Luxe Italian at Empire Grill in Raffles Sentosa Singapore

It has an a la carte menu featuring lobster linguine and campanelle, as well as a $198++ five-course set meal. Read more at straitstimes.com.

It is hard not to feel like a little emperor when visiting Empire Grill. The imperial treatment starts at the hotel lobby, where a buggy picks you up and whizzes through the manicured grounds of Raffles Sentosa Singapore, gently depositing you at the mouth of a footpath.

A short stroll past the grand ballroom and the turquoise infinity pool leads into the dusky serenity of the restaurant, where, after you have settled into one of its plush grey sofas, the spoiling continues. 

Despite the British connotations of the Raffles brand – the empire that spawned its namesake is presumably the one referenced in the restaurant’s name – the food here is Tuscan, but only loosely.

Exceptionally polite staff set down a la carte plates of lobster linguine ($58++) and campanelle ($46++) alongside more cosmopolitan creations. These include Japanese eggplant in Romesco sauce ($32++), smoked tuna ceviche ($46++) and Spanish octopus leg ($78++). 

If having to pick your own dishes feels a touch too plebeian, opt instead for the Empire Grill Journey ($198++), a curated five-course menu that takes you through the restaurant’s highlights. 

It starts with a light and fresh king crab salad perfumed with smoked egg yolk, curry leaves, basil oil and caviar.