The Best Festive Treats And Food Haunts To Celebrate Christmas

Torn between a hot piping bowl of pork belly ramen, fresh sashimi, or slippery slices of quality shabu shabu beef this December? Whether you fancy a bit of air-flown seafood on sake-soaked rice from Kyoto, or dipping sheets of wagyu beef into spicy sesame sauce, or prefer slurping on springy noodles, Tampopo has you covered. Still can’t decide? Go on and have all three. There’s still a month to go before making your New Year’s resolutions!

With Angus House’s quality marbled beef and a dizzying menu of Japanese cuisine, there’s nothing quite like a juicy and gratifying slab of medium rare Wagyu rib-eye and sashimi to get you in the right mood for a month of festive feasting.

Life in the sweltering tropics can sometimes demand an unlikely approach to Yuletide celebrations. And who’s to say that you can’t have a heart-warming, bubbling cauldron of fresh seafood for Christmas dinner—especially when there’s superior premium broth involved?

D’Good Café’s constantly expanding offerings of hearty meals are sure to satisfy your appetite this Christmas. From oven-baked escargots to fresh and succulent poached lobster rolls, to even clam pastas with seaweed and caviar, dishes from the exclusive Takashimaya menu are, safe to say, a gourmet Christmas miracle.

For a Christmas feast of a different kind, take a breather from all the roasts and toasts, and take your palate on a sojourn to the Land of the Rising Sun. Sample the gastronomical treasures of Shizuoka with a generous portion of kuro hanpen fishcakes at Ginza Kuroson. Or choose from the assortment of drool-worthy makis and temakis at the newly opened Genki Sushi, before you attempt to savour the wide array of Japanese curries and deep-fried pork cutlets available at Tonkichi. Hungry yet?

Sink your teeth into the juiciest tonkatsu sandwich and chase it down with a crumbling, flaky, slice of apple pie the next time you are Christmas-light gazing around the mall, because Santa won’t keep count of your calories at this Japanese-Western café.

Bringing to mind Christmas pantomimes and children’s laughter are the sweet treats found at La Cure Gourmande. With walls after walls of biscuits, madeleines, cakes and nougats all up for grabs—to your heart’s content, literally—the historic French candy store instantly turns customers into modern day Hansels and Gretels.

This holiday season, famed Parisian patisserie Ladurée brings a delightful sprinkling of Noël magic from its iconic Champs-Elysées flagship, right to our shores. Fill the series of specially-designed Christmas gift boxes with precious orbs of the house’s signature almond macarons, which are lovingly handmade and bursting with delectable passion fruit cream. Whether you choose to while your time away at the boutique or make a quick pit-stop at the counter, it’s the perfect respite from all that serious Christmas shopping. C’est parfait!

The popular Japanese and Western fusion restaurant is the perfect place to celebrate those precious festive moments with your family this Christmas. Laugh over an exquisite bowl of mentaiko pasta, or a mouth-watering hamburger steak. After all, they say the secret ingredient to a successful dinner is the company. So, eat up!

A familiar favourite among busy working professionals and students, this Japanese eatery chain has served the hungry Singaporean public well since opening its first store in the late ’90s. This festive month, why not try the café’s new additions like the Yakiniku Tortilla Salad Wrap or the Wagyu Demi-glace Rice Bowl for quick Christmas shopping sustenance?

If you are looking for some quiet, tasty respite amid all the shopping, head to Patties & Wiches on level three. The Japanese café brings together the highlights of various award-winning restaurants from its native home to satisfy hungry Christmas shoppers with delicious burgers and sandwiches.

Oh, the weather outside may be frightful, but here in the enclaves of acclaimed 19th-century French boulangerie, Paul, the cakes and hearty treats are so delightful! Watch the mad Christmas rush from above after indulging in the exclusive festive menu. Be sure to try the decadent Gâteaux aux Fruits de Noël—a gorgeous Christmas fruit cake of candied apricots, cranberries and raisins drowning in quality rum—and Blanquette de Poisson, salmon fillet with carrots, zucchini and potatoes in luscious lemon cream sauce.

If you’ve been on Santa’s naughty list this past year, redeem yourself by eating clean this holiday. At Project Açaí, even the most recalcitrant of sinners will receive immediate festive salvation with smoothies like Yogi Wannabe-rry and superbowls like the Supergreen Açaí Bowl. The snacks offered at this trendy bar are bound to make health nuts of us all this Christmas.

The rigorous cardio of unwrapping Christmas presents can sometimes leave you delirious. And in the event you find yourself asking what sunshine would taste like if it were a cake, know that your answer can be found at SunnyHills, with its delicious namesake of signature pineapple juices and confections.