Black is sexy, and always will be. And more restaurants turn to squid ink and charcoal to enhance the appearance of their dishes; well, we are not even complaining. Some might argue they are gimmicky, but looking at a sleek and seductive black dish on your table is an excitement that is quite second to none – this, no one can deny.

That old-fashioned curiosity then kicks in, and if the taste of the dish turns out better than it looks, it puts us on a high. Bring on those gimmicks; the best ones will prove you wrong.

We handpicked some of our favourites to curate this list of the 10 Black Dishes in Singapore, and if you have more to suggest, pray tell because black will always be the new black – even for food.

#1 BLACKBIRD BISTRO & BAR – SOUTHERN BURGER

Blackbird’s Southern Burger has been one of our favourite affordable burgers because for a friendly price tag of S$16.80, you will be treated to a juicy fried chicken patty in a gorgeous charcoal bun. It definitely tastes as alluring as it looks.

6 Handy Road
Singapore 229234
Tel: +65 6337 3448
Tue to Sun: 11.30am – 11pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Dhoby Gaut

#2 DOLCETTO BY BASILLICO – SQUID INK PANINI

Dolcetto has some of the best looking and tasting desserts in Singapore. However, what most people overlook is their menu of delicious deli bites that are great for a quick and light meal, or to take away.

The Squid Ink Panini (S$14) justifies its price tag with generous amount of prawns and crab meat tucked in between squid ink panini, with a crisp outer layer from being warmed on the griddle.

1 Cuscaden Road
Lobby Regent Hotel Singapore
Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 6720 8000
Daily: 7.30am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

#3 MIN JIANG – CHARCOAL CUSTARD BUN

This custard bun took a spin around the sleek block and got itself a cool new look. Of course, the charcoal does not add much to the bun’s taste, but we can all agree that it looks better than before. Breaking open this bun is just like opening a treasure chest of liquid gold.

Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road
Tel: +65 6730 1704
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Sun: 11am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

#4 QUAYSIDE FISH BAR & BISTRO – SQUID INK LOBSTER SPAGHETTI

Quayside Fish Bar & Bistro has always been a frontrunner in offering the freshest seafood dishes and you should know by now how much we love dining there.

Their Squid Ink Lobster Spaghetti is a definite must-try. With squid ink that greatly enhances the taste of the pasta, this sexy dish is perfectly cooked with lobster, and it never disappoints.

31 Ocean Way #01-11
Quayside Isle, Sentosa Cove
Singapore 098375
Tel: +65 6268 8633
Mon: 5.30pm – 12 midnight
Tue to Thu: 12pm – 12 midnight
Fri: 12pm – 1am
Sat: 10am – 1am
Sun: 10am – 12 midnight
Nearest Station: Harbourfront

#5 SPATHE PUBLIC HOUSE – SQUID INK WAFFLES WITH PRAWNS

While we were on the search for Singapore’s most unique waffles, we chanced upon Spathe’s cool cat – Squid Ink Waffles. The squid ink waffle itself was a tad bit overwhelmingly black, but the overall taste of this dish was pretty darn good. We also liked how they took the risky path of using prawns to top off this savoury waffle dish – because nobody knew it would work and it did.

8 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-01
Singapore 238958
Tel: +65 6735 1035
Mon to Fri: 11am – 11pm
Sat: 9am – 11pm
Sun: 9am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

#6 STATELAND CAFE – TAN CHARCOAL THICK TOAST

As one of our go-to Shibuya toast places to head to, Stateland always has unique takes on trending cafe fare and they certainly did well with this black beauty. The toast itself was buttery, crisp on the outside and served warm.

32 Bali Lane
Singapore 189868
Tel: +65 8715 5475
Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Bugis

#7 SUN RAY CAFE – CHARCOAL PORTOBELLO BURGER

A great option for vegetarians or vegans, the owner of Sun Ray Cafe (who is a vegetarian himself) decided to create a veggie burger that actually tastes so good that meat-lovers will approve. The addition of juicy portobello in between the charcoal buns is a genius move because all the flavours came together so perfectly.

79 Brighton Crescent
Serangoon Gardens
Singapore 559218
Tel: +65 6283 8700
Mon-Tue: 6pm -11pm
Wed-Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri: 11am – 12am
Sat: 10am – 12am
Sun: 10am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Serangoon

#8 THE COLD PANTRY – CHARCOAL ROOT BEER WAFFLE

You should be familiar with The Cold Pantry’s Charcoal Root Beer Waffle (S$12.50) by now because it looks and tastes so good that got so many of us heading down to the cafe just for this specific dish.

Listed in our unique waffles piece, we were definitely unanimous on how good-looking (and tasting) this dessert waffle is. Do note that the waffle is very dense and is more cakey than it is waffle-y. But try it anyway; it is really good.

131 Rangoon Road
Singapore 218409
Tel: +65 9179 7266
Mon to Thu: 12pm – 9pm
Fri to Sun: 12pm – 10pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Farrer Park

#9 TIONG BAHRU BAKERY – SQUID INK BUN

Loaded with salmon, ham and pesto sauce, Tiong Bahru Bakery’s Squid Ink Bun (S$8.50) is a treat for both the eyes and the taste buds. For just S$8.50, it is a great option for a simple, yet satisfying takeaway lunch. Enjoy this with a cup of coffee while you unwind with a magazine; we like our afternoons casual like that.

56 Eng Hoon Street
#01-70
Singapore 160056
Tel: +65 6220 3430
Daily: 8am – 8pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Tiong Bahru

#10 TWENTY GRAMMES – CHARCOAL SALTED EGG WAFFLES

Our eyes were glued to this beauty on a plate when our orders arrived at our table.

Enhanced with a rich salted egg sauce, we could not resist gobbling up this waffle completely. Choose between Twenty Grammes’ wide range of ice cream flavours to top your waffle off. Find out how you can get 50% off waffles here, until the end of October 2015.

753 North Bridge Road
#01-01
Singapore 198721
Tel: +65 6717 1733
Mon to Thu, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 1am
Nearest Station: Bugis

If you are clueless about what a Shibuya Toast is, it is basically just a sweeter version of a French toast with a plethora of colourful toppings. Originating from Tokyo itself, the reason why this beautiful thick toast dessert is such a hit in Singapore is simple – they taste as good as they look. Or sometimes even better.

The combination of perfectly buttered and toasted thick toast is decorated with sweet toppings that usually includes maple syrup, various flavours of ice cream or gelato, whipped cream and fruits.

Now, the golden question is – just where do you find the best Shibuya Toasts in Singapore? Read on to find out more.

#1 ASSEMBLY COFFEE

There are many versions and unique renditions of the Shibuya Toast and Assembly Coffee’s Brick Toast (S$12) is one of our favourites. Buttered and toasted cubes of the loaf are nicely crisp on the outside, while still retaining a nice fluffiness on the inside.

It is topped off with vanilla ice cream and comes with a side of greek yogurt and strawberries. The toppings added a nice textural variety to the overall bite and for just S$12, this is definitely one of the cheaper Shibuya Toasts we can find in Singapore.

26 Evans Lodge
Singapore 259367
Tel: +65 6735 5647
Tue to Sun: 8am – 7pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Botanic Gardens

#2 DAZZLING CAFE

You would definitely have seen Dazzling Cafe’s insanely pretty range of Shibuya Toasts on all your social media platforms by now and we agree that they are worth the hype. While we might not be big fans of their savoury mains, their desserts were good enough to make us want to return for more. But be warned – the queue can go beyond an hour.

Our favourite has to be the Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast (S$19.90). The attention to detail is resounding, the cream that sits atop carefully designed and each cube of toast s filled with hazelnut chocolate – sinful goodness!

15 Stamford Road, #01-85
Capitol Piazza
Singapore 178906
Tel: +65 6384 3310
Daily: 12pm – 10pm
(Nearest Station: City Hall)

#3 DESSERT PROJECT

The Nutella Thick Toast (S$14.90) was a hit with every single one of our tastebuds because you know you can never go wrong when there is Nutella involved.

The thick toast is evenly toasted and the melted chocolate topping was a cherry on top of all the goodness. The toast is served warm, setting a contrasting note with the ice cream that is served generously in two scoops on the side.

22 Havelock Road #01-673
Singapore 160022
Mon, Tue, Thu & Sun: 12pm – 9.30pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 11pm
(Closed on Wednesdays)
Nearest Station: Tiong Bahru

#4 DOUBLE SCOOPS

Double Scoops offers two choices – a classic Shibuya Honey Toast (S$10) and a Nutella Banana Toast (S$11), each with one scoop of gelato of choice.

While honey toasts are evergreen, it was the Nutella one that tugged our heartstrings. But of course, right? Nutella is always wonderful, especially when lavishly drizzled over a thick toast alongside smooth, premium gelato. We had ours with a scoop of Earl Grey Lavender ice cream and the fragrance sure balanced out the sweetness of the dessert.

Block 226A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 #01-627
Singapore 561226
Tel: +65 6452 0208
Sun to Thu: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Ang Mo Kio

#5 LOFT CAFE

Moving on from all the chocolatey renditions, we have Loft Cafe’s Natsu Beri Shibuya Toast (S$11.40) that was an absolute delight for us, and certainly makes a great option for berry lovers.

The added acidity of the fruits was a marvelous complement to the toast, and do not be fooled by this photo because it was actually a gigantic serving! But no worries, because desserts are meant to be shared with lovers.

268A South Bridge Road
Singapore 058817
Tue to Sun: 7.30am – 11pm
Tel: +65 6221 2103
Nearest Station: Chinatown

#6 STATELAND CAFE

TAN (S$14.90) is the name of this good-looking plate of toast at Stateland Cafe. A crowd’s favourite, TAN is essentially a charcoal toast with marshmallow filling, salted caramel and coconut ice cream.

They also have a Matcha Honey Toast (S$14.90), which in our opinion is also as beautiful-looking and delicious as its aforementioned counterpart. Stateland is the place to visit for quirky renditions of the Shibuya Toast.

32 Bali Lane
Singapore 189868
Tel: +65 8715 5475
Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Bugis

#7 WA CAFE

Wa Cafe presents a brilliant Honey Toast with Matcha and Orgura Paste (S$16.50) that is probably the closest you can get to a true blue Japanaese Shibuya Toast in Singapore.

Topped off with a mountain of ingredients, expect to see ice cream, azuki (red bean) and a huge dollop of whipped cream. The overall combination of the different elements weaved into each other really well, and is one version of Shibuya Toast that is most definitely worth every cent (and calorie)!

#B1-51, Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road
Singapore 059413
Tel: +65 +65 6444 7646
Daily: 11am – 9pm
Nearest Station Chinatown

For more recommendations, read our guide to the best desserts in Singapore.