No menu has ever tickled our taste buds as much as it scratched our brains. Mazedid it recently.

After a successful decade in Singapore’s cutthroat fine dining scene, chef-owner Han Li Guang is proving he still has plenty of new tricks up his sleeve. Maze first came to light to pioneer what is called Neo-Sin cuisine, a modern expression of Singaporean food that sees everything from chendol xiao long bao to chili crab ice cream. It was this unconventional approach to food that earned Labyrinth its first Michelin star in 2017.

The newest menu, “A Tribute to Singapore” (starting at $298 for dinner), is what happens when you combine semi-obsessive research on food history with culinary precision and Labyrinth’s trademark playfulness. Additionally, its location in the Esplanade Mall and black box-like interiors also help the restaurant fit in nicely with the idea of ​​theater. You’ll see what we mean when the first four snacks are laid out on a makeshift coffee table that doubles as a placemat.

Reinvented yet uncannily familiar hawker flavors are the star here. Ramly burgers made with tomato cream buns; fluffy oyster buns inspired by those sold at Maxwell’s; Hainan curry puffs with Japanese sweet potato; and reimagined satay sticks that will take you back to the Satay Club days of the early 2000s. It’s all presented with thoughtful storytelling, illustrated cards, and if you show even the slightest curiosity, they’ll even show you video clips of how oyster buns are fried in a ladle, Disfrutar-style.

In the following courses we will see how Chef Han reaches back into history to re-present each dish in Labyrinth style, considering its origins, flavor profiles and cooking techniques. With char kway teow, each ingredient represents painstaking effort and skill. The liver sausages and oyster sauce are also homemade. The South African abalone that crowns the dish is delicious, if a little unnecessary; After all, it reminds you that you are in a quality restaurant.

Most interestingly, instead of the regular kway teow noodles, the perch fish mouth is fried, steamed, and then pan-fried to achieve a texture that surpasses the kway teow itself. Inspired by kway teow’s historical use as a cheap substitute for fish mouth, Labyrinth does the opposite. Why complex reverse engineering? Because they can.

Since part of Chef Han’s quest is to uncover forgotten Singaporean dishes, we are also introduced to the elusive Laksa Siglap; this dish is sold only at the two remaining hawker stalls in Singapore. Fun fact: There are more than 10 types of laksa in Singapore and Malaysia. Here, fish stock and coconut milk are mixed with tamarind and rempah for the broth, Medai fish slices are ‘velveted’ in the traditional Chinese way, and the noodles are replaced with the less common rolled laksam noodles.

This way of working is also reflected in desserts. We are treated to three surprises: azuki bean-filled rice wine tang yuan, cornflake shrimp ice cream and kaya ‘toast’ – yes, dinner ends with breakfast.

These days, preparing a prix fixe menu full of Singaporean flavors and motifs is a risk in itself. How does Labyrinth do this while avoiding being labeled ‘kitsch’? Chef Han owes this to his ability to “tiptoe the fine line between what is truly authentic in terms of flavor and the refined version of these flavors.” And in our view, what it does is beneficial, if not essential, to our dining environment.

No matter how you look at it, a $300 meal is a waste. But for anyone who considers themselves a foodie – especially if local food is your jam – we say do it if you can. That’s because dining at Labyrinth feels less like dinner and more like a delicious three-hour intellectual experience for foodies. We also recommend this to tourists who want to delve deeper into Singaporean cuisine; best hawker centers First of all, of course.

At a time when quality restaurants are on the decline and even award-winning restaurants are struggling to stay afloat, it’s truly encouraging that Labyrinth’s new menu is moving forward with no signs of slowing down.

READ MORE:

Check out this list of 50+ restaurants in Singapore recommended by the Time Out team

New Bahru will hold ‘Happy Market’ this December featuring over 30 emerging local brands along with handicraft workshops

Honey toast, ube matcha lattes and free board games are available at this friendly Japanese-inspired cafe