Rooftop bars and clubs are aplenty in Singapore, but when it comes to a traditional Chinese restaurant among the clouds, that is more of a rarity. Here are two elevated (pun intended) dining experiences.
Jin Ting Wan @ Marina Bay Sands
Perched on the top of the famed Marina Bay Sands building, with a bird’s eye view of the Singapore bay and skyline, is the polished Jin Ting Wan.
Here, executive chef Albert Li, who was born in Guangxi and schooled in classical technique, builds a narrative that stretches beyond familiar Hong Kong-style Cantonese. He highlights the regional tapestry of Guangdong: the light-boned elegance of Shunde; the clean, saline clarity of Teochew; and the rustic comfort of Hakka traditions, with the occasional Szechuan pinch for contrast.
See also: New horizons
Jin Ting Wan is perched on the top of the famed Marina Bay Sands building
Along with the elevated location, Li’s recipes also follow a certain elevation in combining modern and classic techniques into traditional recipes. Complementing the cuisine is a beverage programme that enhances the overall experience, offering a rare combination of depth, heritage and innovation. With over 20 years of mastery, head tea master Jacky Zhao Gang curates a collection of more than 80 carefully sourced teas, many of which are rare, limited-edition selections from private producers.
In parallel, the wine programme selected by head sommelier Joe Yang brings focus to the emerging excellence of Chinese winemaking, with around 100 thoughtfully selected labels. Together, the tea and wine programmes serve as pillars of Jin Ting Wan’s identity, creating a dining journey that is not only flavourful but also culturally immersive and intentionally curated.
See also: Celebrating grandfather recipes at Gilmore & Damian D’Silva
Roasted Pipa Duck with Black Pepper Sauce
Key signatures include the Roasted Pipa Duck with Black Pepper, presented on a pipa-shaped platter — the seasoning is measured, and the crisped skin is the draw. The Angus Short Rib with Preserved Vegetable Wrapped in Straw Leaves uses mustard greens prepared by the traditional “nine-steam, nine-sun” method, giving a clean, concentrated savouriness that complements the beef without excess salt.
The menu offers assorted dim sum as well as a collection of more than 80 carefully sourced teas
For seafood-lovers, the Hokkaido Geoduck with Seaweed in Clear Seafood Broth is cooked tableside in a stock built from kombu, chicken, pork, scallop and regional fish; it’s a straightforward way to highlight freshness and texture. Meat-free options are not an afterthought: the Simmered Homemade Fresh Beancurd Skin with Baby Spinach in Fish Broth relies on house-made soy milk from Heilongjiang beans for a notably nutty profile.
Tong Le Private Dining @ OUE Tower Collyer Quay
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Tong Le remains the island’s only revolving restaurant and has updated its culinary direction with the appointment of senior executive chef To Kwok Kim, affectionately known as chef Dicky, who is a Guangzhou-born chef with 36 years of experience across five countries and eight cities.
The format is contemporary Chinese fine dining: Think compact lunch sets for business diners and multi-course tasting menus for dinner, with vegetarian pathways available.
The menu refresh keeps heritage dishes but adjusts methods and plating for consistency and lighter profiles. A good example is the Caviar, Black Truffle, Golden Croaker and Tofu, where beneath the Kaluga caviar is house-made tofu and first-harvest seaweed from Putian, plus a deep-fried truffle tofu sphere that delivers crisp shell and soft centre without excessive oil. The fish is poached and thinly shaved with truffle.
Stuffed crab (top left); Caviar, black truffle, golden croaker, tofu (top right); Double-boiled egg custard in young coconut (bottom)
Another signature, Stuffed Crab, is reworked from a deep-fried classic into a steamed build that layers lobster custard, sweet crab meat, king oyster mushroom, bacon and onion, finished with coconut milk and lobster oil; crisp Vietnamese rice-paper strands on top provide the expected crunch while keeping the dish lighter.
Soup courses are precise rather than showy. The Double-boiled Australian Sea Cucumber in Enriched Fish Broth with Chaoshan pickled plum is collagen-rich but clean, with acidity calibrated to lift the broth. For a staple, the Claypot Foie Gras Fried Rice with Saga-gyu offers the sought-after wok hei and charred edges without greasiness; foie gras is diced small to season the rice instead of acting as a separate topping.
Desserts include a Double-boiled Egg Custard in Young Coconut with bird’s nest and gula apong — sweet but not heavy — and a chilled bird’s nest soup with ruby peach tea syrup, fox nuts and fruit jellies.
The dining room maintains the dark-wood, carpeted finish associated with classic Chinese fine dining, and the revolving platform completes a full circle roughly every hour, offering uninterrupted views of the Marina Bay and CBD skyline.
