11 unique restaurants that you must try in Singapore

Soul Coffee sets itself apart with its 4D immersive space, tarot card reading, and robot barista. It’s a bit of a bewildering space when you first step in but you’re not trippin’. Floor-to-ceiling video projections are flushed against the walls, showcasing seasonal landscapes, cascading waterfalls, and underwater panoramas on a repeated loop.

Try the signature horoscope series, which has coffee and mocktails like Capricorn ($8.50), an iced oat milk mocktail concoction with toffee nut and butterfly pea, or the Sagittarius espresso ($9.90) which comes with toasted marshmallow. You can also opt for a tarot card or crystal aura reading session, in a hidden room that’s concealed within the walls. It’s priced at $68 if you have the one burning question or you can fork out $158 if you have an entire spiel. 

Head to this train-themed multi-concept store for a slice of Japan. The space houses a rail pass counter where you can by train tickets for the JR lines, a retail space for train-themed paraphernalia, and a café serving Japanese and Western-styled Japanese dishes. For heartier meals, try The Ultimate A.B.C. burger ($22), or the Watashino curry rice ($18) that's customisable with your choice of crispy chicken cutlet, stir-fry pork or fried oysters, and three sides to choose from. Healthier options include the Kaisen avocado don ($18), a mix of salmon sashimi, Aomori scallops and avocado. Pour in the dashi stock to turn your donburi into ochazuke. Also, look out for the special menu that showcases food from a selected prefecture every month.

Singapore's hottest dining ticket is back in town with a fresh new look. Uniquely housed within the world’s largest oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa, you'll be treated to breathtaking front-row seats to the massive undersea habitat with a refreshed menu themed around sustainability by two-Michelin star celebrity chef Olivier Bellin. Dining here is always surreal and hypnotic as the restaurant’s design takes full advantage of this – angled mirrors are placed at the opposite end of the viewing window to ensure nobody in the 50-seater misses out on the view.

They say don't play with your food – but that's exactly what happens in chef Bjorn Shen's gastro-playground Small's. The last time he did a successful run of a pizza omakase, and this time carbs are once again the star of the show. The most recent run at Small's celebrates bread sushi. Confused? Well, it's exactly what it is: sushi but the main carbohydrate here is bread. And such good bread too – using high hydration, long-aged dough that is given different textures and tastes, from different cooking methods like high-temperature baking, low-temperature baking, binchotan grilling, deep-frying and steaming.

Creativity comes through in every dish of this multi-course meal (three snacks, up to 10 “bread-sushi”, one hotpot
and two sweets). Some highlights include the akami where lean tuna, heart of palm (shoot of young coconut tree) and sambal matah (raw sambal of Balinese origin) is served on bread, the engawa course which is aburi engawa and green papaya strips stewed in lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. The course is served on your palm and then frozen ankimo (monkfish liver) is grated over the top. 

Yes, it’s a little gimmicky – having a meal in total darkness without knowing what’s going into your mouth. But once you give in to the experience of dining in the dark, dinner at NOX proves to be a fun quirky yet enlightening rollercoaster ride of a meal. Focus your naturally heightened senses of taste and smell on the food without spoiling the surprise, it’s for the most part delicious.

Absurdities by AndSoForth offers a unique dining experience like no other. The first of its kind in Asia, the eatery aims to bring diners on a gastronomic journey by combining the love of food together with an interactive experience that will have you coming back for more. The restaurant promises a line-up of novel dishes that is specially made for each experience. Expect yourself climbing and crawling into the different multi-room concepts which include walking through an infinity mirror tunnel and hidden doors that will transport you into a mystical jungle and even a Moroccan tent situated in a desert.

Tucked in a quiet corner in Joo Chiat lies a time capsule with undeniably soul-comforting food. This unpretentious 'dining room' of chef-owner Frederick Puah is flooded with vintage artefacts and trinkets that each have a story to tell. All you have to do is ask! Serving up British Hainanese cuisine, its Braised Oxtail Stew is the dish that gave British Hainan its legendary status. If you haven’t been, you need to.

No, it’s not a new budget airline, the eat-in-a-plane experience at Sushi Airways is novel enough – with metal stairs resembling a boarding staircase, a retro chrome-plated interior with actual aircraft galley meal carts and overhead compartments, and waitresses dressed up as flight attendants. With fresh ingredients flown in four times a week from Japan, try their premium assorted sushi platter ($38), Kani Mentai cheese Maki ($30) and Hamachi Kama ($15-$20).

Though not an official franchise of Harry Potter, this is the first magic-themed cafe in Singapore – and it often makes references to JK Rowling's fantasy world with the cheeky dish names on the menu like Hagrid's English Afternoon Tea which features Rasp-BerryPotter & Mango-Nagall mousse and potato slyther-in bacon with cheddar. As if the wood-panelled walls, exposed brick and Harry Potter paraphernalia isn't a big enough nod to the brand. 

Located on the outskirts of Changi, this casual dining hotspot is a treasure trove of retro memorabilia. Think antique bicycles, vintage cameras and kerosene lamps. The restaurant itself is spacious and airy, flooded with natural light due to its floor-to-ceiling windows, while surrounding greenery provides ample opportunities for an outdoor shot. The menu includes sharing plates of comfort food like har cheong gai , crispy pork ribs and wagyu cubes, while seafood selections like the grilled octopus, sambal squid and drunken lala clams promise to be fresh and filling. 

Fancy digging into the freshest catch of the day at a modern kelong, floating on the waters between Pulau Ubin and Changi Point Ferry Terminal? Take a 15-minute boat ride to the Smith Marine Floating Restaurant where you can tuck into a wide spread of seafood – think sambal mussels, chilli crab, calamari and more. If you want to make things a little more challenging, head to kelong area to catch your very own seabass or snapper.