As one enters the moodily lit space formerly occupied by Mezza9 at the reopened Grand Hyatt Singapore, one is greeted by music by the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers and David Bowie. Melted disco balls by Dutch art collective Rotganzen, charcoal artworks by Belgian artist Rinus Van de Velde and sculptural pieces by Dutch artist Frederik Molensch decorate the space. The mood is sexy, convivial and slightly heady—all at once. You might even be lulled into a relaxed kind of high, a celebratory kind of mood.
This is the effect that celebrated Dutch Chef Sergio Herman hopes to have on guests at Le Pristine, where he takes a “fine casual” dining approach with tasting and à la carte menus featuring a good number of sharing plates. Regarded by some of his peers to be the enfant terrible of the culinary world—Herman had shuttered Oud Sluis, the mussel restaurant founded by his parents in Zeeland, southwest Netherlands after he had led it to phenomenal success and three Michelin stars status at the height of his fame in 2013, Herman has always marched to his own drumbeat.
Perhaps his successes have given him the confidence to do so. A year after closing Oud Sluis, Herman opened The Jane in Antwerp, and earned two Michelin stars in 12 months. Like Le Pristine in Antwerp which has one Michelin star, and the Tokyo outpost which opened in December 2023 and has been recognised in the Tokyo Michelin Guide, Le Pristine Singapore, overseen by Austrian chef Sebastian Feldbache, promises to give guests a multisensorial experience that will incorporate art, music, fashion (the waiting staff are sharply dressed in uniforms by Danish-Italian firm Older) and delicious New Italian cuisine.
Essentially, the food is Italian influenced by the flavours of Zeeland which is well known for its pristine waters, and quality seafood, some of which will make its way into the dishes. There will also be some Singapore inflections in the menu. No doubt this is a nod to the host destination, and to cater to local crowds. Herman has read his Singaporean diners well. The chilli crab pizzette, a moreish riff on our favourite local dish, is a crispy sliver of Alaskan king crab meat dressed in chilli sauce and courgette on a pistou sauce-based pizza. The gambero rosso, foie gras, soursop, caviar is a delightful tin of sweet langoustine, unctuous, intoxicating foie gras, tart soursop and nutty caviar to be spread on a crispy brioche toast soldier before popping into your mouth.
If you only have room for one dish, order the seafood orecchiette. The al dente ear-shaped nuggets of pasta dripping with umami-rich nduja sauce are comforting. Those with a sweet tooth have raved about the desserts here. If you will only allow yourself one, have the vanilla ice-cream à la minute. Homemade vanilla ice cream is churned to creamy goodness a la minute and served together with tuile-like cookies, pistachios, hazelnuts and chocolate sauce for an explosion of contrasting textures when you pop a spoonful into your mouth.
Le Pristine, Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Road
Singapore 228211
This story first appeared in the February 2025 issue of GRAZIA Singapore.
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