peak Singapore’s New Year Celebrations HERE!
This post was brought to you by Faber Peak Singapore.