SUKA MAKAN: UNTER DEN LINDEN @ PORTSDOWN ROAD

Despite its name, Unter Den Linden is not a German restaurant. It's more of an Asian-Western fusion restaurant with a slight Japanese bias. So, you don't come here for pork knuckles, Bratwurst, Jager Schnitzel to be washed down with Schnapps. We learnt of its all-you-can-eat dinner buffet which had soup, appetizers, pasta and meats, so we had to try. 

Pet-friendly outdoor dining area

Portsdown Road is still the tree-lined winding road that once led from North Buona Vista Road to Ayer Rajah Road. Despite the encroachment of the skyscrapers of one-north, the old colonial buildings still exist, as well as eating places like the legendary Colbar, which was featured in the blog's first vintage eating places of Singapore. UDL is newer, but located in a restored and renovated old building, and it has a really nice ambience.

The people here are friendly, mostly local and the pleasant surprise is its pet-friendly too. Dogs and their charges sit separate from other diners, but the atmosphere is quiet and intimate. 

Wild mushroom soup

French fries

Beef ragout pasta

Squid ink risotto
with grilled octopus leg

Spicy arrabbiata pasta 

Here is what we ate, and everything is delicious - especially the squid ink risotto and rib-eye steak, for which we had multiple helpings. At $49++ per person, it was well worth the outlay. The buffet only operates from Mondays to Thursdays (except public holidays and eves).  

Honey shoyu chicken

Pork ribs and ribeye steak 

Ribeye steak - still juicy.

The pet-friendly indoor dining area.

UNTER DEN LINDER

5B Portsdown Road #01-02

Singapore 139311

Garden Colonial Pet-Friendly European Restaurant in Portsdown | Under Der Linden

EIGHT HOURS @ SINGAPORE COMPOSERS FESTIVAL 2026: PART 1

54 Waterloo Street has Singapore's
unique Straits shophouse design.

The Singapore Composers Festival 2026, just in its second edition, was held at The Theatre Practice, 54 Waterloo Street, on Sunday 7 June 2026. Organised by the Composers Society of Singapore, it was an eight-hour affair which involved roundtable discussions with composers and performers, and two concerts of contemporary music. This year, four South Korean composers from Space For Sound, a collective that promotes contemporary music in Seoul, was invited to share in the discourse.

The event was very well attended, with important members of Singapore's composing community present to witness some history being made. There were world premieres and first hearings of new works by young Singaporean composers mentored by senior CSS members. The two concerts by Morse Percussion and SYC Ensemble Singers, two of Singapore's premier ensembles, were illuminating to say the least. It was a time for sharing and learning, and every person present was richer for the experience. 

The composers' roundtable discussion.

Singaporean composer Toh Yen Ee
speaks about her Atlas.

John Sharpley promotes his book, while
Ding Jian Han shares his composing experience.

Tools of the trade.

The Korean composers check their social media.

With composers Eric Watson & Joyce Koh.

Toh Yan Ee's Atlas and
Won Jung Lee's The Glittering Diamond Water

Two strikingly loud performances:
Somin Lee's Death of First-Borns
and Hoh Chung Shih's Rounding Round. 

Continued in Part 2:

pianomania: EIGHT HOURS @ SINGAPORE COMPOSERS FESTIVAL 2026: PART 2

Singapore Composers Festival 2026 - Composers Society of Singapore

EIGHT HOURS @ SINGAPORE COMPOSERS FESTIVAL 2026: PART 2

The festival is located in Waterloo Street,
the historical heart of Singapore's civic district

Continued from Part 1:

pianomania: EIGHT HOURS @ SINGAPORE COMPOSERS FESTIVAL 2026: PART 1

Here are more photos from the Singapore Composers Festival 2026, a premier event for musical composition involving local and international practitioners. There were two concerts, by Morse Percussion and SYC Ensemble Singers, where 17 works were performed, including several world premieres.

More tools of the trade.

Seung-ki Hong's Resonant Ritual

Hye-jeong Hwang Lee's Percussion Sanjo

All the composers line up

Young composers and veterans
speak about the creative process.

Decades of composing experience:
Danny Imson, Peter Kellett,
Joyce Koh and Eric Watson.

SYC Ensemble Singers,
led by Jennifer Tham, 
is arguably Singapore's top choir.

The singers walk out with
Danny Imson's The Lord's Prayer

It has truly been an immersive experience
for everyone involved.

Had it been eight hours?

The time passed so fast that 

it seemed much less than that.

When you are being engaged and having fun,

the theory of relativity works for you!

Singapore Composers Festival 2026 - Composers Society of Singapore