Iru Den

Iru Den is a contemporary Taiwanese fine-dining restaurant in a black-and-white colonial house at 27 Scotts Road. It cooks Taiwanese produce and flavours using Japanese and European techniques. The name means "the den", which points to the warm, close setting the team wants to offer.

Singaporean chef-owner Javier Low set up Iru Den in 2018. His wife, Emily, is Taiwanese, and she inspired the focus on Taiwanese food and traditions.

The chef

Chef Low started cooking at 17 at Iggy's in Singapore. He then trained in Kyoto at Cenci, a Michelin-starred restaurant that mixes Kyoto and European cooking.

What to order

Iru Den serves tasting menus based on seasonal ingredients, so dishes change through the year. There is a six-course lunch menu, a six-course degustation menu at dinner and a longer eight-course Chef Experience menu. Recent menus have included:

• Salt fried chicken with five spice, relish and caviar.
• Cold noodles of mee sua with mullet roe, tsuyu and sea urchin.
• Aged radish with a spring onion shio pan (Japanese salt bread) and brown butter.
• Ginger duck broth with duck meatballs and Taiwanese oden.
• Lu rou fan claypot, a rice dish with braised pork belly and yam.
• Main courses such as lamb saddle, with Japanese beef as an upgrade.

Desserts lean on Taiwanese flavours too, such as strawberry with jiu niang (sweet fermented rice) and tang hulu. The drinks list covers wine and sake, including some Taiwanese wines, plus a few house cocktails and Taiwan beer. Beverage flights of two or three glasses are offered at lunch, and three or six glasses at dinner.

The setting

A walkway leads from the street to the house. Inside, about 12 counter seats face the open kitchen, so you can watch the chefs at work. There is also a small bar counter, a main dining table and a private dining room. Groups can book the counter, the private room or the whole house for events.

Good to know before you go

• Booking: reserve through OpenTable on the website, or contact the team by WhatsApp or email. A credit card is needed to hold the table.
• Cancellations: cancel at least 72 hours ahead. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged a fee.
• Children: children aged 7 and over are welcome if they can enjoy the full tasting menu.
• Dress code: there is no strict dress code, but flip-flops and slippers are not allowed.
• Changes: the menus note that the main course can be swapped on request.

Nearby

For Japanese kappo cooking, Ichigo Ichie is at Claymore Connect on Orchard Road. Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro and Yakiniquest are other good choices in the area. If you are staying on Scotts Road, Royal Plaza on Scotts and Grand Hyatt Singapore are both on the same street. Browse more fine dining restaurants, Asian restaurants in Singapore or all restaurants in Orchard and River Valley. Menus and booking are on the Iru Den website.