With restaurant prices skyrocketing and $100 dinners becoming the norm, “lunch” is the word in affordable luxury. Not only it’s a whole lot cheaper than night time dining, it’s also a great chance to broker business deals or do a quick catch-up with friends. So grant yourself that oft neglected mid-day break and indulge in these sumptuous lunchtime deals.
LUNCHES UNDER $40
Alkaff Mansion
The damage: $36 (add $10 for house pour wine) for three courses.
The deal: A historical hilltop site, this place is the perfect spot for a semi-secret tête-à-tête as you nibble on Italian creations like ravioli filled with foie gras and cod fish in vegetable sauce.
Lunch available Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm.
Bedrock Bar & Grill
The damage: $38 for three courses (with two options for each course).
The deal: All sets come with the dessert of the day. Just choose from starters like navy bean soup and bread salad, and mains like ribeye steak with diane sauce and sea bream with pickled shallots.
Lunch available Mon-Sat noon-2:30pm.
The Black Swan
The damage: $28 for two courses, $34 for three courses.
The deal: In this 1930s-style restaurant featuring striking art deco outfittings with bold geometric shapes and a stunning U-shaped granite bar, dine on American classics like beef tartare ($4 supplement) to start, and duck confit for mains. Take business associates here to feel like a pre-depression capitalist flush with cash.
Lunch available Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm.
Da Laura
The damage: $38 for three courses.
The deal: Though this white tablecloth joint is fancy enough to take clients, the rustic Italian furnishings (think plushy rugs) also make the space inviting and homey. Set menu options are elegant in their simplicity. Starters might include hearty pumpkin soup, while the main dish selection may comprise beef tenderloin with caponata. Desserts like their chocolate salami (a chocolate and biscuit confection) are delightfully straightforward too. Nothing’s too heavy so you won’t leave in a food coma.
Lunch available Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm.
Esquina
The damage: $33 for two courses, $40 for three courses.
The deal: This mid-day meal’s an affordable way to try Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton’s tapas bar. Options change weekly but you get two choices for each course which might include starters like trout tartare and mains such as snapper with lemon herb couscous. They take reservations at lunch so it's a whole lot easier to snag a table at mid-day than at dinner.
Lunch available Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm.
Fat Cow
The damage: $40-60 for a Japanese-style meal including miso soup, salad and dessert.
The deal: This “Japanese-inspired meat atelier” is all about the beef and their lunch sets allow you to try the top notch stuff without breaking the bank. Dishes like wagyu salad and foie gras and wagyu donburi are on offer, alongside options like sushi and sashimi for the less carnivorous.
Lunch available Mon-Fri noon-3pm.
OCF
The damage: $38 for three courses.
The deal: A charming 60-seater (on the second floor of colonial building The Arts House) with clear views of the Singapore River, this elegant grey hued space flanked by Roman ionic columns is a favorite among the city’s most glamorous socialites. French-trained chef Jonathan Koh presents precise and pretty plates for lunch (think Atlantic bass with courgette and red pepper emulsion). And it’s a real polished experience—in terms of both food and service—that should impress everyone from deal-making execs to ladies who lunch.
Lunch available Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm.
Open Door Policy
The damage: $35 for a three-course set lunch, plus wine or a mocktail.
The deal: This industrial chic joint venture from Ryan Clift of Tippling Club, Spa Esprit’s Cynthia Chua and 40 Hands’ Harry Grover may not be the first place that comes to mind for a luxe lunch. But the mid-day sets here are polished enough that the whole shebang feels super premium nonetheless. Courses change on a daily basis but we’ve had velvety cauliflower soup with caviar toast, kicky black pepper scallop pasta and indulgent deconstructed chocolate banana cake, all paired with crisp vinho verde.
Lunch available Mon, Wed-Fri noon-3:30pm.
Punjab Grill by Jiggs Kalra
The damage: $40 for an Indian-style feast of three appetizers, three mains and three desserts.
The deal: There are two versions of this set lunch: one for vegetarians and the other for omnivores. Both include an equally appealing array of dishes like savory-sweet dahi de kebab (yogurt kebab with cardamom and coriander) and chicken tikka masala. Both sets also come with Indian flatbreads and lime juice, iced tea or homemade ginger ale.
Lunch available daily 11:30am-3:30pm.
LUNCH FROM $40-$70
Keystone
The damage: $43 for three courses.
The deal: Smack dab in the CBD is this chic modern European establishment which boasts classy yet minimal décor and commendable service. Chef de cuisine Immanuel Tee presents three to four choices for each course such as poulet chicken with truffle veloute.
Lunch available Mon-Fri noon-3pm.
Kuriya Dining (#01-28 Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, 6736-0888, www.kuriyadining.com.sg)
The damage: $45 for six courses, $55 for seven courses.
The deal: Kuriya Penthouse might have closed at Orchard Central, but you can still get the same fine Japanese fare here. This branch at Great World City offers a six-course lunch or seven-course kaiseki with dishes like deep-fried abalone with chestnut. Both come with mini desserts such as mulberry pudding with sesame ice cream.
Lunch available daily 11:30am-2:30pm.
L’Atelier De Joel Robuchon
The damage: $49 for three courses, $68 for four courses and $87 for five courses.
The deal: The food at the set lunches here is excellent as you would expect from an establishment by the most decorated chef in the world (with 26 Michelin stars under his belt), Joël Robuchon. Options are updated regularly but might include items like piquillo peppers with brandade and romesco sauce.
Lunch available Sun noon-2pm.
Les Amis
The damage: $58 for a two-course meal and $70 for a three-course.
The deal: It’s more than just fantastic food and service at this stalwart French restaurant; the setting’s also divine. You get three options to choose from for each course. And we highly recommend starters such as smoked eel with marinated beets and mains like Maine lobster with chanterelles.
Lunch available Mon-Sat noon-3pm.
LP + Tetsu
The damage: $45 for three courses and $138 for seven courses.
The deal: Laurent Peugeot of one-Michelin-starred Le Charlemagne in Burgundy lends his name to this dramatic space (there are glass vases with fighting fish on every table) with a popular Encounters lunch menu including two choices for each course and creations such as rolled salmon with nori seaweed. If you’re feeling flush, you can also spoil yourself with the seven-course Wander & Savor set.
Lunch available daily 11:30am-2:20pm.
POLLEN
The damage: $55 for three courses.
The deal: At Jason Atherton’s gorgeous Singapore project in the spectacular Gardens by the Bay, you can tuck into a three-course set lunch with inspired dishes like textures of potato, yuzu and sour cream pearls.
Lunch available daily noon-2:30pm.
Salt Grill
The damage: $45 for two courses—an entrée and a main, with a $15 supplement for dessert.
The deal: Set atop ION Orchard, the view at this modern Australian joint is stellar. Their new, award-winning executive chef Tom Wells puts out a primo lunch with options like crab omelette with miso mustard broth and pan fried gnocchi with corn and asparagus.
Lunch available Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm.
Tamashii Robataya
The damage: $45-55 for a multi-course Japanese lunch.
The deal: Tucked away on the second floor of the same North Canal Road building that houses Latin eatery SUR and gym Ritual is this sophisticated robatayaki specialist. The multi-course lunches are a steal: $45 gets you an executive set lunch (tomato salad, sashimi, bacon-wrapped asparagus and grilled saba) and $55 buys the Tamashii lunch, featuring an appetizer, sashimi, three kind of kushiyaki skewers and teriyaki cod. If you’re on a budget, the simpler lunch sets like teriyaki salmon ($16.50) are great value, too.
Lunch available Mon-Sat noon-2:30pm.
Wan Hao
The damage: $68 for seven courses (including dim sum) and $88 for six courses.
The deal: The executive set lunches at Wan Hao are elaborate affairs with luxurious Chinese creations like chilled premium abalone with century egg and braised superior shark’s fin with crabmeat and conpoy. Dig in at their swanky dining room, featuring a dramatic gold and black color scheme, artistic calligraphy on the walls and antique displays.
Lunch available Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm.
LUNCH OVER $70
Guy Savoy
The damage: $55 for two courses, $80 for three courses.
The deal: Called “The Express, 60-Minute Experience”, this French gastro temple’s sets are a relatively affordable way to try award-winning celebrity chef Guy Savoy’s cuisine. Menus include recipes like cocotte of Atlantic cod or pork shank “a la broche”.
Lunch available Fri-Sat noon-2pm.
Hashida Sushi
The damage: $80 for four courses, $120 for five courses and $250 for seven courses.
The deal: The narrow corridor (with pebble covered floors) leading to the main dining room, where a long chef’s counter awaits, is very zen. The ambiance helps you concentrate on skilful plates like seasonal nigiri sushi (think sea bream, ark shell and tuna) plus specialties like chawanmushi with fugu shirako (egg custard with blowfish milt), and salmon roe and sea urchin rice.
Find out where to have the best dinner-type grub for lunch and how to use your lunch hour to advance your career. Still hungry? Visit our all-new online lunch page or download our Lunch, Brunch and Buffet Guide.
