HungryGoWhere

Tell your human and furry friends: KFC Singapore is launching its very first pets club with an inaugural furbabies meetup, exclusive pet merch line and an all-new surf n’ turf menu to celebrate the occasion. From October 21, KFC’s latest menu draws on cajun flavours from the American south in Louisiana, which is known for its Creole heritage and seafood flavours.

Orchard Road rarely does slow. Between the shopping bags and the lunch-hour dash, sitting down to a long, unhurried French meal feels like a small act of rebellion, which is precisely the pitch at Maison Paul. The French bakery chain’s first maison concept in Singapore (and the world!) now occupies its former cafe space on the second floor of Paragon. Rebranded for a proper sit-down If you’ve grabbed a croissant from Paul Paragon anytime in the past decade, you’ll barely recognise the place.

Somewhere between the umpteenth matcha tiramisu and yet another tin stamped “ceremonial grade”, matcha in Singapore stopped being a tea and became a personality trait. It’s been whipped into croissants, poured into highballs, and queued for in numbers usually reserved for limited-edition collectibles. So, there’s something almost disarming about Koko Kawane, a new 15-seat atelier at The Star Vista that treats the green stuff with the reverence it’s owed.

Peranakan cuisine has evolved in different directions in Singapore’s dining scene these past few years — some stick closely to recipes handed down through generations, while others rework them into tasting menus, modern interpretations, and even churn out cocktail pairings. What’s less common is a kitchen built explicitly as a bridge between the two camps: One that keeps a grandmother’s name on the door, while giving her recipes that she’s passed down a more contemporary spin.

If fish soup is your kind of comfort food, there’s a newish “fish” in Singapore’s F&B pond (pun intended) to check out. Launched in January, Mee Cik Ling is a halal-certified concept serving up hearty fish soup and handmade ban mian. You can use your CDC vouchers here, too! You’ll find Mee Cik Ling at Sengkang East and Bukit Gombak. Photo: Shannon Yap/HungryGoWhere It’s run by longtime friends Andrew Oh and Dinie Elfian, both in their thirties and well-acquainted with the F&B scene.

Seoul-born restaurant Ojeje has opened its first international outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre, bringing its signature tonkatsu and freshly made udon to Singapore. It joins a growing wave of Korean chains setting up shop here, including recent openings such as Dolpan Hwajoo and Jomaru Gamjatang Hot Pot. Ojeje is located in Raffles City’s basement. Photo: Shannon Ong/HungryGoWhere Despite specialising in Japanese favourites, Ojeje hails from Seoul, where it was founded in 2020.

Brothers Troy and Scott Lee went from finance professionals to food tour guides, vloggers, and finally first-time hawkers. Their Chinatown Complex stall serves Malaysian-style dark-sauce noodles with handmade Hakka yong tau foo inspired by a Malacca hawker’s recipe. The brothers will be shuttering their stall on October 25, so head down to try their yummy dishes before they are gone for good. Singapore has no shortage of food vloggers documenting their latest hawker finds.

There’s a new Japanese–Western restaurant in the CBD, and it’s doing something we haven’t seen before: floating desserts. The well-known Surrey Hills Group has opened Maison Yoshoku, a new concept at Raffles City. The restaurant took over the former space of Spanish restaurant Movida, beside Surrey Hills Grocer, and opened its doors on September 23. Photos: Angeline Ang/HungryGoWhere The floating dessert omakase bar is the obvious draw.

Korean food fans, here’s yet another new spot to check out in Tanjong Pagar: Jomaru Korean Hot Pot, a Korean chain with over 220 outlets worldwide, has brought its signature pork bone stew, also known as gamjatang, to Singapore. Like recent new openings along the same stretch on Tanjong Pagar Road, such as Obongzip, it’s a familiar name from Korea that’s found its way here. If you’re unfamiliar with gamjatang, it is essentially a spicy Korean soup made with pork neck bones and vegetables.

To eat is to nourish, and nothing does that better than a piping bowl of samgyetang, or traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup. Don’t be misled by the word “soup” in this dish, though — it’s often an entire meal in itself! It contains a whole chicken (some versions use just half a chicken or a chicken leg) stuffed with glutinous rice, with nourishing additions such as ginseng, red dates, and garlic.