Small plates with strong flavours at Appetite 

Dinner at Appetite is an intimate affair. The cosy dining room is perched on the second floor of a shophouse overlooking Amoy Street. There is only one table: a U-shaped marble counter that fits no more than eight guests. Contemporary art bedecks the walls, jazz music wafts through the room and fashionably oblong ceramic tableware adorns the tables. It feels a bit like scoring an invitation to the home of a sophisticated acquaintance. 

Both Appetite and its pricier sister restaurant, the one-Michelin-starred Nouri, are headed by Brazil-born chef Ivan Brehm.

They are modelled on his gastronomic philosophy of experimental dining. The menu is updated almost weekly, drawing inspiration from “global perspective, partner farms and the chef’s culinary explorations”.

This season, the kitchen is experimenting with warm, autumnal flavours. We polish off an earthy bowl of scissor-cut pasta ($48), stewed in a silky blend of leeks and kabocha pumpkin. It is vibrantly flavourful, topped with garlic chips and showered with a generous heap of truffle shavings. 

Portions are modest and leave plenty of room for more carbs, like the potato roulade ($45 or $128 with a tin of caviar) – another new entrant to the menu. This is a rosti all grown up: a crisp golden disc crowned with specks of caviar. Pair it with the wasabi skyr – a thick Icelandic yogurt-like product – to temper the richness of the buttery potato coils. 

The potato roulade also goes nicely with the spiced Brittany pigeon ($88 for the whole bird), the more refined cousin of the chicken – nuttier, gamier, sweeter. Here, it is roasted deep pink and flanked by chestnut hummus and charred kale. Each element of the dish has been treated with due respect and diligently seasoned.

Spoilt for choice? There is also a seven-course chef’s menu that goes for $182 a person.

Where: 72A Amoy Street
MRT: Maxwell/Telok Ayer
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 6pm to 12am
Tel: 9751-5300
Info: appetitesg.com

Korean comfort food at Jeju Sanghoe 

With its hearty bowls of comfort food and clean, lightwood interior, Jeju Sanghoe has been touted as the closest you will get to authentic Jeju cuisine in Singapore.

After all, the Korean restaurant, which opened in October 2023, is helmed by a chef from the province. 

Well, it has been seven years since my last trip to South Korea, so I cannot vouch for authenticity, but thankfully, good flavour is universal. 

The pork noodle soup ($29) – or Gogi-Guksu – is a balm at the end of a long, tiring day. It is hard to go wrong with springy wheat noodles steeped in a nourishing, robust broth.

Be warned, however, that the portions are gigantic. If you have only a modest appetite, do not attempt to finish this alone. 

If you are dining in a group, you can try more side dishes. Allow yourself the indulgence of ordering the fried chicken with honey garlic sauce ($37). The crunchy, juicy chicken is a treat all on its own but try it with the tangy sauce as well. 

Skip the BBQ black pork belly ($28) – which is somehow too dry and too oily – and opt for the other Jeju specialities instead. They include the Halla Mountain braised pork spare ribs (from $79) – a towering mound of meat on vegetables – and abalone porridge ($30).

All dishes are paired with an impressive array of side garnishes that include the usual suspects such as kimchi, as well as the more uncommon options of fried squid and marinated quail eggs.

Where: 74 Tras Street
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 5 to 10pm daily
Tel: 6977-7977
Info: @jejusanghoe_sg on Instagram

Cool relief at Muted Gelato

There is yet another kid on the ice-cream block. 

Muted Gelato set up shop in Lavender Street in November 2023. It is the brainchild of 27-year-old Nicole Khoo, who grew up with a keen interest in baking and desserts. 

True to its name, decor is kept to a minimum. Soft curves and round edges beckon invitingly, awash in a calming apricot hue. 

The flavours, however, are anything but muted. My scoop of Sicilian pistachio is a delight – nutty, fragrant and just savoury enough. It is not too sweet and blessedly free of the grassy aftertaste that plagues inferior counterparts. 

For some contrast, I opt for the dark chocolate sorbet, bracing myself for an icy bite with only limp hints of cocoa. To my surprise, my tongue is swathed in a rich, velvety coat that is somehow luxuriantly creamy, yet light enough to keep me going back for more.

Get the ice cream as a single (from $5) or double (from $9) scoop, but only in a cup. Cones are not available as Muted has chosen instead to focus on buttermilk waffles – available for an additional $6. 

Where: 221 Lavender Street
MRT: Bendemeer
Open: Noon to 12am daily
Tel: 9229-3887
Info: muted.sg

Correction note: Appetite has clarified that its spiced Brittany pigeon costs $88 for a whole bird and not for a portion as previously stated.