AFTER leaving Singapore in 2023 when the Michelin-starred Basque Kitchen by Aitor closed for good in May that year, chef Aitor Jeronimo Orive is set to make a comeback in the first quarter of 2025 with a venture with Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
Orive is the consultant chef for Sugarra, a new Basque-centric, northern Spanish restaurant taking over the defunct table65 – and it is just one of several new food and beverage (F&B) concepts planned by the integrated resort as it undergoes a major revamp of its restaurant and bar offerings in the coming year.
RWS is “redefining its culinary landscape with the launch of distinct and innovative dining experiences”, says Andreas Reich, acting senior vice-president of F&B general management.
He adds that Sugarra and the upcoming Ka-Mon, a casual Japanese restaurant located next to it, follow the recently revamped and relocated Syun, which reopened in October in Hotel Michael.
Both Syun and Ka-Mon are helmed by celebrity chef Hal Yamashita, with Ka-Mon a grill concept that offers three traditional Japanese grilling techniques – robatayaki, irori and warayaki – integrated into a single concept. While the open charcoal grilling style of robatayaki is fairly common, irori refers to cooking over a traditional sunken hearth, and warayaki features straw-fired grill cooking.
The upscale modern Japanese Syun, meanwhile, took over the space vacated by Italian restaurant Fratelli, and now boasts interiors by famed hospitality designer Hirsch Bedner Associates, with an expanded kitchen and dining capacity.
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The 68-seater Sugarra will focus on modern Spanish cooking rooted in heritage, and Orive plans to reprise some of his classic dishes including one featuring textures of Japanese amela tomatoes, and txuleta steak using mature beef imported directly from Spain. Both Sugarra and Ka-Mon are designed by Steve Leung Design Group, another well-known interior design firm.
Now based in Melbourne, Orive says he has been preparing for the project with RWS for the past year. He will not be based in Singapore but “will be going back and forth as much as I can”, he says.
“I love being back in Australia as it’s my home and my family is here. I’m also opening a restaurant here (Melbourne) in the second half of 2025, but this project allows me to stay connected with Singapore, which I love.”
Cooking at the restaurant full-time will be Spanish chef Aitor Gonzalez, with whom Orive has worked in the past, and who “has extensive Michelin-star cooking experience”.
Other new openings
Sugarra won’t be the only new Spanish restaurant opening in the new year as restaurateur Jose Alonso is set to launch Nomada on Keong Saik Road with chef Gonzalo Landin, the former executive chef of Binomio.
With a resume that includes stints with the Roca brothers, Heston Blumenthal and Daniel Boulud, Landin aims to bring a contemporary and cosmopolitan perspective to Spanish cuisine.
Nomada is the latest to join Alonso’s AC Concepts group, which includes restaurants such as Kulto, Cenzo and Chicco Pasta Bar. Alonso was also the original head chef of Binomio before striking out on his own with Kulto.
Highlights on Nomada’s menu include unique creations such as paella with figs and foie gras, and octopus with spelt, lovage and bonito broth in a mashup of cooking sensibilities. The restaurant is slated to open in February, with another planned for March.
“There are still fewer Spanish restaurants than Italian or French, so there is room for more,” says Alonso. “Nomada will be unlike other restaurants in that the food is authentic, but it will reflect the culinary journey of chef-owner Landin throughout his career.”
It will be a casual outfit with an average cheque size of S$80 to S$100, he adds. In addition, he plans to open another restaurant in March, although the details are still under wraps. It will be a Spanish izakaya, he says, and a concept that’s new to Singapore.
A modern approach to Chinese food is also on the menu at SHaN, the new sister restaurant to chef Ace Tan’s recently opened Asu restaurant in Labrador Hill.
Tan, who is also overseeing SHaN, says it “focuses on a more genuine modern approach to elevating Chinese cuisine, which I feel is essential in the Singapore culinary scene, and with a health/wellness mindset”.
The 50-seater restaurant will be smart casual to complement Asu, serving both lunch and dinner with communal servings meant for sharing, although individual curated menus will also be available. The cooking style is “Cantonese with Nanyang sensibilities”, incorporating food from other regions as well.
Helming the kitchen is Danny Cai, who was last at Jin House in the Four Seasons Tianjin. The restaurant is currently in the trial stages of opening, and will be officially ready in the first week of January.
