The best private home dining and supper club experiences in Singapore

True to its name, The Humble Pit serves up simple fare that’s cooked over the hot flames of a no-frills BBQ grill. And it’s all done on the roof terrace of a family home in Kovan. 

HOW IT’S LIKE Ultimately, the menu’s up to the whims of chef Eugene Sito – but whatever it is, there’ll be  open flames involved. At a cursory glance, it looks like he cooks up a storm for each dinner. Dishes are kept classic but with a hint of personal touch, with the likes of Sichuan saliva chicken, shoyu koji cured pork chop, and grilled Korean squid that’s brushed with reduced dashi. The same goes for his desserts, like his smoked Vietnamese dark chocolate ice cream. 

HOW TO BOOK The Humble Pit has a waitlist that spans a year, and they accept bookings up to groups of eight, with a minimum of four people. Dinner starts from $110/person with a $30 deposit at the time of booking. He typically holds these dinners on weekends since he spends his Mondays to Fridays working at his dad’s automation company. You can make your booking here through an online form.

Kolabo isn’t quite like other private home dining venues. Its premise? A constantly changing lineup of chefs, all who have their fair share of experience. You might recognise some of their names: Lester Bongsy of Shan Private Dining, Angus Chow of Boroto and Sake Labo, and Jeremy Tan aka Sushi Tan.

HOW IT’S LIKE As Kolabo says “we believe in the power of collaboration”, and that’s because guest chefs are the premise of this dining space. We simply can’t predict what the next menu will look like. But if we were to go by previous meals, all dishes are strongly influenced by Japanese cuisine. Some chefs will have thinly-sliced seasonal sashimi as their piece de resistance, while others bring in more curious creations like a zesty lime chawanmushi or duck prosciutto. Take Sushi Tan’s sushi omakase – it features at least 16 courses, with a strong focus on seafood and crustaceans. 

HOW TO BOOK You can find all of Kolabo’s upcoming dining experiences here.

Founded by Angie Ma 10 years ago while she was living in Melbourne, Once Upon A Secret Supper is unlike any of the other private dining experience currently available in Singapore. For one, instead of booking out the whole space, you’re only allowed two seats in order to encourage you to mix with the other guests and make some new friends. There's no fixed theme – the dinners happen every quarter and follow a different concept each time. Its most recent run, Secretos de Mexico, focused on the hidden flavours of the country. There's no permanent location or chef, in Angie reaches out to volunteer hosts who loan their homes for a night as well as cooks who are specialists in the cuisine selected for the specific theme.

WHAT IT’S LIKE Once Upon A Secret Supper's latest run was held in a beautiful resort home in the east of Singapore. At the front porch, a bartender from Proof & Company whipped up a Jalisco Punch, a spicy jalapeno cocktail made with tequila. She also gave us an education on the process of making mezcal and took us through a tasting flight during dinner. Mariachi music played in the background as we were treated to course after course of Mexican dishes from parrotfish ceviche and slow-cooked duck and mole poblanos to barbecued octopus and jicama salad.

The most notable dish was a platter of homemade tamales prepared by Maribel Colmenares and her mother. They used to run a tamales stall in Mexico before moving here and starting Tamales Mexicanos en Singapur. And where there’s food, there had to be wine. Sommelier Denise McCann paired the dishes with three glasses of Spanish wine to complement the spicy kick of the Mexican dishes.

HOW TO BOOK Angie and her team started Once Upon A Secret Supper out of a passion for food. It’s an outlet for their creativity so they never do the same dinner twice. You can sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Instagram (@once.upon.a.secret.supper) to find out when the next dinner is taking place. Prices range from $168 to $188 for a full tasting menu and drinks pairing.

You won’t find a more welcoming host than Raymond Leong, who’s happy to sit down and share more about Penang-style Peranakan food. The 72-year-old is Cantonese, but has always been intrigued by Nyonya food. After he retired, he embarked on an intensive cooking course at a small school in Kuala Lumpur. There, he learnt 74 recipes, which he still practises by catering for lunch and dinner parties.

WHAT IT'S LIKE Housed in a modern terrace, Ampang Kitchen's clean, minimalist dining room fits a minimum of eight people but can house a party of 28 if you're looking to throw a mini party. We recommend going for lunch, where there's a fixed set menu that includes Raymond's star dishes like the prawn noodle soup served with pork ribs and lard.

HOW TO BOOK Message Ampang Kitchen on Facebook, bookings (from $75 per person) are best made at least a month in advance. Alternatively, Ampang also has a takeaway and catering menu for those of you who'd rather dine in the privacy of your own home.

Created out of a longing to share the sheer variety of pasta types available with Singaporeans, Ben Fatto 95 shines a spotlight on creations you don’t usually find in our local Italian restaurants.

HOW IT'S LIKE Tuck into plates of pasta in all manner of shapes and sizes out on a gorgeous garden patio. “We always see the same shapes over and over again,” shares chef Yum Hwa, who used to be a line cook at Artichoke. “I think lesser-known pasta types deserve more air time, especially since Singaporeans have a carb-embracing diet.” His signature is a pocketed pasta folded around a filling of mascarpone and Grana Padano served simply with a butter sauce. There’s also the trofie al’ pesto, a handmade pasta dish that requires deft hand movements to get right.

HOW TO BOOK Message him on Instagram @benfatto_95 to make your booking.

There is no home quite like chef Chris Choo and Dr Rose Sivam. The former is a historian, artist and explorer who has brought back many relics and timeless pieces to his home while the latter is a charismatic award-winning TV producer who has worked on shows like Phua Chu Kang and Growing Up. Step into their world with Relish.SG – a private dining experience that also lets you "Taste the World" as Chris prepares dishes that takes inspiration from India, Spain, Morocco and beyond.

HOW IT'S LIKE This isn't so much a restaurant experience as it is a historical and anthropological dinner that stretches your mind and fills your stomach. The home is a mini-museum, housing pieces like a 2000-year-old Buddha bust and a Ming dynasty vase. Dishes include Cantonese-style stir-fried duck, rendang that's a cross between a curry and jerky – focusing mainly of time-consuming recipes that you won't find in commercial kitchens. If you're lucky, you'll be treated to some after-dinner entertainment too, with guests performing acoustic renditions of The Beatles' greatest hits.

HOW TO BOOK Email Rose at rosesivam@pantheon.com.sg for more information or check out relish.sg for more information. They cook dinners for a minimum of four people but have also thrown themed parties for corporate events for a party of 52 at maximum capacity.