Where To Take Your Boss to Lunch in Singapore

Impress your boss at lunch, and you’ll have a shot at climbing the corporate ladder. Let’s face it. You hardly get the chance to spend quality face-time with your boss in the crowded bullpen. You are either too busy completing your own boring paperwork or competing with other executives for their limited attention. Unless you look like Jennifer Lawrence or Heidi Klum, the easiest way to get his or her FULL attention is through a lunch invitation. So, where do you take them?

The Requirements

• A Classy Ambience

This is an absolute must. Walk into a restaurant that exudes class with your boss and you’ve won half the battle.

Ideally, this place should be sleek, modern and professional.

The service here has to be exceptional and seamless. Your boss is here to inspect you, to look and assess people. Maybe say something along the line that your choice reflects your ability to make assessment etc. That tends to include the waiters and waitresses around you as well. A waiter’s slip-up, although totally no fault on your part, could reflect badly on you

The music has to be perfect as well. Simple classical music is great. Pop songs, not so much. Soft instrumental music serves as the best background music. Vocals are fine too, as long asit’s soft and, preferably, in a foreign language. You want your boss to hear what you have to say, not distracted by Justin Bieber saying how sorry he is. Nonetheless, you don’t want an awkward silence when no one is speaking either.

• The Food

Preferably (try not to repeat a word if possible), you should have a place which offers you some appetizers. You want toopen up the conversation, keep your bosses’ hunger at bay, as he looks forward to the mains with anticipation.

The mains should be good — a classic steak and wine should do the trick.Any main course which doesn’t make a mess would be fine. It should be easy to eat (not with your hands like cavemen) and not complicated either (the kind the requires lots of etiquette and fine dining experiences that would make you look like a fool).

Eating should not be a complicated affair. Definitely not the kind which requires lots of etiquette and fine dining training.

Some dessert or light drinks would be great to end off a pleasant lunch.

The Restaurants

The Tippling Club @ Tanjong Pagar

Located in the CBD area, the Tipping Club is an internationally renowned restaurant listed in the Asian Miele as one of the Top 20 Restaurants in Asia.

The decor is nothing short of amazing. It’s designed in a manner to allow natural light to filter into the restaurant perfectly, lighting it up in a bright but soothing manner.

The service is impressive. It is subtle and professional. The waiters work smoothly and efficiently, catering well to your needs and, at the same time, the experienced chefs work diligently to surprise you with a sumptuous meal.

A typical 2-course set-lunch costs around $46, which is expensive, but more than reasonable for an executive lunch.

What to Order:

• Poulet Tarryland
• Roast Norwegian Salmon

There are many wonderous meals there, unique and amazing. Let your boss order those. Order simple, classy dishes you won’t make a mess of. You are not there to eat or act like a foodie. You are there to impress.

38 Tg Pagar Rd, 088461
6475 2217

Blue Lotus @ Sentosa

This Chinese restaurant is a good alternative for a casual but yet professional ambience. Despite being branded as a Chinese Eating House, it’s modern by all measures. It is scenic, calm and relaxing. It is an excellent choice for a brief from the buzz of the city.

The seasoned chefs here at Blue Lotus serve traditional Chinese cuisine with a pleasant twist, the food is simply delectable.

Its price ranges from $15 to $50. Classic dishes like Chicken Rice cost only $15, but don’t order that with your boss, it’s a pretty plain choice that simply doesn’t impress.

What to Order:

• Claypot Beef Brisket
• Wok-Fried Wagyu Beef Tenderloin

31 Ocean Qay, #01-13 Quayside Isle, Sentosa 098375
6339 0880

Tung Lok Private Dining

Why do you want to bring your boss out for lunch? Because you aren’t satisfied with the bullpen. You want your corner office. You want to be on the top of the world. Just like Tung Lok Private Dining.

Helmed by famous chef Martin Foo, this exceptional restaurant delivers amazing Chinese food and impeccable service. Waiters and waitresses there have “palace-like” manners and pamper you with royal treatment. Once you step out of the lift at Tung Lok Dining, prepare to be treated like an emperor.

What to Order:

In this revolving restaurant, you can always expect your food to be served steaming.

The 6 Course Executive Set Lunch ($108++)

• 猴爷鸿运旋转捞起 Yellow Tail and Tuna ‘Lo Hei’
• 鮮人參杞子淮山岩米燉花膠皇 Double-boiled King Fish Maw with Ginseng, Mountain Yam and Nepalese Rock Grain
• 椒子金蒜菜脯蒸扇貝 Steamed Scallop with Golden Garlic, Preserved Vegetables and Chilli
• 紅煨澳洲青邊鮑魚，發財花菇 Braised Australian Green Lip Abalone with Shiitake Mushroom and Black Moss
• 砂煲黃油雞臘味飯 Braised French Yellow Chicken with Fragrant Rice and Cured Meat in Claypot
• 水蜜桃玉露 Sweet Peach Purée with Berries, Pomelo and Sago

It is a little expensive, but it’s nothing compared to your career progression.

60 Collyer Quay, OUE Tower, Level 8 & 10, 049322
6634 3233

Boathouse @ Fullerton

A laid-back and casual restaurant that exudes professionalism, the Boathouse is the ideal place for a business luncheon. This European restaurant is well-known for it’s 3-course set meals.

The service is pretty decent, with a service crew that puts on its best performance at all times of the day. The courteous crew is matched with the superb [L1] atmosphere, with the restaurant facing the waterfront.

The set menu is fantastic and the price is more than reasonable. The 2-course meal costs only $22++, but the 3-course meal at $29++ is a much better deal.

What to Order:

The best foods here are actually the dessert. They are not just delicious, but aesthetically gorgeous as well.

• Tagliatelle Wild Mushroom in Truffle Sauce
• Atlantic Pink Snapper
• White Chocolate Semifreddo

3 Fullerton Rd, #03–01 The Waterboat House, 049215
6538 9038

Gusto By Alfresco Gusto

Located at level 1 of ION Orchard, with indoor and outdoor bar seatings, Alfresco Gusto Italian Bistro and Bar serves quality Italian food and wine with a large alfresco dining area. A perfection location for a cup of italian espresso in the afternoon with your boss!

P:S Remember to download Grabz App where you can enjoy 1–4–1 at Gusto and many more awesome restaurants in Orchard!