Restaurant Born

Restaurant Born occupies Jinrikisha Station, the restored 1903 heritage landmark at 1 Neil Road on the edge of Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar, and serves as the contemporary fine-dining restaurant of chef Zor Tan. The kitchen bridges Western technique with Chinese and East Asian flavour, and its degustation is designed to be followed course by course with either a wine or a non-alcoholic pairing.

The non-alcoholic programme costs S$138 per person and is treated as a full flight rather than an afterthought. It is composed of house-made ferments and cold-pressed juices alongside a curated run of teas from China, Korea and Taiwan, with seasonal selections drawn from Western and Chinese flavour combinations and from the same ingredients that appear in the dishes themselves.

Specific pours make the depth clear. A Celery & Shiso sparkling soda -- celery, shiso leaves, lemon zest and Himalayan pink salt -- works as a palate cleanser, while the Jerusalem Artichoke 'Fly' is a house ferment of Jerusalem artichoke with sugar and water, pasteurised and poured to shadow Tan's Jerusalem artichoke dish with lily bulbs and caviar. The tea side runs to a Milk Oolong from Anxi in Fujian and a Woojeon green tea from Jeju Island in Korea, among others.

For non-drinkers this is one of Singapore's most serious restaurant-level zero-proof pairings: bespoke, ingredient-led and priced as a genuine counterpart to the wine list, in a plush heritage dining room a short walk from Outram Park and Tanjong Pagar.