Father’s Day Makan Ideas: Superb Lobster Noodles, Shiok Salt-Baked Chicken & Dreamy Cheese ‘Shelf’

1. Hai Tien Lo at Pan Pacific Singapore: Parents' Day menus, from $188 per pax for eight courses

If your parents appreciate classically Cantonese grub, try Hai Tien Lo's Parents' Day menu. There’s an eight-course “Harmony in Hearts” menu from $188 per person (minimum four diners). Expect dishes such as Stewed Australian Lobster with Fresh Yellow Fungus, Deep-fried Marble Goby with Fried Garlic and Shredded Lime, and Baked Chicken with Five-finger Peach served in a treasure pot.

Yummy Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup

Beyond the limited-time Parents' Day menus, diners can also explore Hai Tien Lo's regular set menus. We tried the six-course Daffodil Menu ($158 per person, minimum two diners), which features dishes such as this deeply flavourful Double-boiled Buddha Jumps Over the Wall with Assorted Dried Seafood soup.

The standout item in the trio of appetisers is the Sliced Roasted Peking Duck with Caviar.

We’d come back just for these lobster noodles

But our absolute fave dish during our meal here was the Rice Vermicelli with Half West Australian Lobster in Chinese Wine Broth. The broth was more like an intense sauce brimming with umami and went wonderfully with silky noodles and the perfectly cooked, springy lobster.

Dessert was a light and refreshing Chilled Oolong Tea Jelly with Diced Fruits.

To mark Pan Pacific Singapore's 40th anniversary, Hai Tien Lo is offering selected bottles of wine for $40 on weekdays until Dec 30. For instance, the Changyu Riesling from Shandong, selected to pair with the restaurant's Cantonese cuisine.

Hai Tien Lo’s Parents' Day menus are available till June 21 for lunch and dinner. Their regular set menus (including the Daffodil one) are ongoing. More info via their website.

2. Father's Day Sunday Social Champagne Brunch, from $168 per pax at Estate, Hilton Singapore Orchard

If your old man’s idea of a good brunch involves making repeated trips to the buffet table for lobster, oysters and crab, Estate at Hilton Singapore Orchard's Father's Day Sunday Social Champagne Brunch has his name on it.

The June 21 event is a special edition of the restaurant's regular Sunday brunch, which already has a following for its seafood spread, chef-prepared signatures like lobster laksa and free-flow bubbly.

The seafood bar remains one of the buffet’s biggest draws, with oysters, Alaskan king crab legs, Boston lobster and tiger prawns enticingly displayed on an ice tower for your pillaging.

Indulgent cheese ‘shelf’

But what we really enjoyed here were the shelves laden with a generous selection of artisanal French cheeses from renowned affineur Les Frères Marchand.

Think gloriously stinky blue cheeses like Fourme d'Ambert from the Auvergne region of central France, oozy-creamy ones such as Pont-l'Évêque from Normandy and harder cheeses like Beaufort from the French Alps. Nibble on these alongside lashings of honey from a whole honeycomb, assorted nuts, crackers and relishes. We were in cheesy heaven.

Lobster laksa, anyone?

Diners can also look forward to individually plated made-to-order dishes like Pan-Seared Foie Gras, Butter-poached Boston Lobster Benedict, Seared Scallops and this luxe Lobster Laksa, alongside carving station favourites including Wagyu Sirloin, Tea-Smoked Lamb Leg and Roasted Duck. There’s a good selection of Indian food like Butter Chicken and Biryani if you want something spicy.

Premium cold cuts and wagyu

Father's Day diners will also get a few extras not typically part of Estate’s regular Sunday brunch. The restaurant is bringing in the ambassador for Sanchoku beef, whose wagyu was crowned Grand Champion at the 2025 Australian Wagyu Branded Beef Competition, to showcase the award-winning Australian beef via a selection of Sanchoku beef cuts, including wagyu beef tomahawk, Angus beef brisket and slow-roasted grain-fed beef OP ribs. Special dishes such as roasted Peking duck crepes and lobster thermidor will also make an appearance for the one-day event.

If you somehow still have room after all that, desserts include Hilton's Signature Cheesecake, plus freshly made crêpes from the live station.

Estate's Father's Day Sunday Social Champagne Brunch takes place on June 21. Prices start from $168 per person, including chilled juices, coffee and tea. Diners can top up $80 for free-flow Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut champagne, house wines, beer, mimosas and bellinis. Regular Sun brunch costs $138 per person. More info via website.

3. Parents’ Day set menu, $118 per pax for five courses, Madame Fan at The NCO Club

Modern Canto restaurant Madame Fan has rolled out a comforting yet elegant set menu to celebrate your folks. It’s burrowed at The NCO Club within JW Marriott Singapore South Beach.

The meal begins with a Cognac Golden Needles Soup loaded with crabmeat, crab roe and conpoy, finished at the table with a splash of cognac for a boozy hit. The rich soup is lightly sweet with oceanic flavours — just ask the server to go easy on the alcohol if you’re a lightweight.

Salt-baked chicken whose crust is dramatically cracked open tableside

For your main course — the Salt-Baked Herbal Chicken with Abalone is rolled out on a trolley with a bit of a show. The salt-crusted bird studded with spices is dramatically cracked open to reveal tender, juicy chicken legs, abalone and broccoli beneath.

It is then doused in a lush, glossy gravy before being plated. Wholesome and tasty.

Served alongside the chicken is this Braised Angled Luffa with house-made tofu and prawn, an elevated version of the classic dish.

You get a choice of fried rice or plain noodles to go with your meal — we suggest the rice, which boasts a nice bite and smoky hint from the wok.

Dessert comes in the form of a Truffle Tiramisu. The unlikely addition of this Italian dessert in a Chinese restaurant gets a hit of fresh black truffle shavings and what tasted like sprinkles of truffle oil. This is a bit of an acquired taste, but it sure looks fancy.

Pro tip for the June hols: Guests who book participating staycation packages at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach enjoy a daily buffet breakfast for two, a three-course dinner with drinks, plus early check-in and late checkout privileges for a minimum stay of two nights.

Madame Fan’s Parents’ Day Set Menu is priced at $118 per person, with a minimum of two diners. Available till June 21 during lunch, brunch and dinner. More info via website.