West African fare at Tamba

If you like the beautiful African restaurant Kafe Utu in Jiak Chuan Road, you will love its equally stunning sister restaurant Tamba a short walk away in Duxton Road. 

Housed in a two-storey conserved shophouse, the 25-seat restaurant draws you in right at the entrance. 

Ascend the narrow stairway flanked by terracotta walls – etched to mimic the effect of wind on sand – and enter the dining space with a thatched roof, wooden mural and decorative artefacts.  

Tamba is named after the late adopted brother of Mr Kurt Wagner, 53, founder of both restaurants. Once you know this, I find that dining at the West African restaurant takes on extra meaning in honour of Mr Wagner’s brother, whose photo sits at the bar.

Some of the cocktails are a tribute to him, such as The Next Pele ($30), as he would liken himself to the late Brazilian football legend. The drink is made with tamarind cachaca (made from fermented sugarcane juice), lime and long pepper.

I love that the food carries the same robust flavours as at Kafe Utu. 

My favourite dish is the spicy pepper soup ($35), which is fired up with habanero and includes offal and seasonal seafood. Be warned, this is only for those who can handle the heat. 

Other highlights include the tapalapa bread ($25) with goat’s milk ricotta, drizzled with house-smoked honey and a side of smoked bacon butter, and jollof rice ($35 for a single portion, $65 for a double) with tender sakura chicken and smoked pork belly. 

There is a daily selection of smoked meats, seafood and vegetables (seasonal prices apply), such as Australian grain-fed Angus bone-in ribeye (540g) served with palava chilli sauce.

To finish, go for the cassava flan ($18) with spiced dulce de leche and parmesan cashew tuile. 

Before you leave, do not forget to make a trip to the toilet. Yes, even the toilet is elegantly designed, complete with a fake crocodile lurking on the floor. 

Where: Tamba, 101 Duxton Road
MRT: Maxwell
Open: 6pm to midnight, Tuesdays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays and Mondays
Tel: 6513-5388
Info: tamba.life

The Prince rebrands 

What started out as Fat Prince in 2017 is now known as modern Arabic restaurant The Prince. 

With darker interiors and an overhauled menu, the 92-seat restaurant feels like a more contemporary and grown-up version of itself. It is owned by The Dandy Collection, which is also behind Firangi Superstar, Lo Quay and Neon Pigeon restaurants. 

The easiest introduction to the food is via its Karam (meaning “generous” in Arabic) dinner menu. It is priced from $78 a person and comprises a lavish mezze platter, soup, a choice of main and dessert.  

The impressive mezze platter offers a selection of nine dishes as well as free flow of oh-so-fluffy pita and malawah breads. 

The dishes I enjoy the most are the smoked date butter, mushroom pastilla, refreshing fennel salad, cashew hummus and pumpkin baba ganouj. The last two are also on the a la carte menu. 

I have the opportunity to try a variety of main courses – from the Karam and a la carte menus – as part of a hosted tasting with seven other people. 

Standout dishes from the Karam menu include the juicy prime ribeye with black garlic toum and pickled chicory (add $68); and black hog tomahawk (add $32). 

On both menus, there is a vegetarian dish of halloumi-stuffed sweet vine peppers with a jackfruit “keema” sauce, as well as whole branzino with a sumac tangerine salt crust (add $32). 

If you want to splurge, the a la carte menu has a 1.4kg beef tomahawk ($345) with black garlic toum and chermoula. 

The meal ends with a classic Arabian dessert of kunafe – crisp strands of crunchy baked filo dough layered with smooth pistachio cream and a side of rose syrup to drizzle over, so that you can control the sweetness. 

There is also a four-course weekend brunch menu ($65) and a four-course weekday lunch menu ($32) with one dip, one mezze and two kebabs as well as dessert. 

Where: The Prince, 48 Peck Seah Street
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to midnight daily
Tel: WhatsApp 8876-8769
Info: bytheprince.com

Bombay Brasserie opens at South Beach Avenue

Classic Indian cuisine meets elegant Parisian brasserie at the month-old Bombay Brasserie at South Beach Avenue. 

The famed restaurant, established in 1982, is run by India’s largest hospitality company, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), best known for its luxurious Taj brand of hotels. 

This marks Bombay Brasserie’s debut in Singapore. It has outlets in London, Dubai and Cape Town, and will soon expand into San Francisco and Frankfurt.

Helmed by chef Nilesh Ambedkar, the menu features signature dishes such as chatka crab legs ($60) with a coriander chilli butter glaze, and the quintessential butter chicken ($40) with laccha paratha. 

The star dish for me is the patrani machi ($45), a piece of Chilean sea bass fillet smothered in a delicious spice rub and green chutney sauce, then wrapped in banana leaf to steam. 

I think the sauce would shine more with a red snapper fillet, paired with the accompanying toasted pav bun and pickled vegetables. 

Yes, there is no way you can be on a carb-free diet here – but it is worth it. 

Do not miss the chaat selection (from $18), as well as the tandoor offerings ($18) such as the seekh kebab (skewered lamb sausages, $28) with pickled vegetables, mint chutney and butter naan. 

Other highlights include a modern spin on chicken tikka with the meat stuffed into croquettes ($25); and Rajasthani laal maas ($45), a mutton curry with fork-tender chunks of meat served with millet roti and steamed basmati rice. Yes, more carbs. 

The menu also has a range of cocktails, whisky and other spirits to pair with the food. 

It is a strong start for Bombay Brasserie and, who knows, perhaps a signal of IHCL eventually making its mark on Singapore’s hotel scene. 

Where: Bombay Brasserie, B1-23/24/25 South Beach Avenue, 26 Beach Road
MRT: Esplanade
Open: Noon to 10pm daily
Tel: 6980-7163
Info: str.sg/wbkTU