Takuya Yamashita's one-star French-Japanese room inside Gothic CHIJMES, dinner from S$208 — book direct two weeks out for a first date.
The Reservation Problem at Whitegrass
Whitegrass books direct. There is no Resy or Tock drop; you call +65 6837 0402, email, or use the form at whitegrass.com.sg, which lists on Chope. The table you want is one of just forty inside a former convent, and because the menu shifts with what is genuinely exceptional that week, calling ahead to ask what is running is entirely fair game.
Whitegrass occupies CHIJMES, the former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus at 30 Victoria Street in City Hall — candlelit colonnades, a courtyard of old trees, stone standing since 1854. Chef Takuya Yamashita has held the kitchen since 2016, trained at Tokyo's one-star Ciel et Sol, and the room has kept its Michelin star continuously. It sits at number ten in our Singapore dining guide.
How to Book Whitegrass
Use the form at whitegrass.com.sg, the Chope listing, or call +65 6837 0402. Tasting menus run at both lunch and dinner, with optional wine and sake pairings. Lunch starts from S$98++ and dinner from S$208++. Two weeks out is comfortable for most nights; weekends and the corner tables want a little more lead and a specific request. Email if you have a date in mind and a question about the current menu — the kitchen will tell you what is on.
For a first date, ask for a quieter table in the corner of the room when you book, and keep the CHIJMES courtyard in mind for before or after. The forty-seat scale means the room is intimate without being a counter, which is the calculation that makes it work.
The Workaround
Because produce drives the menu, a midweek dinner is both easier to book and often the more interesting plate — the kitchen builds around what arrived that week. If your weekend is full, take a Tuesday or Wednesday, or shift to lunch from S$98++, which is the same kitchen at a softer price and an easier table. For a date you want to mark, tell them when you book; the team has staged plenty of them.
The Test Dish
Yamashita treats single ingredients with a minimalism that reads as confidence. The tell is the langoustine prepared across three temperatures; if it arrives precise, the rest of his seasonal menu will follow. The vegetable course, which lands as the emotional centre rather than an afterthought, is the other signature to judge. If the room is fully booked, Cloudstreet works a similar register of quiet excellence, Nouri is the more global-minded table, and Cure and Braci round out the nearby options.
Not for a big boozy group or a quick weeknight bite. Whitegrass is a forty-seat tasting room; the menus run long and the kitchen sets the pace, not you.
View Whitegrass on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: Whitegrass in Singapore.
- The wider city: Singapore dining guide and the hardest restaurant reservations in Singapore.
- Strategy: how to get impossible restaurant reservations.
- Platforms: OpenTable, Resy and Tock compared.
- By tier: how far ahead to book each Michelin tier.
- Occasions: best for a first date and best for a proposal.
- Quiet-excellence tables: Cloudstreet and Nouri.
- Nearby rooms: Cure and Braci.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book Whitegrass?
Moderate. Whitegrass books direct through whitegrass.com.sg, the Chope listing, or by phone on +65 6837 0402, and two weeks out is comfortable for most nights. Weekends and the quieter corner tables want a little more lead and a specific request. Because the menu shifts weekly with the produce, calling ahead to ask what is running is reasonable and often useful.
How much does Whitegrass cost?
Tasting menus run from S$98++ at lunch and from S$208++ at dinner, before optional wine and sake pairings. The two plus-plus marks mean service charge and GST are added on top, so budget accordingly. For a one-Michelin-star French-Japanese room inside CHIJMES, the dinner sits at fair value against comparable Singapore tasting tables, and lunch is the gentler entry point.
What should I order at Whitegrass?
Take the tasting and use the langoustine prepared across three temperatures as your test of the kitchen; if it lands precise, Takuya Yamashita's seasonal menu will follow. The vegetable course, treated as the centre of the meal rather than a side, is the other signature. Add the wine and sake pairing, which is selected by someone fluent in both traditions.
Is Whitegrass good for a first date?
Yes — it is one of Singapore's best first-date rooms. The CHIJMES setting does the romantic heavy lifting with Gothic stonework and courtyard candlelight, without forcing you to perform. The tasting-menu format structures the evening, the forty-seat scale keeps it intimate without the intensity of a counter, and the food gives you something to talk about. Ask for a corner table when you book.
Where is Whitegrass located?
Inside CHIJMES, the former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, at 30 Victoria Street in Singapore's City Hall district. The Gothic chapel and cloistered garden give it one of the most atmospheric addresses of any restaurant in the city. Aim to arrive a little early and use the courtyard before or after dinner; it is part of what you are booking.