5 restaurants to hit when you have a group of 10

You have a group of ten people raring to get together for a great meal. But it can be surprisingly difficult to find a restaurant other than large seafood or Chinese restaurants that can accommodate bigger groups since social distancing measures are still in place at F&B establishments.

What to do? Try hitting up these popular favourites (and one exciting newcomer). Word of advice: Call well ahead of time to secure your table.

Basilico

The buffets are back at Basilico, and we don't mean pandemic-style a la carte buffets where the food is brought to your table in civilised portions.

We mean the joy of grazing across counters heaving with antipasti, salads and desserts, and that wonderful cheese room filled with as much lactose as you can tolerate – think pecorino aged in fig leaves, house-infused Gorgonzola enrobed in chocolate, fresh burrata, ricotta, bocconcini and treccia. Some dishes are served a la minute, such as the spicy Roman-style devilled chicken, succulent hunks of Angus rib eyes, and pastas and pizzas.

And then there are the gleaming dessert counters proffering shooter glasses of sweet treats including panna cotta and tiramisu, alongside house-made gelati and Amedei hazelnut chocolate cake. Large groups can book the semi-private dining area where you can happily gorge away from prying eyes.

Available every Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm to 3.30 pm. Prices start from $112 per adult.

Chatterbox

When you're 51, a facelift is always welcome. And chicken rice stalwart Chatterbox got just that when the hotel it is set in changed hands. In the newly minted Hilton Singapore Orchard, the beloved institution serves its famous $25 chicken rice and so much more.

Some new, must-try offerings include the piquant lemon butter tiger prawns and a seriously good fried sea perch topped with a burnt green chilli sambal. There’s also a wonderfully rich lobster laksa and seafood Hokkien mee served on opeh leaf.

If you're in the mood for imbibing, check out the bar which serves tropical-flavoured cocktails like the Chatterbox Punch with banana-infused gin, and a Rum and Raisin Old Fashioned. A great place to visit with old friends and family for a nostalgic celebration.

Cicheti

The massive wood-fire pizza oven that dominates its ground floor belies how much real estate Cicheti actually has and its ability to accommodate larger groups of diners. The second level of this wonderful Italian restaurant can hold up to 50-people events. So, a table for 10? No problem.

Once you're seated, there is plenty to order and share with your posse. The Neopolitan-style pizzas are always a hit, as is the zuppa di cozze n'duja (mussels and spicy sausage cooked in tomato and white wine) and pastas such as the Sicilian casarecce tossed in sauce of tomato and guanciale.

The wine selection is just as impressive, with a rotation featuring bottles from more than 40 Italian labels that include classics from Super Tuscans and Barolos, and lesser-known native grape varietals.

Kaarla

Part of a series of restaurants set on the 51st floor of CapitaSpring Tower, Kaarla serves coastal Australian cuisine, drawing from sustainably sourced and ethically raised produce, and from the 10,000 square feet 1-Arden Food Forest on the same sky-high grounds.

Like some of the best new restaurants in town, Kaarla features a custom-built grill and oven built from sustainable materials and fired by wood.

Expect dishes like carpaccio of salt-cured kangaroo with finger lime and sprouted black barley, an ancient grain from Western Australia; lightly charred zucchini flowers from the Food Forest served with Japanese tomatoes and mussels from South Australia; and a "closed-loop" salad featuring the day's harvest from the Food Forest, which might include the likes of marigold, wild watercress and cactus rose.

Super Loco

Whether at its Robertson Quay or Customs House branch, Super Loco has always been able to accommodate larger groups of diners. If you visit Super Loco in April, you can eat well and feel virtuous since the restaurant has teamed up with plant-based Fable Food to create a carbon-conscious dinner menu featuring sustainably sourced and ethically raised ingredients with a low carbon footprint.

Expect plant-based Al Pastor Tacos starring Fable's mushroom meat, crispy kale and roasted corn in a bamboo ash tortilla, and crispy spinach and herb tortillas served atop a dip made from excess pumpkin seeds, lime sour cream and cactus pico de gallo.

On any given day, the regular menu is packed with things we can't get enough of, like the classic elotes (grilled corn with chipotle mayo and cotija cheese), Baja fish tacos, and truffle mushroom quesadillas.

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This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.