In the middle of April, I visited Singapore with my brother and had an opportunity to check out some of the top restaurants there. Singapore is quite a gastronomic juggernaut in Asia. You can sample various local foods (drawing from various ethnic influences such as China, Malaysia and India) in the so-called hawker centers around the city, and the presence of affluent people means that there are also quite a few high-end places featuring unique haute cuisine. My first stop was a lunch at Iggy’s, which has long been one of the top restaurants in Singapore. Located at Hilton Hotel, Iggy’s features globally influenced cuisine drawing inspirations from Europe and Japan. Overall, I had a pleasant meal at the restaurant.

For lunch, you can go with three-course menu (starting at S$85 per person), four-course menu (starting at S$105 per person) or go all-out with signature tasting menu (starting at S$150 per person). I opted for the four-course menu, which consists of tuna tartare, spaghettini, a main course of pork, wagyu or lamb and a dessert (the restaurant had three options to choose from). The first course of tuna tartare started out with a bang. I was startled to see the smoke emanating from the mascarpone cheese that accompanied the dish, but the cold texture was quite unique and worked fabulously with tuna. Spaghettini that came with crab and tomato was an above-average pasta dish that had very nice balance of flavor.

The main courses were somewhat underwhelming, although by no means bad. My brother and I ordered wagyu and lamb, each accompanied by grilled vegetables of shiitake, potato, nanohana, tomato and lotus root. While wagyu was very nicely cooked, I felt the seasoning was somewhat uneven. Lamb, on the other hand, had texture that was tougher than I had expected. For desserts, we proceeded to share berry & berries that came with cheese, milk and cherry, a very light and refreshing dish, and kaya & the tarik with Ceylon tea flavored ice cream that was quite pleasant and soothing.

The restaurant has a formal but not stuffy vibe with professionally dressed and attentive staffs. There are some nice wine selections (although I was surprised to see the stiff price for a glass, which runs at around S$30 per glass, until later finding out that the price for drinks in Singapore in general is on the more expensive side). Overall, Iggy’s had some nice dishes with unique gastronomic concepts and deserves a visit when you are in Singapore.

KenScale: 8.0/10

• Creativity: 8.0/10
• Execution: 8.0/10
• Ingredients: 7.5/10
• Flavor: 8.0/10
• Texture: 7.5/10

Address: 581 Orchard Road, Singapore 238883

Telephone: +65-6732-2234

Website: http://www.iggys.com.sg/