6 new ‘hidden’ restaurants to check out for date night

Hidden restaurants are all the rage these days — cleverly concealed behind decoy entrances or out-of-sight doorways. But part of the fun lies in the search, and the reward is enjoying a meal (with or without tipples) in a place that feels like you’re out of Singapore without travelling. Good for cosy catch-ups without distractions, or if you’re going for a secret job interview. Hur hur.

Here are five new buzzy spots to check out:

Kou Teppan

This upcoming 68-seat omakase restaurant, by F&B company RE&S Enterprises (the folks behind Kuriya Dining and Ichiban Boshi), opens next week at Great World’s basement on 24 July.

It offers an unusual ‘dual teppanyaki’ experience, where diners can request for seats at a live teppanyaki counter equipped with two teppans (iron plate grill). Instead of the usual single grill, there is a belt-style teppan that circles the dining table, so you can watch your food being cooked up close, while dramatic acts like setting wagyu beef on fire is done at the larger grill behind.

The restaurant is helmed by Kansai native chef Sawada Ko, formerly from Itoh Dining by Nobu in Hakone.

00:57 Min

Despite the upscale ambience, prices start from a reasonable $58 for the six-course Enya Lunch Omakase set, to $88 for the eight-course Hino Dinner Omakase.

The dinner omakase — which 8days.sg previewed — includes interesting highlights like sea bream, asari clams and veggies cooked over teppan in a parchment paper bag of broth, as well as grilled A5 wagyu served with your choice of iron pot-cooked kamameshi rice or fried rice.

Wine and sake pairings are also available, at $48 per pax or $15 for a sake flight (a trio of sake samplers).

#B1-134 Great World, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, S237994. Open daily 11.30am-3pm; 5.30pm-10pm.

Haku Sushi

Another new opening on 24 July is Haku Sushi, located right to Kou Teppan and run by the same company. It specialises in Kansai-style sushi omakase with air-flown ingredients from Osaka. Instead of clean-tasting rice, sushi from this Japanese region is well-known for its loosely-pressed rice spiked with sushi-zu (a rice vinegar blend).

Haku Sushi’s chef Yoshiki Yamamoto will debut his proprietary blend here, which includes red wine. His nine-course Irodori Lunch Omakase costs $68, while the 12-course Nishiki Dinner Omakase is priced at $88. Chef Yamamoto has previously worked at swish sushi omakase restaurant chain Sushi Ginza Onodera, which also has outlets in New York and Shanghai. Other than counter seats, the 28-seat Haku Sushi also offers private dining rooms.

#B1-135 Great World, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, S237994. 

The Bank 

Going to the bank gets a new meaning with the opening of The Bank. The entrance to this retro-style burger bar along Craig Road — yes, it dishes out burgers and beers but not cash — is hidden behind a faux ATM.

Photo: The Bank

It is run by “the people who were the hands and legs of the famous Burger restaurant in Amoy Street” and operates with a no-frills menu. There are three types of burgers in your choice of single or double patty: Signature Cheeseburger with hand-formed prime-grade Angus beef patties (from $18.80), a fried buttermilk Chicken Burger (from $18) and grilled Portobello Burger (from $18).

You can also order sides like Cheese Fries ($11), Mozzarella Sticks ($10) and a Baileys Milkshake ($17). There is a craft beer board with 12 taps on rotation too. 

46 Craig Road, S089684. Open daily, Mon-Thu 11.30am-11pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am-11.59pm, Sun 11.30am-8pm. www.thebanksg.com

Photo: Aniba

Aniba

How to get to this stylish cocktail lounge slash restaurant with a window view of the Singapore River: Find the discreet entrance at 6 Battery Road and take the private lift up to the fifth floor, where a copper-toned tunnel lined with mushroom-shaped lamps lead you to a cosy, magical bar where a DJ spins house tunes on weekends.

The Middle Eastern-themed Aniba is opened by The Foragers, who also run other cool spots here like Miznon and North Miznon. It features a menu by Israeli chef Meir Adoni, who has worked at three Michelin-starred restaurants like Noma, Arzak and Alinea. Head chef Ido Zarmi, who was previously head chef of members-only club Soho House in Tel-Aviv, helms the kitchen.

Diners can choose from seats at the buzzy Chef’s Bar flanking the open concept kitchen, or the circular bar where a resident mixologist serves up libations conceptualised by spirits company Proof & Company. The food here is served as sharing plates, with picks like Lady Fingers-Wrapped Fish Kebabs ($54) and Yemenite Tacos with bluefin tuna toro ($57).

6 Battery Road, #05-03, S049909. Open daily except Mon. Sun-Thu 12pm-12am, Fri 12pm-5pm, Sat 8pm-2am. www.aniba.com.sg. Photo: Ume San 100

Ume San 100 

A row of vending machines may not be an unusual sight in Singapore. But a particular cluster of machines at Fortune Centre aren’t dispensing any drinks. Instead, the faux front pushes open to reveal a dry ramen bar by day and umeshu bar by night (just look out for the ‘machine’ selling, um, condoms).

Called Ume San 100, the 40-seater claims to house “Singapore’s largest umeshu collection” with over 100 types of beverages.

During the day, the wood-clad izakaya serves ramen bowls like Signature Nagoya Dry Prawn Ramen ($20) and Angry Asari Soup Ramen ($16) with spicy soup, as well as a fusion Lok Lok Oden ($18). Other than a selection of cocktails, Ume San 100 also has an Umeshu Tasting Set (from $16) that gets you three types of umeshu of your choice.

#02-07 Fortune Centre, 190 Middle Rd, S188979. Open daily, Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm; 5pm-11pm, Sat 5pm-11pm, Sun 5pm-10pm. www.instagram.com/umesan_100 

Synthesis

If you have walked past a traditional medicine hall at Suntec City and thought it random, well, it’s actually a bar (surprise!).

The quirky entrance with a strong wift of Chinese herbs is a decoy for this trippy eatery serving bites like Glazed Pork Satay Bee Hoon ($28), Nasi Lemak Kueh Pie Tee ($15) and Ikura Papadum ($14). Chase down your meal with a Yuan Yang Tiramisu ($14) and “TCM-inspired” cocktails like the gin-based Tiger’s Eye Pu Erh ($22) and cognac-infused Date with Jia Jia ($24) with — you guessed it — Jia Jia Herbal Tea.

#01-643 Suntec City Tower 4, S038983. Open daily, Sun-Thu 4pm-10.30pm, Fri & Sat 4pm-12am. www.synthesis.sg