singaporecity360° Loca Niru
Loca Niru is a contemporary tasting-menu restaurant on the upper floor of the heritage House of Tan Yeok Nee near Dhoby Ghaut, pairing Japanese sensibility with French technique and Southeast Asian ingredients. It won a MICHELIN star in 2026, its first, months after opening.
- Cuisine
- Japanese-French (with SE Asian)
- Neighbourhood
- Dhoby Ghaut
- Nearest MRT
- Dhoby Ghaut (NS/NE/CC)
- Chef
- Shusuke Kubota
- Indicative price
- Dinner 8-course S$298++
- Address
- House of Tan Yeok Nee, 101 Penang Road, #02-01, Singapore 238466
Loca Niru is a contemporary tasting-menu restaurant on the upper floor of the heritage House of Tan Yeok Nee near Dhoby Ghaut, pairing Japanese sensibility with French technique and Southeast Asian ingredients. It won a MICHELIN star in 2026, its first, months after opening.
Signature dishes
- Awabi abalone chawanmushi — a MICHELIN-highlighted course.
- Isaki grunt with Nyonya beurre blanc, finished tableside, another dish the guide singles out.
- Hassun opener including Hokkaido sweet prawn with pomelo, and sturgeon with Oscietra caviar and chestnut.
- Maguro — fatty tuna with smoked tofu cream and calamansi vinegar.
- Wagyu smoked over sugar-cane pulp, and a Malaysian cacao, nutmeg and gula melaka chocolate finish.
The eight-course tasting is seasonal, so expect the line-up to shift.
The concept
This is contemporary Japanese dining rather than straightforward Japanese: a Japanese philosophy of seasonality and restraint, French methods and sauces, and regional produce brought together in a structured tasting for 36 seats. The name comes from a Zen phrase about a white horse among white reeds — an image of harmony and subtlety — and this is the first fine-dining concept ever set inside the 19th-century national monument.
The chef
Executive chef Shusuke Kubota is from Nagano and trained at the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, then in France at Domaine Les Crayères and L'Atelier d'Edmond and as sous chef at Sincere in Tokyo, before earlier Singapore work at Omakase @ Stevens. He also took the 2026 MICHELIN Young Chef Award.
Getting there
In the House of Tan Yeok Nee at 101 Penang Road, #02-01, in the Dhoby Ghaut and Museum area near Orchard — a national monument built in the 1880s for Teochew merchant Tan Yeok Nee. Dhoby Ghaut MRT (Exit C, on the North-South, North-East and Circle lines) is about a seven-minute walk via Istana Park.
Prices
The eight-course dinner tasting is S$298++, with a sake pairing around S$148++, a six-glass wine pairing S$188++, and wine by the glass from about S$22++. Lunch runs on selected dates only — confirm availability. The ++ is before service charge and GST.
How to book
Book by phone on +65 6592 5815 or through the website; with only 36 seats, reserve several weeks out and earlier for weekends or occasions, and confirm the menu, any dietary needs and deposit when you do.
Opening hours
Tuesday to Saturday, dinner only, from 6:30pm with the last seating around 8:00pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
The room & dress
A restrained contemporary interior with wabi-sabi touches set inside a preserved heritage mansion of courtyards and Chinese decorative detail — quiet, intimate and with a strong sense of place. Smart casual: no sandals, flip-flops or singlets.
A little history
The mansion was built in 1882 to 1885, later served as St Mary's Home and a Salvation Army base, and was gazetted a national monument in 1974. Loca Niru is the first fine-dining restaurant inside it, opening on 6 November 2025 and winning its first star on 4 August 2026.
Who it’s for
For diners who want an ambitious tasting menu with a distinct point of view — Japanese precision, French technique and Southeast Asian flavour in a heritage setting — and a good bet for couples and milestone meals. Allow two to three hours and reserve early.