Yan's fifth anniversary menu

Classic flavours shine in Cantonese restaurant Yan's five-course menu ($98++ a person, includes a glass of house red or white wine), which celebrates its fifth anniversary.

Start the meal with a nourishing double-boiled Brazilian mushroom and chicken soup with dried sea whelk and dried scallops, followed by sauteed crayfish with scrambled eggs and sweet Taiwanese cauliflower.

My favourite dish is the poached cod with daikon and luffa in a delicious savoury broth made with waxed duck meat and fermented beancurd - inspired by Yan's head chef Ng Sen Tio's memories of heritage staples from his first apprenticeship.

His braised soya chicken with egg noodles is also a hit. The springy noodles are tossed in a tasty sauce of black vinegar, soy sauce, minced parsley and raw garlic.

Complete the meal with a refreshed version of Yan's signature dessert. The chilled mango cream topped with vanilla ice cream and oats served in coconut now comes with house-made deep-fried Sweet Egg Twists topped with caramel and sesame seeds.

WHERE: Yan, 05-02 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road

MRT: City Hall

WHEN: Till Nov 22, noon to 2.30pm, 6 to 10.30pm daily

TEL: 6384-5585

INFO: E-mail reserve@yan.com.sg

Kochi citrus desserts and drinks

Three weeks ago, I was briefly transported to Japan for a few hours at a media tasting held at multi-concept space Appetite and organised by the Kochi representative office here.

I got to try a variety of citrus fruits from the Kochi prefecture, which is the largest producer of yuzu. It was also my first time tasting other citruses such as konatsu (sweet and sour) and buntan (sweet and bitter).

The office has been instrumental in getting chefs such as Appetite's Ivan Brehm and Janice Wong to work with these fresh citruses.

I'm still hoping that chef Brehm rolls out his Iberico pork loin and Kochi yuzu risotto dish in his restaurant, but in the meantime, you can get chef Wong's box of five chocolate bon bons ($25) from her dessert kiosks and online. The flavours are salted yuzu, bergamot konatsu, konatsu green tea, buntan, and yuzu white miso - all well-balanced with sweet, sour and umami notes.

Or go for her Zesty dessert ($22) at 2am: dessertbar in Holland Village. It is a delightful play of textures and flavours comprising items such as konatsu cheesecake, yuzu sorbet, bergamot cheese, konatsu chiffon cake, parmesan bergamot salt biscuit and white miso yuzu sauce.

The citruses also feature in cocktails ($55++ for three till January) at IB HQ Singapore bar in Duxton Road.

The Papeda cocktail is made with Icelandic vodka, curry-infused gin, vanilla and Kochi yuzu juice; while Kanji features genmaicha-infused blended malt whisky, light miso, pineapple, as well as Kochi bergamot and buntan juices.

A refreshing non-alcoholic option is Tombo, which has Seedlip Spice 94, hibiscus grenadine and Kochi yuzu juice.

In support of ground-up dining initiative Hi5SG, the cocktail bar will donate $1 for every sale of the three drinks, while the Kochi office will donate $1 for each box of bon bons sold. The donations go to =Dreams, an educational programme for underprivileged children by the South Central Community Family Service Centre.

WHERE: IB HQ Singapore, 76A Duxton Road, Level 2; and Janice Wong Singapore outlets at Raffles City Shopping Centre and Paragon

INFO: Go to www.ibhqsingapore.com or order bon bons online at www.janicewong.online

Prawn stars at Menya Kanae

Two prawn dishes are the highlights at the new Menya Kanae ramen cafe.

Tokusei Sapporo Ebi Tonkotsu Ramen ($19.80) features a rich prawn and pork bone broth topped with ingredients such as tender chashu, seared tiger prawns, ajitama and pickled vegetables. Mix in the house-made spicy paste for a good dose of heat.

Instead of the usual pork or beef sandwiches, try the signature ebi tartar sando ($14.80) with a thick prawn patty covered in panko crumbs and fried till golden brown. The patty is sandwiched between two grilled slices of Hokkaido milk bread and a slaw of pickled Japanese cucumber, daikon and onions.

These dishes are exclusive to the Novena outlet and the rest of the menu is similar to Menya Kanae's first outlet at Orchard Central.

WHERE: 01-08 Novena Regency, 275 Thomson Road

MRT: Novena

OPEN: 11am to 9.30am daily

TEL: 6261-6205

INFO: www.menyakanae.com

LeVeL33's executive lunch

If you are heading back to your office in the Central Business District, plan your next lunch at craft-brewery restaurant and lounge LeVeL33.

At $42++, the lunch menu (11.30am to 2.30pm, weekdays only) is good value and includes a choice of main course along with an appetiser buffet, with a small selection of cold cuts, cheese, salad and fruits.

You can't go wrong with the classics - a hefty burger and fries, fish and chips, and pan-seared local seabass. Meat lovers can go for the lamb gnocchi with stout braised Mottainai lamb with pine nuts, raisins and goat's cheese.

Add on grilled "ugly" French beans dusted with cumin and chilli salt ($8) and Ah Hua Kelong Seafood Bouillabaisse - which is a steal at $9 and packed full of seafood such as mussels, prawns, clams and fish.

WHERE: LeVeL33, 33-01 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1, 8 Marina Boulevard

MRT: Downtown/Raffles Place

OPEN: 11.30am to 10.30pm daily

TEL: 6834-3133

INFO: www.level33.com.sg