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Paper Moon in The OWO in Whitehall
Planning a travel itinerary is easy. Planning a travel itinerary based on your tastebuds, not so much. It demands single-minded dedication and a certain epicurean audacity to structure an entire trip around restaurant reservations — in the plural where possible, though just the one would also do if the migratory muncher deems it so.
After all, in this globalised world where culinary hotspots command multiple month-long waiting lists filled with peripatetic foodies, what are mere mortals to do when they get that long-awaited email except gracefully accept the cramped counter seats near the swinging kitchen doors and pray that there’s still a flight available that isn’t a red-eye?
One possible recourse for the globetrotting gourmand — apart from buddying up with chefs worldwide — would be to stay ahead of the curve, seeking out gastronomic treasures before critics or the madding crowd deem it so.
Read on for our hit list of the new and upcoming restaurants in the region, all of which are tantalisingly close enough to justify a quick culinary-focused sojourn without too much room for second thoughts.
1. Air, Singapore
Photo: Air
Acclaimed American chef duo Matthew Orlando and Will Goldfarb are set to open Air, a farm-to-table restaurant, cooking school, and research lab, all rolled into one sprawling 40,000 sq ft space in the verdant hills of Dempsey in January. Its name, which stands for Awareness, Impact and Responsibility, points to the restaurant’s sustainability-forward ethos without being too preachy.
Orlando, wielding close to a decade of experience in ethical gastronomy at his now-defunct Copenhagen restaurant Amass, takes the culinary lead at Air. He partners with Goldfarb, the founder of the dessert-tasting restaurant Room4Dessert in Bali. Expect hearty dishes anchored on local ingredients like jackfruit, starfruit, and lantern chillies, all sustainably sourced from the restaurant’s on-site garden.
Menu highlights include charcoal-grilled duck breast lacquered with a sticky roselle glaze, paired with cashew cream and smoky chilli oil, and a whole coral grouper, which comprises a fish head rillette served with empeng crisps and a fillet that is confited and drizzled with green onion and black garlic vinaigrette and served alongside a bowl of noodles made from fish bones tossed with mushroom butter.
2. Langosteria, United Kingdom
Photo: Langosteria
Opening in early 2024 in the revamped Old War Office building in the heart of Whitehall, London (now known simply as The OWO) is an overseas outpost of Langosteria, a cult favourite restaurant hailing from fashion-forward Milan.
Langosteria, founded by Enrico Buonocore, is best known for its seafood and specifically langoustine-focused menu, delivering delightful Italian flavours with heart and a touch of contemporary edge — complemented by a suitably weighty beverage list brimming with fine wines and cocktails. The Langosteria in The OWO will be the restaurant group’s third venue outside of Italy, having first ventured to Paris and St Moritz in Switzerland.
langosteria.com/en/langosteria-london
3. Jara by Martin Berasategui, Dubai
Photo: Jara by Martin Berasategu
The Lana, which is part of the luxurious Dorchester Collection hotel group, is set to open in Dubai next month with four culinary concepts operated under the auspices of three world-renowned chefs. Spanish culinary wizard Martin Berasategui, who has a dozen Michelin stars to his name, makes his Middle East debut in Dubai with Jara, a concept that takes after his own heart.
Not just for its menu centred around Basque cuisine — paying homage to Berasategui’s roots in the romantic region of northern Spain — but also because the restaurant is named after his granddaughter, Jara. Pintxos and cocktails will be available at the Jara Bar, located along with the restaurant on the 18th floor of the hotel.
dorchestercollection.com/dubai/the-lana/dining
4. Maison Boulud, Singapore
Photo: Maison Boulud, Joyce Wang Studio
French celebrity chef Daniel Boulud will convert his long-time restaurant db Bistro & Oyster Bar in Marina Bay Sands to Maison Boulud, a contemporary French restaurant, in the first quarter of this year. This marks Maison Boulud’s second international expansion after Montreal.
Highlights of the upcoming 143-seater restaurant, which will span two storeys, include refined French plates like sole meuniere (fried flatfish served with a brown butter sauce) and cote de boeuf, accompanied by a distinctive mixology programme. Some of db Bistro’s classic bistro bites, including its signature seafood platter, remain on the menu, evoking the joie de vivre of the French Riviera.
marinabaysands.com/restaurants/maison-boulud
5. Studio Frantzen & FZN, Dubai
Photo: Maison Boulud, Joyce Wang Studio
Bjorn Frantzen, the eponymous chef-restaurateur behind three-Michelin-starred concepts such as Frantzen in Stockholm and Zen in Singapore, will make his Middle East debut in late 2024 at the nautical-themed Atlantis, The Palm hotel on the artificial archipelago of Palm Jumeirah, wielding his Nordic-Japanese culinary chops across two separate concepts.
The first is Studio Frantzen, a 220-seater restaurant-bar concept seeking to mix contemporary Nordic influences and shades of fine dining with a cosy setting reminiscent of an intimate living room. Guests will be welcomed by a rooftop orangery that overlooks the glittering skyline. The second is FZN, a fine-dining restaurant housed within Studio Frantzen. FZN will draw inspiration from the chef’s flagship restaurants in Stockholm and Singapore.
frantzengroup.com/restaurants/studio-frantzen-dubai
