Summer is the season of vitality, when life shines at its fullest.
Sunlight deepens the colours of the natural world and draws the sea’s richest bounty to the surface; in Japan, festivals and fireworks light up the season’s memories, while across Southeast Asia, tropical fruits and herbs release their most vibrant aromas. It is this radiant energy, captured through a bold expression of peak harvest ingredients, that shapes Loca Niru’s newest tasting menu.
The Vibrant Abundance of Summer
Where past menus have leaned into gentleness and restraint, Summer pushes further into contrast — heat against acid, char against sweetness, Japanese precision meeting Southeast Asia’s boldest aromatics. It is a more assertive register for Chef Shu, though the underlying instinct remains the same: let the ingredients speak clearly, without unnecessary ornament.
Inside Loca Niru’s Summer Dinner Menu
Among the opening highlights is the Hassun, a trio of small bites. Sakoshi Bay oyster, poached to preserve its texture, is layered with Japanese pear and balonglong sherbet and finished with herb oil; lobster confit, dressed with salted Hyuganatsu citrus and lobster mayonnaise, is nestled into a bright red pie tee shell with red shiso and finger lime; and braised wagyu, wrapped in a crispy yam crust in the style of a Cantonese taro puff, is dusted with a Southeast Asian ‘shichimi’ blend. The journey continues with Hamachi, lightly fatty yellowtail elevated by pickled and fermented plum — one of the defining fruits of the Japanese summer harvest — its bright acidity cutting through the richness of the fish, while Oscietra caviar and sage oil round out the dish.
In Japan, charcoal-grilled eel is a summer tradition, believed to help restore energy and stamina through the hottest months of the year. Loca Niru’s Unagi continues this custom, paired with winter melon and mozuku seaweed, its rich eelbone broth carrying a final herbal note from Malaysian ulam kaduk.
At the midpoint of the menu, Yamagata Dashi Somen reimagines the Yamagata home-style relish of summer vegetables as a chilled palate cleanser — somen noodles in a clarified tomato consommé foam, lifted by a Southeast Asian ginger flower sorbet. For the fish course, seasonal Isaki is served with a Nyonya-inspired beurre blanc and scallop cake, accented by a tomatillo salsa that lends a sprightly touch to the dish.
Roasted Challans Duck Breast anchors the main course, its richness balanced by duck sausage wrapped in charred Palermo pepper, a pineapple chutney sharp with acid and spice, and a lavender-infused jus, French technique meeting fruit and floral notes drawn from warmer climates. It is accompanied by an iron pot rice that reworks Japanese soboro rice for the season: Nagano Koshihikari carries duck soboro and sweet corn, lifted by sansho pepper and rounded out with Malaysian paku pakis fern.
Dessert opens with White Peach & Soursop, pairing the delicate sweetness of white peach, one of Summer’s cherished fruits, with the tropical sweetness of soursop and mangosteen, layered with yogurt mousse and white wine jelly. This is followed by Mango & Roasted Barley Tea. In Japan, sipping chilled roasted barley tea, through the summer months is a familiar and nostalgic pastime — one that echoes Chef Shu’s own childhood memories of beating the heat this way. Fresh mango and passion fruit are paired with a roasted barley tea cream and puffed barley, evoking that same nostalgic, comforting flavour. A final Ochagashi selection of sweets sends guests off for a memorable Summer menu.
A Sensible Choice for Singapore’s Warmer Months
View the full Summer Menu and get in touch to reserve a spot for dinner at Loca Niru.