Located two levels above the Temasek Culinary Academy’s Sugarloaf canteen is their full-service ToP Table restaurant. Although it’s out of the way, it makes a great choice for a nice day-off dinner on the cheap.
Staffed by the same students enrolled in the Culinary and Catering Management course at the school, seats at the restaurant can be hard to score, and understandably so. Reservations fill up quickly when the restaurant is in operation outside of test, exam and holiday periods, and the weekday lunch-only service offers just 60 covers a day with tables largely filled by students and staff from the school (and a number of wise diners in the know).
Even with its strict dress code and a location in Tampines, the meal is well worth the effort. Priced at $13.80 for a three-course set, the well-executed and composed plates offer items such as braised lamb shank or pan-fried salmon – giving students plenty of solid, real-world kitchen practice – with portions equalling that of restaurants in the city centre.
Students undertaking their degree at The Culinary Institute of America, Singapore campus, who now share the school’s space in anticipation of their new premises at the Singapore Institute of Technology at Dover Road, also share the ToP Table kitchen and restaurant some months in the year to serve up slightly more dressed-up fare over lunch and dinner. For a full rundown of the two restaurant’s operational seasons, visit the Temasek School of Business website. Natasha Hong
See website for restaurant opening dates.