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DINING OUT

Mod-Asian restaurant Imbue dazzles with execution but lacks direction

Chef Lee Boon Seng’s new eatery combines European cooking with Asian influences but there are hits and misses

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Jaime Ee

Published Thu, Dec 21, 2023 · 11:30 PM
    • Imbue's stylish interiors.
    • Meticulously prepared appetisers.
    • The 'Malai' bread is addictively soft and pillowy with strong malty, herbal flavour.
    • Wagyu rump cap is dry aged for 21 days and served with morel mushrooms stuffed with macadamia tofu.
    • Claypot rice with squid sausage.
    • Imbue's stylish interiors. PHOTO: IMBUE
    • Meticulously prepared appetisers. PHOTO: IMBUE
    • The 'Malai' bread is addictively soft and pillowy with strong malty, herbal flavour. PHOTO: IMBUE
    • Wagyu rump cap is dry aged for 21 days and served with morel mushrooms stuffed with macadamia tofu. PHOTO: IMBUE
    • Claypot rice with squid sausage. PHOTO: IMBUE

    NEW RESTAURANT Imbue 32 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089137 Tel: 6223 7266 Open for dinner Tues to Sat: 5:30pm to 11 pm. Lunch from Fri to Sun: 12pm to 2:30pm

    YOU shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, so you shouldn’t judge a restaurant by its name. Unless it’s a name like Imbue. And if you just went, “huh?”, our sentiments exactly.

    Yes. Restaurant Imbue is a beautifully vague name that gives the impression it’s saying something without really saying anything. And because it doesn’t actually say what it is, you can’t fault it for not being what you think it should be, because that might not even have been its intention in the first place. If you think this sounds maddening, try eating here.

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