Surrounded by lush greenery with its own garden, Restaurant Air has been one of the most aesthetic restaurants we’ve been to in Singapore this year. Along with the delicious food that was served, our experience at Air was nothing short of amazing.
A Dining Enclave by Will Goldfarb & Matt Orlando
AIR, which is an acronym for Awareness, Impact, and Responsibility is a collaboration between Will Goldfarb and Matt Orlando. If you’ve never heard of them, you just need to know that Will is one of the pastry chefs out there, while Matt used to be the head chef of Noma, rated the world’s best restaurant at one point.
The space sprawls over 40,000 sqft and is home to a restaurant, research space, cooking school, and garden. The research space is a space of discovery and experimentation, especially with fermentation.
Cooking classes and programmes will be available soon, but AIR’s Cooking Club is already hosting talks by farmers and producers who tell their own stories through food.
The garden that lines the outer perimeter of AIR is a huge part of the restaurant. With a wide variety of plant species ranging from lantern chillies, starfruit, wormwood to turmeric – these ingredients can be seen in the dishes presented over at AIR.
Restaurant Air in Dempsey
The restaurant has a total of 2 floors, with the first having a view of the open kitchen, while the second boasts a gorgeous view of their lawn and garden. The fixtures and furnishings here use recycled timber and plastic bottles, which is in line with their ethos of discovering potential and beauty in by-products.
See if you can spot where they used Styrofoam in their interior!
This is probably one of our favourite views at Air.
The meal began with some Fermented Cassava Flatbread, served with a moreish Whipped Mushroom “XO” Butter ($16). I was so tempted to asked for the butter recipe but figured it would be much easier to just visit the place again.
Following it was one of our favourite dishes of the night, the Crispy Oyster Mushrooms ($30), served with a Sarawak Pepper Emulsion and Pickled Chilies. We aren’t kidding when we say these were crispy as hell and tasted almost like fried chicken. Dangerously addictive.
There was also the White Fish Ceviche ($29) served with green mango, Kenari nut milk, and a side of emping crisps. Honestly, after having the first two dishes, this didn’t exactly wow us, but it was still a very well-executed ceviche.
For mains, the Roselle Glazed Duck Breast ($44) features tender charcoal-grilled slices of duck, served with cashew cream and smoked chilli oil. There was also the Sweet and Sour Roasted See Bass ($42) which features elements of eggplant and Galangal Hollandaise.
Image Credits: AIR
AIR believes in not ever having to share your desserts, hence the sweets here are served individually. Almost unbelievable, the Re-Incarnated “Chocolate” ($18) is made without any cocoa beans but has a luscious chocolate flavour to it.
As someone who absolutely detests papaya, the Whole Papaya ($18) was honestly quite enjoyable. The dish uses lactic fermented papaya seeds and papaya skins, which are then infused into elements of the dessert, such as the cream and granita.
Restaurant in Dempsey
If you’re looking to escape the busyness of life, or simply looking to dine in an environment that will make you feel like you’re not in Singapore even for a second, the vibes here at AIR will do just that.
Restaurant AIR
25B Dempsey Road, Singapore 249670
Wed-Sun, 5:30pm-11pm
For bookings, click here.
*This article is based on a media-tasting event, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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