The best dishes of 2017: International

From Alati

There aren’t that many Greek restaurants in Singapore. Alati, however, stands out due to its focus on fresh seafood from the Aegean Sea. It brings in a variety of whole fish – from plain ol’ seabass to gilt-head seabream – and serves it either grilled or salt-baked. We prefer the latter as it seals in the fish’s natural juices, ensuring you get perfectly moist fillets that are best enjoyed with top quality olive oil and lashings of lemon zest. Fish of the year!

$9.30/100g, additional $10 for salt baked.

From Dehesa

A mainstay on Dehesa’s menu, this one’s for those who can’t quite stomach the offal plates this Spanish joint is known for. Grilled octopus is served atop smashed potatoes that have been lightly tossed with vinegar and capers for a kick of acidity. A thin layer of lardo is shaved over the octopus and is torched tableside.

$28.

From Blackwattle

Chef Clayton Wells who runs Automata in Sydney brings his take on modern Australian cuisine to the tables of Blackwattle. Our favourite: a fresh take on the tomato and burrata salad that uses only the soft stracciatella core and dresses it up with a mixture of fresh and dehydrated heirloom tomatoes. The whole thing is doused in shellfish oil for an intense burst of umami.

$22.

From Esquina

Don’t expect chunks of lobster here – this paella is instead cooked in a fragrant lobster stock until the rice absorbs all that crustaceany goodness and forms a crispy base on the pan. Chef Carlos Montobbio then spoons tongues of sweet and creamy sea urchin over the mix and adds crunchy snow peas that cut through the intense richness of the rice.

$32. 

From Fat Prince

There’s so much going on when you bite into Fat Prince’s spicy adalar prawn kebab: sweetness from the nashi pear, sourness from the pickled chayote, savouriness from the butter soy and spice from the prawns. We just wish the kebabs came in a larger size so we could to savour it for longer.

$16 for two, $24 for three.

From Wolfgang's Steakhouse

We’ve eaten at a lot of steakhouses in our day and newcomer Wolfgang’s Steakhouse has proved that it’s here to play with the big boys. It grills up prime USDA Black Angus meats that have been dry aged on site for 28 days to intensify the beefiness of the porterhouse that comes in portions for two, three and four.

$185/$275/$360.

From Fratelli

Set up by Enrico and Roberto Cerea from the three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio restaurant in Italy, Fratelli brings authentic Italian dishes from its main outfit to our shores. The menu focuses on family recipes that have been handed down through the decades such as the fab paccheri alla Vittorio, an heirloom recipe of paccheri pasta tossed in tomato and basil sauce, that’s finished tableside with a generous heap of aged parmigiano reggiano DOP cheese.

$30.

From Amò

Amò wins our vote for the best pies in town this year. The light and doughy pizza here is made with natural leaven semolina and comes out of the oven with a slight char. There are eight types of pizza to choose from – and any one of them could easily rank on this list – but the classic combination of stracciatella and prosciutto is our fave thanks to its sweet and earthy flavours.

From Firebake

For rustic soul food from both the heart and the hearth, look no further than Firebake. Take a slice of its housemade sourdough bread that’s baked fresh daily and dip it into a pot of Norwegian blue mussels that have been cooked in lager and chorizo. Each mouthful is zippy with a slightly salty and bitter edge.

From Burnt Ends

The sanger at Burnt Ends is legendary and for good reason. Close to five years on, this Australian grill still serves one of the best burgers in Singapore. A buttery brioche bun sandwiches tender shreds of pulled pork shoulder and slaw that cuts through the richness of the meat. It's just one of those things you have to try to at least once before you die. 

$20.