Popular UK Chain Pret A Manger is opening in Singapore next year.

Pret A Manger is a global chain that specialises in organic coffee and natural food. Today, there are more than 350 Pret A Manger outlets across the globe and you can find them in countries such as China, Dubai, France, United States and of course United Kingdom – where the brand was born.

We have always been fans of Pret A Manger’s wholesome gourmet sandwiches and we make it a point to drop by for a quick lunch each time we visit London. But Singaporeans need not wait till their next vacation to relish Pret A Manger’s hearty dishes, for it is opening a store by June 2017 in Changi Airport Terminal 3.

Pret A Manger is a pioneer in promoting natural food and every item sold in its shops is fresh; food is free from additives, chemicals and preservatives and nothing will be kept overnight. The idea might seem simple, but it is exactly what makes Pret A Manger stand out from its other food and beverage competitors.

Some of you might recall seeing Pret A Manger in Singapore a decade ago. The sandwich shop was located along Robinson Road, but closed down shortly after a year of operation.

We are excited to see the British brand make a comeback next year and we are certain that it will be here to stay. After all, a lot has happened over the past 10 years. Singaporeans are now a well-travelled bunch and make more informed choices with regards to their food intake.

Similar to all other outlets, Pret A Manger will feature an on-site kitchen where salads and sandwiches will be prepared fresh every day. You can look forward to Pret A Manger’s popular creations i.e. Wild Crayfish and Rocket Sandwich, Butter Brioche Breakfast Bacon and Omelette Roll and Stone-baked Baguette topped with Cucumber and Mayonnaise.

Food aside, Pret A Manger will also be serving drinks such as Organic Coffee, Tea and Juices.

Singaporeans live for great food, and we are not ashamed of it. Even when we travel, we have a list of go-to places – famous cafes, Michelin-star restaurants and what-have-you.

We know too well those moments when indulging in BAKE Cheese Tarts on the streets of Tokyo and enjoying a pizza in PizzaExpress in London, and wondering when would be the next we could savour them again.

Luckily for us, Singapore has more and more international brands setting foot on our shores, and we are infinitely closer to satisfying all our cravings.

Now, let us take a look at the 13 Popular Overseas Dining Concepts That Opened In Singapore in 2016.

BAKE CHEESE TART

Originating from Kinotoya confectionery store in Hokkaido, BAKE Cheese Tart was founded by Shintaro Naganuma who strongly believes that freshly baked tarts taste the best and that only fresh ones can be sold to its customers.

BAKE is hence very well-loved for their cheese tarts for they are baked on the actual premises – nothing but fresh, fragrant, warm cheese tarts.

#B4-33 ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
Singapore 238801
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

BURGER JOINT NYC

New York’s cloak-and-dagger burger restaurant – Burger Joint – made its debut in Singapore on 03 May 2016, with its first outlet at Amoy Street. Proudly deemed as a burger restaurant without all the fluff of gourmet burgers, Burger Joint makes genuinely unpretentious burgers that have left the harshest of critics in awe.

They have been known to refer to their burgers as anti-gourmet burgers. Although there is nothing wrong with a tasty gourmet burger, the main idea of the burgers at Burger Joint is to just serve up some honest and delicious burgers – maybe even the best one you will ever have.

#01-03
115 Amoy Street
Singapore 069935
Tel: +65 6221 8648
Mon to Wed: 11am – 11pm
Thu to Sat: 11am – 12am
Sun: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

FABCAFE

Singaporeans need their daily dose of caffeine and there is really no lack of cafes in town that provide good coffee. While most cafes are starting to look similar, FabCafe – a futuristic cafe with state-of-the-art new fabrication technology like 3D printing and laser cutting – has opened up in the ArtScience Museum that aims to bring technology, creativity and food together.

ArtScience Museum
6 Bayfront Ave
Singapore 018974
Daily: 7am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Bayfront

GUDETAMA CAFE

Gudetama Cafe is opening in Singapore at Suntec City this November.

Fans of Sanrio’s lazy egg character will probably have heard of Gudetama Cafe in Osaka, as well as Gudetama Cafe by Izumi Curry and the dim sum pop-up restaurant at Dim Sum Icon in Hong Kong. We can finally look forward to Gudetama Cafe in Singapore!

3 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City Mall #01-361
Nearest Station: Promenade

GREYHOUND

Greyhound Cafe, famous fashion and lifestyle cafe in Bangkok, will be opening in Paragon come November. With the brand’s background in fashion and graphic design, the new café is set to impress – in terms of both interiors and food.

We are looking forward to seeing the space, the specially designed staff uniforms, as well as being able to try the food that people often rave about. One item to look out for is the popular Greyhound Famous Fried Wings.

Paragon
290 Orchard Road
Singapore 238859
Nearest Station: Orchard

HONOLULU

Honolulu Café was founded in Hong Kong during the 1940s, and it started out as a humble eatery selling Hong Kong-style coffee and tea and baked confectionery. The casual eatery is renowned for their flaky egg tarts, pineapple buns and Hong Kong milk tea.

Local chefs from Hong Kong’s Honolulu Café are sent to Singapore to ensure that the dishes served here remain similar to the flagship store’s.

No trip to Honolulu Cafe is complete until you have tried their signature Honolulu Egg Tarts (S$1.70++ each). Each palm-size flaky pastry encases to-die-for sweet soft egg custard; the dough had been frozen overnight and folded into many layers to achieve a crisp shell.

#01-33F/G The Centrepoint
176 Orchard Road
Singapore 238843
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

KAM’S ROAST GOOSE RESTAURANT

Kam’s Roast Goose – famous roast goose restaurant from Hong Kong – is opening in Singapore at Pacific Plaza this October. Kam’s had always been one of our favourite Hong Kong restaurants. We are glad that we no longer have to fly abroad just to satisfy our roast goose cravings.

Pacific Plaza
9 Scotts Road
Singapore 228210
Nearest Station: Orchard

KISS THE TIRAMISU

Kiss The Tiramisu, the popular South Korean Tiramisu soft-serve ice cream joint, is set to open in Singapore soon! Their first outlet will be located right in the heart of Orchard Road, at Orchard Gateway.

Kiss The Tiramisu has been a hit in South Korea ever since its debut in Hongdae, fusing two popular desserts into one awesome treat. Tiramisu and soft serve ice cream are like two peas in a pot. Each tiramisu soft serve from Kiss The Tiramisu is also served in a swanky gold-rimmed plastic “wine glass” for your perfect social media photo.

277 Orchard Road #01-15 Orchard Gateway
Singapore 238858
Nearest Station: Somerset

KYUSHU PANCAKE

Kyushu Pancake’s famed pancakes are made with seven different grains that are grown in Kyushu – the gem of Japanese agricultural regions. The result is a premium pancake mix that gives the perfect texture and unique taste.

The 42-seater outlet in Novena opened on 11 May 2016 and offers the Kyushu Butter Milk Classic Pancake, Salted Caramel French Toast, Matcha Azuki Waffle, Egg Benedict Pancake and Matcha Montblanc. Signature drinks that are served include Matcha Latte, Fresh Fruit Tea and Special Milk Tea.

#01-08 Novena Regency
275 Thomson Road
Singapore 307645
Tel: +65 6352 6265
Daily: 11am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Novena

PIZZAEXPRESS

This popular pizza chain has over 500 outlets in United Kingdom, various European countries, Hong Kong, India and the Middle East. PizzaExpress is now open in Singapore and sits on the basement level of Scotts Square.

The doughs are all made fresh on the spot, and you can watch the chefs in action via the open kitchen.

Classic pizzas include a variety of different flavours on a slightly thicker dough. They are smaller in size, which is great for solo diners. We had a taste of a popular flavour – Lava (S$20) which is topped with olives, burrata cheese, chilli oil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and passata, and fresh basil.

Scotts Square
6 Scotts Rd
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 6538 0083
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

POPBAR

Popbar, the famed popsicle store from The U.S., is opening in Singapore at Plaza Singapura. We tried Popbar’s popsicle when we were in New York City and trust us when we say that they taste as good as they look. With the opening of Popbar in Singapore, there is no need to fly all the way to the States to have a taste of these Insta-famous popsicles.

The store will be housed in Plaza Singapura, and from what we understand, it is set to open within the next few weeks.

Plaza Singapura #B2-64
68 Orchard Road
Singapore 238839
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut

SMOOTHIE HOUSE

This is Taiwan’s most popular and bestselling shaved ice store that sits along Yong Kang Street. Singapore’s Smoothie House imports the blocks of ice directly from Taiwan so you can be assured that the quality and taste will be exactly like the original snowflake ice in Taiwan.

Mango Snowflake Ice with Panna Cotta (S$12.90) is their signature and probably the most ordered item in their Taiwan stores. Many reasons to love this bowl, indeed. Why, just look at the generous chunks of fresh mango atop the powdery snowflake ice. And a panna cotta to top, too!

A little fun fact: every piece of mango is sliced with precision to ensure a consistency in the size for the best dining experience, and the number of mango chunks is even on each side! Also, every bowl of Mango Snowflake Ice actually comprises almost a whole mango fruit.

#01-08 Westgate
3 Gateway Drive
Singapore 608532
Tel: +65 6710 5567
Daily: 12pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Jurong East

TAI CHEONG BAKERY

Tai Cheong is an institution in Hong Kong, and its egg tarts are well-loved by people from all around the globe. Egg tart is one of the must-try local food in Hong Kong, and we are extremely delighted to know that Tai Cheong Bakery’s egg tarts can be found at he basement of Takashimaya now!

Other than the much-lauded egg tarts, the old school bakery is also selling pineapple buns (bolo buns), doughnuts, egg rolls, pastries and local cha chaan teng dishes.

Tai Cheong Bakery’s egg tarts are priced at S$7.60 for a box of 4.

#B208-5 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
391 Orchard Road
Singapore 238872
Tel: +65 8223 1954
Daily: 10am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

It is finally here – PizzaExpress is now open in Singapore, and it sits on the basement level of Scotts Square. The name should be no stranger to you as they have over 500 outlets in United Kingdom, various European countries, Hong Kong, India and the Middle East.

Founder Peter Boizot created this wildly successful pizzeria chain because having tried and tested the best and most authentic pizzas during his holidays in Italy, he was unsatisfied with what he had in London. PizzaExpress was thus conceived in United Kingdom, with the notion of offering authentic Italian pizza outside of Italy to the masses.

Having tried and loved PizzaExpress when we were in London, we are extremely stoked to have them here in our own country. We popped by for a preview and had a taste of their world-renowned pizzas – made from scratch in store with fresh ingredients. Besides pizzas, the menu is pretty much similar to that of U.K’s, with a whole range of salads, pastas and bite-size snacks.

Most of the dishes on PizzaExpress’ menu are priced under S$20 – they are extremely reasonable for the quality and huge portions. Here’s what you can expect from PizzaExpress’s first outlet in Singapore – which is officially opening its doors to the public this coming Friday (29 July 2016).

STARTERS – FRESH BURRATA, PROSCIUTTO & MORE

If you head down in a big group, the Classic Italian Antipasto (S$26) is a must-try, especially if you are a fan of fresh Italian mozzarella, Italian sausages and more. This huge platter consists of Calabria-style sausage, spicy Italian sausage, prosciutto crodo, fresh mozzarella, sun-blushed tomatoes, peppadew, rocket leaves and freshly-made flatbread.

We especially loved the mozzarella cheese together with the spicy sausage; the light and refreshing mozzarella cheese really evens out the taste of the sausage’s intense flavours and saltiness.

Want a starter just for yourself? The Gambaretti Piccante (S$12) should do the trick. It is essentially a serving of fresh jumbo prawns, sitting on top of passata, chilli flakes, garlic and flatbread. Passata is basically a kind of tomato puree, hence it adds a nice tanginess to each bite.

The Fungotto (S$12) is a pair of huge portobello mushrooms, stuffed with goat’s cheese, mozzarella, bread crumbs and parsley. We are a fan of the slightly crisp breadcrumbs that contrasts well with the soft and juicy mushrooms.

GREAT SALAD CHOICES

Who wants salads when you can have great pizzas, right?

Actually, this does not hold true at PizzaExpress. If you are looking for a quick, simple and fuss-free dish, PizzaExpress’ range of salads makes great options. The Leggera Superfood (S$13 small, S$20 large) stood out amongst the rest with its generous portion.

This massive (the large portion can serve 2-4 people as a side or starter) salad consists of spinach, cucumber, avocado, butternut squash, lentils, fresh mozzarella, beetroot, basil, balsamic syrup and pine kernels. Basically, all the kinds of goodness and the single serving is less than 500 calories. Health nuts can now dine in PizzaExpress.

CLASSIC PIZZAS

Now, we are on to the top dogs – the pizzas! The classic pizza range includes a variety of different flavours on a slightly thicker dough. The doughs are all made fresh on the spot, and you can watch the chefs in action via the open kitchen. We had a taste of a popular flavour – Lava (S$20). It looked “normal” at first, just like your everyday Margherita.

But upon your first bite, you will be greeted with an explosion of flavours. This is not your regular Joe; it is topped with olives, burrata cheese, chilli oil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and passata, and fresh basil. The pizza dough is fluffy and fragrant, and we liked that the addition of chilli oil amped up the otherwise “regular” pizza. Classic, with a nice spicy twist.

The classic pizzas are slightly smaller in size, and are great for solo diners with a bigger appetite. Else, two persons with small appetites can share one.

ROMANA PIZZAS – BIGGER, THINNER & CRISPIER

If you want a bigger sharing portion that will feed 2-3 people decently, try their Romana pizzas. They are thinner and crispier, inspired by the pizzas from Rome. Besides the quintessential Italian flavours, PizzaExpress also offers some spicy concoctions that are out of this world – specifically the Pollo Forza (S$23) and American Hottest (S$24).

These thin-crust pizzas won our hearts. The Pollo Forza is a dream come true. It is topped with chicken with smoked chilli, garlic oil, dried chilli flakes, red and yellow peppers, jalapeño and mozzarella, then finished off with grana padano, chilli oil and parsley. The heat, textures and cheeses blended beautifully together, producing a robust flavours with underlying spicy notes.

The American Hottest is another one that you must try. We cannot get enough of these spicy pizzas! This one here is topped with pepperoni, hot green and roquito peppers, fresh red chilli, spicy Italian sausage, passata and buffalo mozzarella. After it is baked and taken out of the oven, the chef scatters torn buffalo mozzarella  (yes, more mozzarella for extra cheesy goodness) atop, together with chopped parsley and fragrant chilli oil.

ITALIAN PASTAS

For Italian pastas, we always lean towards the tomato ones and the pomodoro-based ones. Both the Farfalle di Calabria (S$22) and Spaghetti Frutti De Mare (S$24) are great choices. The former is simply farfalle pasta tossed with spicy Italian sausage and salami, with fresh basil, grana padano and cherry tomatoes in a creamy pomodoro sauce.

The Spaghetti Fruitti De Mare is our favourite. The classic dish is tossed with fresh and generous amounts of prawns, clams, mussels and squid, in a spiced pomodoro sauce. It has everything we love about a good pasta – a great sauce base made with fresh tomatoes, al dente pasta and lots of seafood!

And this is a little tip – enjoy all your PizzaExpress dishes with a glass of the signature Lemonade (S$6), featuring freshly squeezed lemon and lime, soda, and mint. Italian food can be pretty rich and heavy so this drink definitely helps in balancing the flavours and keeping you refreshed throughout your meal!

PizzaExpress
6 Scotts Rd, Scotts Square
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 6538 0083
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

This post is brought to you by PizzaExpress.