Labyrinth @ Esplanade Mall - Celebrating 10 Years of Singapore’s Culinary Heritage with a Refreshed Focus and Renewed Impetus

Marking its 10th anniversary, Labyrinth by Chef Han Li Guang continues to redefine Singaporean cuisine. Since opening in 2014, Labyrinth has become synonymous with heritage preservation, culinary creativity, and local ingredients, evolving into a highly-regarded fine dining experience. This October 2024, Chef Han and his team have brought a fresh perspective, exploring Singapore's food heritage through a new, refined lens. The 13-course dinner menu ($298++) is a tribute to Singapore's culinary traditions, reimagined with precision and artistry.

Bak Kut Teh Consomme 4.5/5

Our meal opened with the Bak Kut Teh Consommé. This starter was a delicate yet flavourful dashi broth, capturing the essence of traditional Bak Kut Teh without overpowering the palate. Serving this as a first course was a thoughtful nod to Singaporean dining culture, where a light soup often begins the meal to whet the appetite. It was an impressive, nuanced start.

Ramly Burger 4.2/5

The Ramly Burger was a playful miniature inspired by the iconic Ramly burger from Pasar Malams (local night markets). Labyrinth's version features an aburi hand-chopped beef flank patty wrapped in an eggy parcel, with tomato meringue buns topped with sesame seeds. Topped with Labyrinth's "Ramly sauce" and mustard cress, this bite-sized snack delivered nostalgia and innovation in one.

Oyster Bao 4.8/5

My favourite snack, the Oyster Bao, was Labyrinth's take on the disappearing Fuzhou Haobing street snack. This bao used a David Herve oyster no.4 and a delicate espuma batter to create a beignet-like texture. The flavours were layered and precise, with a light, airy crust surrounding the oyster — a beautifully elevated version of a rare street food.

Hainanese Curry Puff 4/5

Dubbed the Old Han Kee, Labyrinth's Hainanese Curry Puff pays homage to Singapore's iconic curry puff brand, Old Chang Kee. It is filled with oyster mushrooms, sweet corn, sweet potato, and braised pork belly and served with garlic aioli for extra richness. It is a satisfying and comforting bite.

Satay Club 4.2/5

Named after Singapore's historic Satay Club, this course featured two skewers — a Pork Satay and a Chicken Tsukune. The pork skewers, with loin and jowl, offered contrasting textures, reminiscent of Hainanese satay, while the tsukune encased a quail egg and was inspired by Japanese tsukune and Scotch egg. Paired with Filipino kare-kare peanut sauce, the skewers captured the essence of Southeast Asia's diverse satay styles.

RotiBoy 4.2/5

Labyrinth's RotiBoy transported me back to childhood with its coffee-flavoured craquelin atop a soft brioche filled with Bordier seaweed butter. The nostalgic flavours of Singapore's popular coffee bun were beautifully recreated, with subtle sweetness and a light coffee aroma.

Wartime Rojak 4.5/5

Inspired by an old recipe from the 1942-1950 cookbook "Wartime Kitchen," the Wartime Rojak reimagines a British-influenced Asian salad. Beetroot was prepared as a rosette and sorbet, accompanied by cucumber and lettuce granite, pineapple, and herbs like shiso. It was a refreshing, complex dish with sweet, savoury, and acidic notes, embodying the essence of rojak in a contemporary way. Notably, this dish replaced Labyrinth's iconic Chilli Crab, reflecting the restaurant's commitment to continual evolution.

Fish Maw Char Kway Teow 4.5/5

Labyrinth introduced Char Kway Teow with a twist, using NZ barramundi fish maw as the "noodle." Cooked to a similar shape and texture, the fish maw absorbed flavours of fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and was topped with abalone and liver sausage. This elevated take on the hawker staple was comforting, with layers of umami richness.

Laksa Siglap 3.8/5

A different interpretation of laksa, Laksa Siglap used a fish-based broth with lasam noodles made from tapioca and rice flour. Medai fish slices, prepared with a velveting technique, gave a silky texture. While less creamy than traditional laksa, this version was nuanced and delicate.

Chicken Rice 4.5/5

Labyrinth's Chicken Rice was a beautifully composed dish with three components. French poulet breast was layered with a flavourful chicken farce and poached perfectly. The rice, a blend of Jasmine and Koshihikari grains, was cooked in a donabe for a smoky flavour, accompanied by cockscomb and chives. A grilled chicken heart skewer added depth, with each element contributing to the classic flavours in a modern format.

Pisang Goreng 4.5/5

A refined version of Pisang Goreng, this dessert featured a caramelised banana sorbet wrapped in a crispy dough and paired with spiced saffron pastry cream. The sweet and savoury notes balanced perfectly, transforming the beloved street food into a luxurious dessert experience.

Cereal Prawn 4/5

Labyrinth's Cereal Prawn reinterpreted the classic zichar dish in dessert form. This unique creation included oatmeal ice cream infused with 20-year Shaoxing wine, salted egg foam, warabi mochi, and goji berries soaked in Shaoxing wine. Served with a playful "Chef-branded" cereal box filled with puffed rice and caramelised oats, it was a delightful and nostalgic end to the main courses.

Tang Yuan 3.5/5

The Tang Yuan was a warm, comforting dessert that replaced the usual petit fours. The dumpling, filled with Azuki red beans and tangerine peel, was served in a ginger and rice wine syrup, symbolising completion and togetherness. However, the rice wine syrup may not appeal to all, though it provided an interesting twist.

Labyrinth's 10th anniversary menu beautifully celebrates Singapore's culinary heritage, reinvented with finesse. Chef Han's commitment to local flavours, ingredients, and history is evident in each dish, creating a nostalgic and forward-thinking experience. Labyrinth's new menu is a must-try for those seeking a deeply thoughtful, innovative journey through Singaporean flavours.

Note: This is an inviting tasting.


Labyrinth
Esplanade Mall
8 Raffles Avenue
#02-23
Singapore 039802
Tel: +65 62234098
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Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Fri: 12pm - 230pm, 630pm - 1030pm
Sat-Sun: 630pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B or D. Walk to Raffles Avenue. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Teochew Meat Puff @ Woodlands Industrial Park, Wave9 - Snaking Queue For Their UFO-shaped Meat Puff

Oyster cake is a rarely seen snack in Singapore nowadays. There probably left only one or two places in Singapore still selling them. If I am not wrong, one is in Maxwell hawker centre, and the other is at Jalan Besar hawker centre. Thanks to MissTamChiak, I get to know another new stall - Teochew Meat Puff in Woodlands Industrial Park selling this delicious snack.

Teochew Meat Puff used to operate at Pasar Malams, it has no choice but to change its business model, settling into a permanent stall in a coffeeshop at Wave9 building in Woodlands Industrial Park under the current COVID pandemic.

Be prepared to queue if you plan to try the UFO-shaped meat puff. The latest I heard the wait is up to 2 hours now. The stall owner, Keith, will pour a layer of rice batter into a metal spatula, followed by the meat mixture, celery and another layer of rice batter to cover it. Peanuts are then sprinkled on top before sending it into the hot oil, deep-fried to a golden brown. If you observed each meat puff carefully, you would notice that the peanuts pattern help to differentiate the different flavours.

Oyster Pork Meat Puff

All together the stall sells 6 different flavours of meat puff. They are Oyster Pork ($3.50), Prawn Pork ($3.50), Octopus Pork ($3.50), Crab Pork ($3.50), Scallop Pork ($4) and Vegetable ($2).

Octopus Pork Meat Puff

The meat puff is crispy on the exterior with juicy pork filling. My favourite is the pork and oyster filling. I find the briny taste of the oyster complements the savoury pork filling better than the rest. I will go for the pork and octopus if you prefer a more textural enjoyment in each bite. Last but not least, don't forget to have it together with the chilli sauce. 

Pork Shrimp Meat Puff

The last I check on Teochew Meat Puff Facebook page, the stall owner, is very apologetic to his customers for the long wait. They are currently trying to negotiate with the coffeeshop to take up the space beside their stall so that they can add extra equipment to deep-fried more meat puff. You may not know, but each meat puff takes about 15 minutes.


Teochew Meat Puff
Wave9
71 Woodlands Industrial Park E9
Singapore 757048
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Nearest MRT: Admiralty (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 8pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Admiralty MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop opposite Admiralty MRT station (Stop ID 46771). Take bus number 964. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

"Savour the Past, Taste the Future" at The Singapore Food Festival 2016, taking place from 15 to 31 July 2016

The annual Singapore Food Festival 2016 is back again for the 23rd year, happening from 15 to 31 July 2016. The theme for this year's event will be "Savour the Past, Taste the Future", and it's the biggest Singapore Food Festival to date. This year's event will features a stunning line up of 18 gastronomic experiences at various locations across the island. Singaporeans and visitors will be able to savour Singapore's food heritage and discover modern Singaporean cuisine around the island during the festive period.

Together with a few foodie friends, we went on an exclusive tour to give us a glimpse of some of the events that will take place during the Singapore Food Festival. Our first stop was Open Stoves by Timbre+, where the resident chefs at the gastro-park have collaborated with guest chefs to develop new and innovative dishes that will be available for purchase during the festival.

One such dish is the Cebu Bellychon Curry Noodles with Salted Vegetables and Lime created by Chefs Christian Calledo of Iskina Cebu Singapore and Bjorn Shen of Artichoke and Bird Bird. We got to interact with the chefs themselves during the tour to understand their inspiration behind the dish. We even got to prepare the dish ourselves and savour the delicious creation, igniting a fiery start to the tour.

Open Stoves by Timbre+ will be taking place on 23 and 24 July 2016, 12pm till late. Other new innovative dishes you can look forward to at the event include the Prata Taco with Stewed Tripe and the Prata Taco with BBQ Pork Collar made by Chefs Jeremy Cheok of Dusk by Stake and Tan Huang Ming of Park Bench Deli. It will also features activities like cooking demos, bands jamming, a pop-up barbeque blowout etc. Find out more at http://www.timbreplus.sg/open-stoves

Our second stop is at Restaurant Labyrinth where we had a fun session plating our own dish or rather the dishes curated by International celebrity Chef Susur Lee, Senior Executive Chef Ken Ling of Tunglok Heen and Chef-Owner Han Liguang of Restaurant Labyrinth for STREAT 2016 taking place at Clifford Square, 15 to 16 July 2016, from 5pm to 1030pm.

The chefs have re-interpreted and created new expressions of Singapore's iconic street food, presenting it in an exclusive five-course, six-hands dinner menu. We were given a glimpse into some of these modern interpretation of our signature street food such as the Singapore Satay, Chilli Crab and Oyster Omelette Pie Tee.

A stellar selection of hawkers and chefs will also join the trio, setting up stalls alongside the pop-up restaurant at Clifford Square in celebration of our dining scene. Some of the curated medley of Singaporean food establishments which includes Candlenut, The Disgruntled Chef, Char, Casuarina Curry Restaurant and more.

STREAT 2016 will be taking place on 15 and 16 July 2016, 5pm to 1030pm. STREAT will showcase how food in Singapore has evolved over the year with an all-star cast of hawkers and chefs convening in one location in celebration of our dining scene. Find out more at http://www.singaporefoodfestival.com

Our last stop is at  Chinatown Food Street at Smith Street where The 50 Cents Fest by Select Group will be held. The food street will be transformed with street hawkers, lively music from a bygone era, buskers and costumed entertainers. The event taking place on 30 and 31 July 2016 will bring back many nostalgic dishes during the festival.

Look out for street hawkers such as the rojak on bicycle as you dine along the shophouse-lined streets of Singapore. Most of the dishes will be sold at only 50 cents and not more than $2 each in denomination of 50 cents.

Bringing back memories of our parents' childhood, we even learn how to make the ice ball. A popular dessert during our parents' time. During the event, public can get to purchase the ice ball to cool off from the humid weather for only 50 cents.


Relive the good old days at the The 50 Cents Fest! happening on 30 July (3pm - 11pm) and 31 July (11am - 11pm) where public can feast on more than 30 iconic hawker dishes, with many priced at 50 cents each. Some of the dishes includes Sweet Noodles, Kok Kok Mee, UFO (Fried Oyster Cake), Mee Teh and more. Find out more at http://www.chinatownfoodstreet.sg/the-50-cents-fest

SNAP & WIN
Take your best flatlay image of your favourite SFF dishes and share it on instagram with the hashtags #SFFflatlay & #SingaporeFoodFestival and tag @Visit_Singapore to win delicious prizes! Full T&C here: http://bit.ly/29MRBLw

Fuzhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake @ Jalan Besar

I chanced upon this stall selling oyster cake while walking along Kitchener Road. It was a very rare find. Beside the popular Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake, I have not known of any other places that sell oyster cake until today. Inside the deep fried oyster cake, there was oyster, prawn, cabbage and minced meat.

The Stall Frying the Oyster Cake

Oyster Cake 4/5

Oyster Cake

Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake
新友发餐室 (Xin You Fa Can Shi)
227 Jalan Besar (along Kitchener Road)
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park, NE Line