After the trials and tribulations of 2016, we are going to have high hopes for 2017, and so far it looks like—at least in the food department—we will not be disappointed. Duxton and Dempsey are looking set to become hot again, as is the far-flung Seletar Airbase. And if you’re really trying to be good after all that year-end debauchery, there’s some gluten- and dairy-free stuff in there too. Here’s where to go and what to eat in Singapore this January.

The folks behind Melbourne’s Lume have quietly opened a place on Duxton

Much of the F&B action has been happening away from Duxton Hill lately, with one notable exception: 2016’s late arrival Thirteen Duxton Hill. Occupying the unit that formerly housed Shen Tan’s Wok & Barrel are two of the founding partners of Melbourne’s super hot 2015 opening Lume. Chef John-Paul Feichtner and sommelier Sally Humble run this cafe-by-day-bistro-by-night, serving a different menu of 13 dishes and drinks every day. Our foodie friends have been going gaga for the corn with prawn head and butter ($14), asparagus with pumpkin seeds in miso, bone marrow and flowers ($16) and the black chicken with burdock root and kimchi ($22); all suggestions from the chef himself. Oh, oh be sure to try the croissants ($5) on their breakfast menu; something which their former restaurant is famous for. Drinks wise, they're keeping it "local" and importing wine and other spirits straight from Australia (prices starting from $10 a glass).

Dairy- and gluten- free have become a thing

After announcing its bold move to go completely gluten- and dairy free for dinner—which ended up being pretty delicious—hot Tiong Bahru restaurant Open Door Policy recently extended the treatment to their famous Sunday brunch (don’t worry, there’s still eggs and bacon). Some of the highlights are the (healthier) version of the English breakfast: smoked bacon, sausage, tomato, beans, a well-cooked sunny side up with house-made gluten-free focaccia ($28) and spicy chorizo poached egg (S$26). For something more lunch-y than brunch, try the spiced avocado king prawn with gluten-free pita bread and a sunny side up egg ($30).

And that’s not the only place where you can be gluten-free and super-chic at the same time. Over in the CBD, healthy eating cafe Kitchen by Food Rebel has unveiled its weekly Friday happy hour, serving organic food and drink from as early at 5:30pm. On the snack menu are the locally inspired, dairy- and nut-free Rebel chicken sliders, which have a dash of both sweet and spicy with the addition of gula melaka caramelized onions and spicy Malay sauce ($13). But if you're a vegetarian, go for the gluten-free rendang-sauced patatas bravas with a subtle kick ($9) or their egg frittata stuffed with shitake mushrooms and arugula ($12.50). The biodynamic wines from France start at a sweet $12 and bottles at $65.

Orchard got a restaurant devoted to chicken

Last month, Orchard Road was abuzz with the arrival of two Michelin-starred Asian restaurants, ramen shop Tsuta from Tokyo and HK’s Kam’s Roast, both at Pacific Plaza. This month, we’re curious about Roost (aptly named, if you ask us), where the star dish is their chicken rice. Their Yin Yang Chicken Rice ($8.90) comes with both poached chicken and soya sauce chicken. Roost has also put a fresh spin on the dish with creations like chicken rice sushi ($4.90), they use just one slice of soya sauce chicken with a teriyaki sauce glaze on the flavorsome rice; chawanmushi ($4.90), flavored with chicken slices and broth instead of the typical seafood ingredients; and chicken laksa ($7.90), which comes along with a hearty portion of poached chicken. Will the gimmick survive the test of time? Better not wait to find out.

Hotel Vagabond (belatedly) got on the burger bandwagon

Jalan Besar’s Kubrick-esque Hotel Vagabond has been around for over a year now and has hosted a couple screenings, a couple dance parties. Now they’re luring us with their brand new restaurant. While the name is a bit of a mouthful, we’re intrigued by Hot Buns and Thunder Balls’ promise of serving Asian-inspired burgers—because we can clearly never have too many meat patties served between two pieces of bread. There is the Chilli Crack Burger ($24), an homage to Singapore’s national dish, chilli crab; Wagyu Satay Burger ($28), 180 grams of wagyu rump that has been grilled over charcoal and doused with a rich traditional peanut sauce and McDreamy Bombay Style ($17), a paneer burger that sets a high bar with its reference to the Grey’s Anatomy heartthrob.

Seletar Aerospace Park has become a date night hotspot

Until recently, there was little in Seletar except for the historical airport, a golf course and the sprawling JTC aerospace park. Well, that has just changed with the arrival of The Summerhouse an English countryside-inspired restaurant, garden and bar that just threw open its very pretty doors at The Oval @ Seletar Aerospace Park, in a gorgeous huge conservation bungalow. Run by the 1-Group, the people who have brought you things like 1-Altitude and Una at One Rochester, The Summerhouse brings together all the big trends and trending players in Singapore's F&B: produce sourced from a local farm collective and kelong (ok, and Malaysia), coffee by Nomad the Gallant, some on-site farming thanks to good ol' Edible Gardens and lots of other little touches.

Iggy’s has re-entered the fray with a brand new chef

Amid all the brouhaha over the Michelin guide, the opening of Odette and a slew of mid-range and achingly cool restaurants in recent months, you would be forgiven for forgetting about Iggy’s, the 12-year-old institution and our perennial Top Tables entry run by decorated sommelier Ignatius Chan. But we just had a toe-curling tasting courtesy of their brand new chef, former Fat Duck chef de partie Aitor Jeronimo Orive, and we think the new menu is sure to return the place firmly to the front of your brain.

Things are heating up on Dempsey

Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant Candlenut recently closed its doors at Dorsett and became one of the first places to open at COMO @ Dempsey, that long-promised cluster that’s mean to have all kinds of celebrity chef restaurants and an outpust of the Dover Street Market. While you wait for the official launch, here’s something else to get you excited: chef Masaru Seki, fifth-generation member of the founding family of Ippoh Tempura Bar by Ginza Ippoh, has brought the same revered Osaka-style tempura directly from the Tokyo Ginza restaurant to Dempsey Hill. It’s a small and pretty place, seating just 18, mostly at the tempura bar. There are a few lunch ($60-$100) and dinner sets ($140-$200) to choose from, which comes with kakiage, rice and miso soup, as well as sashimi for the pricier sets. There are also sakes, wines and beers that will go well with the tempura.

20 years later, Singapore finally gets a Greyhound

Not to be left behind by the likes of Tokyo and Hong Kong, Bangkok has its own contribution to make to Singapore’s trendy food scene. Greyhound Cafe has recently landed in Paragon, at the unit that once housed Cedele. The massive, 110-seater space is the fashion cafe’s 13th outlet outside of Bangkok (oh, sorry, were you feeling special?) and sports a similar gray-and-black decor with pretty plants and hand-painted graffiti. The menu includes their famous staples, like the fried chicken wings ($16), their Complicated Noodle ($18), a DIY dish involving a stack of rice noodle wrappers, minced pork, a fiery green chilli sauce and lettuce; and the famous Thai green curry with chuck toast ($18).