Singapore Restaurant Week is back from 24 October 2015 to 1 November 2015

Following the resounding success of the SINGAPORE RESTAURANT WEEK held in March, October’s edition will once again see the city’s top dining establishments lure diners with sumptuous offerings and exclusive menus, this time to the overarching theme of “Sinfully Delectable”.

With Singapore as an iconic foodie paradise, food fanatics can indulge in an excit-ing range of cuisines from more than 100 of Singapore’s most celebrated restaurants offering week-long dining deals. We were invited to the media tasting to catch a glimpse of the dishes that will be presented during Singapore Restaurant Week.

Our first stop was Shisen Hanten (333 Orchard Rd) – a well known restaurant from Japan. It was started in 1958 by the late Chen Kenmin who is regarded as Japan’s “Father of Sichuan Cuisine.” He passed down his legacy to his eldest son, Chen Kenichi, who himself earned wide acclaim as one of Japan’s most celebrated iron chefs.

Nicknamed “The Szechwan Sage,” Chen Kenichi expanded the family business, branching out across Japan and imbuing his personal touch to the Shisen Hanten brand by incorporating fresh new ideas into the menu offerings. His signature dishes emphasised the seven basic flavours that give Sichuan food that distinct boldness, namely – sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic, and salty.

Our appetizers include a chawanmushi with seafood and bamboo pith broth. The egg custard is smooth and velvety but the sauce was a little too salty for my liking. I prefer the other dish that we tried – Stir Fried Prawns with Chilli Sauce. Inspired by our local chilli crab, Chef Kenichi’s version is less sweet and more spicy.

We are chauffeured to our next destination – Opus Bar and Grill in Hilton Singapore, by spacious Audi cars. With a open kitchen right in the middle of the restaurant, you can witness the chefs expertly cook in the grill pod; hear the searing of prime cuts of meat; and smell the unique caramelized and smoky flavor.

Helmed by head chef Rene Knudsen from Denmark, chef firmly believes in keeping abreast to the culinary trends. Using a specially commissioned Himalayan salt tile cabinet and charcoals, this innovative grill creates some of the best meats anyone has tasted in Singapore. His Sous Vide Chicken Breast is served with corn, Scandinavian slaw, charred onion and browned butter. Beautifully plated, the chicken breast is tender and smoky. The Scandinavian slaw provides a refreshing take on the dish.

Positioned as modern European cuisine dining destination, Chef Selamat Susanto from The Royal Mail (2 Finlayson Green) combines colourful Asian ingredients in his European dishes. We ended our Restaurant Week trail with Durian Croquembouche. The soft puff is filled with durian custard on a bad of almond crumble.

Also for this coming edition, DiningCity is adding a social responsibility angle by set-ting a target of raising $100,000 for The Food Bank Singapore, a registered charity that collects surplus food to be redistributed to organisations and people in need of food. This project is called “Two-Bucks-For-A-Truck” and the funds raised will be used to purchase a truck and convert it into a mobile food pantry – that people might one day notice driving around Singapore.

Participating restaurants will donate up to $2 per check out of their revenue, until the fund-raising target is achieved. The progress of the fund-raising will be visible via the TRIKKLE-Funding platform by CrozzBorderz, which will also enable the public to do-nate towards this meaningful and tangible project, simply by sending an SMS.

Priority bookings will be offered to American Express Card Members from 18 September 2015. American Express® Card* Members can enrol and pay with your American Express Card at participating restaurants during Singapore Restaurant Week for a chance to win a 3D2N staycation and retail vouchers worth $1500! Look out for more information coming your way.

Booking for the public will be open from 28 September 2015. Participating restaurants will offer exclusive three-course menus for both lunch and dinner priced at $25++ and $35++ respectively. Dining City Star-Awarded restaurants will charge a supplement of $15++ for lunch and $20++ for dinner. A full list of participating and DiningCity Star-Awarded restaurants can be found on www.RestaurantWeek.SG