UMMI Lebanese Dining

UMMI Lebanese Dining is a Lebanese restaurant on the ground floor of InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, at 1 Nanson Road. It serves mezze for sharing, slow-cooked dishes, and meat and fish from the charcoal grill.

Ummi means mother in Arabic. The name sets the tone: the team wants a meal here to feel like a family table, with plates passed around. The restaurant opened in 2022 as Ummi Beirut and now goes by UMMI Lebanese Dining.

What to order

Lebanese meals are built around mezze. Order several small plates for the table, then add a grill or a main to share.

• Cold mezze: hummus, baba ghanoush, moutabbal, labneh and muhammara, most of them served with pita.
• Chef's hummus selection: hummus topped with sautéed lamb (Hummus Ras Asfour), spiced beef sujuk or shrimp.
• Hot mezze: falafel, lamb kibbeh, warak enab (stuffed vine leaves), cheese cigars and sautéed octopus.
• From the charcoal grill: the UMMI Mixed Grill of lamb kafta, shish tawook and beef skewers, plus lamb cutlets, tiger prawns and whole sea bass.
• Main plates: lamb shoulder braised for eight hours and served with freekeh, chicken kabsa and sea bass sayadieh.

Breads include a sesame ka'ak and manakish flatbreads with za'atar or cheese. To finish, the UMMI Kunafa pairs crisp pastry with a molten cheese filling, pistachios and sweet syrup. Baklava and housemade ice cream, in flavours such as halawa and pistachio, are also on offer.

Vegetarians have plenty of choice. The menu marks vegetarian dishes and those with nuts, dairy or gluten.

Drinks

The wine list features bottles from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and Batroun alongside French and Italian wines. There is also arak, the anise spirit that often goes with mezze, and a short list of cocktails with Lebanese touches. If you are not drinking, try the mint lemonade, Lebanese iced tea or a Lebanese coffee.

The setting

UMMI pitches itself as quietly elegant rather than casual, and it suits a relaxed dinner for two as well as a group celebration. UMMI also hosts private events, with room for up to 54 seated guests or 80 standing.

Good to know before you go

• You can reserve through OpenTable, by phone or on WhatsApp. Details are on the official UMMI website.
• Tell the staff about any allergies, as several dishes contain nuts.

Getting there

Fort Canning station on the Downtown Line is roughly a 10 to 15-minute walk away. Clarke Quay station is a little further, along the river. Taxis can drop you at the hotel entrance.

Nearby

Robertson Quay is a pleasant place for a riverside stroll before or after dinner. For Italian food and wine close by, try Rosso Vino on Merbau Road. You can browse more restaurants in Orchard and River Valley, find hotels in the area, or see our list of international restaurants in Singapore.