Food Picks: White Restaurant launches new concept; Iko offers ramen for takeaway; Osteria BBR opens Aug 19

(Clockwise from top left) IKO's The Luxe Ramen, White Restaurant's Original White Beehoon, Osteria BBR's Burrata Pugliese.

PHOTOS: IKO, WHITE RESTAURANT, RAFFLES HOTEL

Meal bundles at White Express

Customers can order a single-person portion of Original White Beehoon a la carte, or paired with a drink. PHOTO: WHITE RESTAURANT

White Restaurant, home of the original Sembawang white beehoon, has already expanded to six outlets, including in Jewel Changi Airport and Suntec City. Last month, it launched its first White Express outlet - a more casual concept - in Tampines Mall.

Unlike the older family-style restaurants, the newcomer caters to solo or paired diners and serves smaller portions or meal bundles. You can order a single-person portion of Original White Beehoon a la carte ($6.90) or paired with a drink ($8.80). Or add a small portion of a side dish such as Stir-fried Broccoli With Garlic, Signature Meat & Seafood Roll or Signature Fried Wings for an extra $2.40. The dishes also come in full a la carte portions.

If you like spicy food, go for the Signature Mala White Beehoon ($8.90 for a la carte). It has a potent dose of chillies and Sichuan pepper to tingle the palate so addictively. But while there is plenty of punch, the heat dissipates fast enough for you to savour the other dishes. Like the non-spicy version, the rice noodles are braised with seafood like prawns and squid, egg and vegetables.

Besides beehoon, there are also two choices of fried rice: Prawn And Chinese Sausage Fried Rice and Silver Fish And Chicken Fried Rice ($6.90 for a la carte). Bundle them with a fried vegetable and you have a complete meal for one.

Or if you're dining with another person, share a white beehoon and a fried rice bundle with different sides for variety.

Where: White Express, B1-K17 Tampines Mall, 4 Tampines Central 5
MRT: Tampines
Open: 11am to 9.30pm
Tel: 6908-1023
To order: Go to this website for takeaway and delivery orders. Prices include GST.


New ramen menu at Iko

The Luxe Ramen. PHOTO: IKO

On top of some regular a la carte dishes, Iko has launched a new ramen menu that is available only for takeaway and delivery. And you won't find it on the Japanese restaurant's website. Instead, you have to WhatsApp or call 8866-5218 to order.

There are five options - Prawn ($12), Hokkaido Scallop ($17), Half Boston Lobster ($16), Full Boston Lobster ($24) and The Luxe ($28), which comes with half a Boston lobster, prawns and scallops on top of the usual bamboo shoot, egg and nori. They all come with a thick and umami-filled seafood broth.

Just get the works as The Luxe is a good deal. Make sure you are hungry, though, because it is a large serving.

There is a minimum order requirement of $30, so you may want to add a side dish of fried chicken ($10) or pickled mustard leaf ($5). But if your budget permits, get the Japanese cod from the main menu. It is going for $32.30 after a 15 per cent discount and tastes amazing with its glaze of miso butter and lime.

Where: Iko, 65 Neil Road
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
When: Ramen orders are accepted from 11am to 8pm, Mondays to Saturdays.
To order: WhatsApp or call 8866-5218. Islandwide delivery is available for a $12 fee for orders below $60. A minimum order of $30 is required for delivery. Check the restaurant's Instagram account for updates.


Italian food at Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse

The Burrata Pugliese from Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse. PHOTO: RAFFLES HOTEL

The Bar and Billiard Room at Raffles Hotel will be reopening on Aug 19 with a new concept by French chef Alain Ducasse. Called Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse, it focuses on Italian food - a slight departure from the Mediterranean fare by the former BBR by Alain Ducasse.

Heading the kitchen is chef de cuisine Francesco Soletti, an Italian who has worked in many of Ducasse's restaurants, including the three-Michelin-starred Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse a l'Hotel de Paris in the French capital.

Originally slated to open earlier, Osteria BBR's plans were scuttled by phase two (heightened alert) and it is offering takeaway with a smaller menu of antipasti, pasta, pizza and dessert.

The Burrata Pugliese, Insalata Di Pomodorini Multicolore ($29), translated as Apulian burrata, multi-coloured tomato salad, is a refreshing starter. The salad is completed with a soup-like tomato sauce, with the cheese providing a respite between bites of the fruit.

The Paccheri Pasta With Barolo-braised Beef Cheek ($38) is good too, especially after you heat it up. The sauce is packed separately, so you add it just before reheating to avoid the pasta getting too soft. Besides chunks of tender beef cheek, there are also pieces of cured pork belly and pearl onions.

For dessert, I'd suggest the Baba With Limoncello And Whipped Cream ($18). You add the lemon liqueur at the table, which not only moistens but also gives it an intoxicating sweetness.

Where: Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse, Raffles Hotel Singapore, 1 Beach Road
MRT: City Hall
To order: Go to their website.
Info: Call 6412-1816

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