Conveniently located near the Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, Icon Village offers a unique dining experience, with many restaurants and cafes that are not found in other parts of Singapore.
For example, The Quarters which specialises in Mod-sin café cuisine such as Durian Crème Brûlée, and Scrambled – a scrambled egg focused café.
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Depending on your mood, it can be a charming lunch spot away from the city’s bustle, a sunset dining haunt or a quiet corner to while the afternoon away over a cup of coffee, offering uptown flair and downtown convenience.
Looking for a lunch time place, or restaurant to gather during dinner? Here are 10 Unique Eats that can be found at Icon Village:
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MARU Japanese Restaurant
Icon Village, Gopeng & Tras Street, #01-05 to 11
Tel: +65 6327 1123
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm (Mon – Sat), Closed on Sun, PH, Except Christmas and NYE
The 80-seater MARU Japanese Restaurant offers a stellar array of Japanese culinary delights, and a full bar with drinks from draft beer, fine Italian wines to premium whiskeys and sake.
It seamlessly crafts Japanese modern cuisine to create beautiful dishes in a setting great for chilling-out after work. You can also book their spacious venue for your bigger events.
Experience MARU’s revamped a la carte menu and their string of signature items, such as the MARU Signature Roll ($22), a sushi roll that includes soft shell crab, crab roe sauce, avocado and Japanese cucumber.
A signature dish is the Truffle Beef Cube Don ($25), a hearty flavourful garlic fried rice, topped with stir fried beef cooked with red wine sauce, topped with onsen egg, and drizzled with white truffle oil. One of the hot selling don during lunch.
The Bonito Unagi & Aburi Scallop Don ($20) is a flavoured sushi rice topped with unagi (grilled eel), aburi scallops, bonito flakes, ginger, and toasted sesame seeds.
Unique Eats: Wagyu Don (Signature)
The Wagyu Don ($32 for lunch, $38 for dinner) contains special flavoured rice beautifully topped with Wagyu beef that is torched on the surface.
The torching process releases the fat from the beef, seeping into the rice to create a unique, harmonious flavour. Served with an onsen egg, shio konbu, and drizzled with white truffle oil and yakiniku sauce.
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The Public Izakaya 2
Icon Village, Enggor Street, #01-14 to 16
Tel: +65 6333 9622
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 2pm, 5.30pm – 12am (Mon – Fri), 5:30pm – 12am (Sat), Closed Sun
The highly popular and lively The Public Izakaya 2 is positioned as a friendly traditional izakaya for the masses, serving traditional izakaya cuisine for the everyday salary man.
With an extensive menu that bring customers right to the heart of Shimbashi & Yurakucho in Tokyo, where the highest concentration of izakayas exist, The Public Izakaya provides an authentic izakaya experience you can experience out of Japan.
Must-taste signature dishes include the Buta Kakuni ($15), a slow-cooked premium Iberico pork belly served with onsen tamago, a softly cooked egg in a flavourful soy broth. The long hours of simmering renders the fat and break up the pork meat effortlessly.
The Yakitori Omakase ($28), a set of 7 pieces of assorted yakitori skewers, is the good sampler dish that’s meant for sharing.
Other dishes you should try include the Jaga Mentaiko ($10), a dish made with strips of shredded potatoes topped with mentaiko, a spicy Pollock roe, and baked au gratin or until the mentaiko is torched; and Maguro Avocado Cream Cheese ($15), combining marinated raw tuna with avocado & cream cheese.
Unique Eats: Gyoza Croquette
Gyoza Croquette ($10) is a cross between a croquette and a gyoza. This hot appetiser is made by filling a croquette with gyoza stuffing and deep drying it until golden brown crisp.
A bar chow you can enjoy with work colleagues after a hard day’s work.
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The Quarters
Icon Village, Enggor Street, #01-09
Tel: +65 6834 4174
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sat), 10am – 6pm (Sun)
The Quarters’ concept is inspired Singapore cuisine. Known for their handmade sauces and refreshing take to local food, they are now regarded as one of the up and coming brands for Modsin Cuisine.
With its passion to celebrate modern cuisine, The Quarters aspire to evolve heritage recipes with a touch of modernity. You will see this in their dishes that juxtapose the old and the new.
Signature dishes include Fwah! ($18), a Kaya toast topped with a chunk of foie gras and poured over with a runny scrambled egg; Chilli Crab Pasta with Clams ($24) featuring The Quarters’ Signature chili crab sauce; Truffle Chasu Ricebowl ($15), made with truffle braised belly, onsen egg, and snow peas; and the Salted Egg Chicken Burger ($14) that sandwiches a huge oat-battered chicken in a bun, slathered with salted egg aioli, and served with fries.
For dessert, definitely order Duriancanboleh ($9), a signature Crème Brûlée infused with Mao Shan Wang, a durian variety with an unusual combination of bitter and sweet.
As a bistro and grill, The Quarters is a conducive environment to come as you are and enjoy Peranakan-inspired Japanese style grill for dinners.
Unique Eats: Wagyu Beef Buah Keluak Pasta
Wagyu Beef Buah Keluak Pasta ($24) is a modern take to Buah Keluak, one of the recently new “it” ingredient in fine dining Singapore.
Refreshingly different from the Peranakan staple, this dish is a mole-ish and chocolatey rendition to the earthy bitter ingredient that we love.
The flavours of the black nut and beef share similar earthy characteristics that go well together. With a buah keluak-Angus beef combination, this pasta becomes extra special.
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Scrambled
Icon Village, Gopeng Street, 01-33/34
Tel: +65 6221 0289
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 8pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sat – Sun
Scrambled is a one-of-a-kind scrambled egg speciality store in Singapore. Each burger has its own unique identity and flavour, with the brioche buns made by Michelin restaurant, Burnt Ends.
Ingredients and sauces used varies from one another, mixing both Western and Asian flavors together.
All burgers use a mildly sweet, milky brioche bun, specially toasted fresh upon order. All sauces used in the burgers are made in-house and carefully curated for pairing with a secondary ingredient, alongside the Signature Scrambled Eggs.
The signature Scrambled Signature Egg ($7.90) is the base burger with just the scrambled egg inside a soft, fluffy brioche bun, toasted to golden brown perfection. The scrambled egg is creamy, curd-like and moist with a buttery aroma.
A more premium option, the Steak and Eggs ($16.90) boasts of a 200g Australian sirloin steak, best when cooked medium rare, and served with a truffled chimichurri sauce.
Unique Eats: Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs Bun
The most popular item from Scrambled is the Smoked Salmon Mentaiko ($10.90) which includes slivers of smoked salmon atop the signature scrambled eggs, combined with cheddar cheese and a homemade spicy Pollock roe mayo sauce, everything nestled inside the toasted brioche bun.
(A item to look out in 2019 is the Smoked Chicken Breast ($9.90), featuring smoked chicken breast on top of the signature scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and a spread of basil mustard mayo in a fresh toasted brioche bun.)
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Unagi VS Salmon
Icon Village, Gopeng & Tras Street, #01-46
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 8pm (Sat, Sun, PH)
Unagi Vs Salmon is a newly opened gem in Icon Village that serves healthy dining options with its grain and poke bowls.
What makes it popular among the working crowd is that it’s healthy, filling and affordable at $9.90 per bowl.
Boasting one of the freshest ingredients, they use only Norwegian salmon and unagi that is delivered fresh daily. Even the sauces, marinades and sides are all freshly handmade.
You can build your own bowl by choosing from a wide selection of bases, protein mains, and add ons. Base options include mixed red rice, buckwheat soba, salad greens, and fussili pasta.
For the mains, there are 8 staple choices: Salmon Sashimi, Salmon Mentaiko, Salmon Poke, Spicy Garlic Poke, Teriyaki Salmon, Grilled Unagi, Unagi Mentaiko, and Unagi Tamagoyaki.
Recommended to start off with their popular choices: mixed white and red Japanese rice as base, then topped with any of the following: salmon with mentaiko, grilled unagi, or spicy garlic poke (homemade chilli mixed with mayonnaise).
A good non-rice base is the cold buckwheat soba, topped with unagi mentaiko.
Unique Eats: Unagi VS Salmon
If you can’t pick whether to have unagi or salmon, order the Unagi VS Salmon ($15.90), a dish that highlights the best of both meals.
It is infused with grilled unagi glazed with homemade shoyu sauce, salmon sashimi, salad, cold buckwheat noodles, avocado and onsen egg.
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Gold Bean
Icon Village, Gopeng & Tras Street, #01-47
Tel: +65 8154 2223
Opening Hours: 8am – 6pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sat – Sun
Gold Bean is a café tucked in Icon Village, offering Western cuisine. It is a good place to grab a bite, especially for diners who just wish to to rest and recharge.
It offers a unique Gluten-Free Roasted Chicken & Bean Pasta ($7.90) to its health-conscious diners, a dish that can be both nutritious and satisfying.
For something more filling that you can eat on-the-go, try the Egg Mayo or Turkey Ham Sandwiches.
If you want something hearty and more substantial, go for any of their traditional Italian-style lasagne in different variants: Beef Lasagne ($8.90), Chicken Lasagne ($7.90), Vegetable Lasagne ($7.90), and the must-try Seafood Lasagne.
Unique Eats: Seafood Lasagne
The Seafood lasagne ($9.90) is a variation of the traditional Italian meat lasagne. This dish comes with fresh prawns and squid, stuffed in between layers of al dente cooked lasagne pasta and a delectable cheese sauce.
Made with a combination of Parmesan & Mozzarella, the cheese sauce is the yummy glue that holds everything together, allowing you to make that one perfect bite.
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Spice Grill Restaurant
Icon Village, Gopeng Street #01-82/83
Tel: +65 6222 2921
Opening Hours: 11am – 9.30pm, Closed between 4pm – 5pm (Mon – Sun)
As the name of this restaurant suggests, the star of Spice Grill Restaurant is spice.
Here, it’s all about tandoor cooking. Using the traditional clay oven, this Indian restaurant offers authentic tandoor specials praised by both locals and tourists.
One of its signature dishes is the Chicken Tikka ($11.90++), an entree originating in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with chicken, yogurt, red chilies, ginger paste, garlic paste and lemon juice.
Other house specials include the Butter Chicken ($13.50++), Mutton Rogan Josh ($13.90++), Mixed Vegetables ($8.90++), Palak Paneer ($9.90++), Yellow Dal ($8.90++) and Garlic Bread Naan ($3.90++).
For those looking for a vegetarian dish for sharing, there are the Vegetarian Platter ($18.90++) which contains Tandoor Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Aloo, and assorted Vegetables.
Unique Eats: Lamb Shank Biryani
This Lamb Shank Biryani ($25.90++) good for a hungry individual or pair, features a lamb leg bone (shank) that’s slow-cooked with vibrant Indian spices until tender and flavourful.
It is served on top of fluffy Biryani Rice, and accompanied with Rogan Josh Gravy, a Kashmiri cuisine staple made with garlic, ginger and aromatic spices like cloves, bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon.
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Kakuida’s
Icon Village, Gopeng & Tras Street, #01-23
Tel: +65 6260 1801
Opening Hours: 8am – 7:30pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 6pm (Sat, PH), Closed Sun
What makes Kakuida’s unique from other food and beverage brands is its use of Kurozu or “Japanese Black Vinegar” as a primary ingredient in all their products.
Though not typically used in preparing drinks and snacks, Kurozu is a wonder-food widely consumed in Japan for health and beauty reasons.
Kurozu is created by fermenting brown rice, using a traditional process that dates back over 200 years to the Edo period (1800s). Perfected by kurozu masters, it’s known for its mellow and earthy taste as well as dark, caramel brown colour.
Kakuida’s is the best place to visit if you are looking for Japanese black vinegar in Singapore. Their kurozu is organic and aged for 3 years, and their signature products are carefully curated to suit the local taste.
Like the Homemade Ice Kurozu Lemon Tea ($3.90), a straight tea drink that’s highly recommended. Or the Pina Colada Fruit Tea that comes with Kurozu Konnyaku and is available as a straight tea ($3.50) or as milk tea ($3.90).
Make sure you try the Signature Kurozu Soft Serve ($4.50), a vanilla-flavoured soft serve with a slight yogurt taste, topped with genmaicha, a.k.a. Japanese roasted brown rice tea or “popcorn tea”, a Japanese brown rice green tea.
Unique Eats: Original Baked Kurozu Donuts
The Original Baked Kurozu Donuts ($1.90) are freshly baked daily using kurozu to enhance the flavour of the donuts, as well as its nutritional content.
As for the base flour, a premium rice powder is used that is imported from Japan for that authentic, traditional taste.
Also available in Chocolate, Matcha, and Sweet Potato flavours. A donut with a unique texture not quite like the others.
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Matchaya
Icon Village Gopeng & Tras Street, #01-72
Tel: +65 9767 9811 / 9837 3187
Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 7pm (Sat – Sun)
Matchaya is a Japanese tea shop serving authentic Japanese-inspired beverages and sweets. All premium ingredients, such as matcha and houjicha, are painstakingly sourced from different prefectures in Japan and blended exclusively.
All creations are influenced by the owner’s travel to Japan in 2015 and interactions with Tea Farmers and Tea Masters, getting drawn towards this particular Matcha-Shaded Green Tea.
Hand-brewed from their own sources of tea, the Matchaya Exclusive Blend which is a bottled Japanese Milk Tea is a crowd favourite. Try the bestsellers Cold-Whisked Milk Tea ($6.50) which consists of 2 flavours of Extreme Uji Matcha; and Houjicha Milk ($6.50) with roasty, nutty and notes of Koffee.
Both are sourced exclusively from the Uji, Kyoto prefecture. What makes these special is the method of cold-whisking, creating a bolder, stronger and more umami flavour than their usual milk tea.
Get the limited and seasonal Hokkaido Lavender ($15.90) if it is available, an unforgettably dreamy drink with floral notes, offered only once a year
If you want a sampler of Matchaya’s flavours, go for the 16-piece “The Basic Series” melt-in-your-mouth Chokoreto, showcasing 5 basic flavours: dark uji matcha, houjicha, kinako, raw cocoa, and white uji matcha.
Unique Eats: Mystery Softserve with Weekly Special Flavour (Chestnut)
No one does a rich and creamy Japanese soft serve like Matchaya. Aside from the standard flavours, they offer a mystery flavour, or introduce something new.
Like the freshly-churned White Miso Soft Serve, flavoured with fermented soy beans to create an interesting mild salty taste bordering on savoury; or the Chestnut which makes a great twist with the matcha.
The soft serve is perfect for lazy days and goes well with Kinako Warabi Mocha ($7.90).
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Mission Juice
Icon Village, Gopeng Street #01-29
Tel: +65 8202 1355
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri: 8am – 7pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 5pm (Sat), Closed Sun, PH
Mission Juice has been serving the community with freshly pressed and made-to-order juices for more than 5 years.
The brand advocates juicing as an ideal way to absorb large amounts of nutrients, enzymes and vitamins.
You can mix & match your own favourite fruits and vegetables or pick from their popular and bestselling juices.
Start your morning with the Breakfast Surprise ($6), made with red apple, orange, pineapple, and passionfruit. If you need an extra lift throughout the day, drink The Energy Booster ($6), a powerful combination of carrot, pineapple, green apple, and ginger.
The Avocado Milkshake ($6) can be a meal in itself, a smooth and filling drink with just the right amount of sweetness.
Finally, try Mission Juice’s froyo (frozen yogurt), a low-fat dessert specially sourced from Italy. Get the ‘Just Right’ Froyo ($5) with your choice of 1 topping or indulge in a healthy way with the ‘Perfect Mission’ Froyo ($6.90), a parfait style froyo that includes 4 toppings, your choice of fruits, nuts and sauce topping.
Unique Drinks: Mean Green
A combination of celery, spinach, kale, cucumber, green pepper, and green apple, it’s no wonder this drink is called Mean Green ($6).
It is made-to-order and fully customisable, you can even make it more “mean” by opting to exclude the apple. Dare to try this ultra-healthy and nutrient-loaded juice for a change. One of the most popular and bestselling juices at Mission Juice you shouldn’t miss.
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Click here for more details on the dining options available at Icon Village.
*This entry is brought to you in partnership with Icon Village.
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