Within the walls of the House of Tan Yeok Nee – the last of Singapore’s Four Grand Mansions of Teochew architecture, and a gazetted national monument – sits a restaurant that has quietly redefined what fine dining in a heritage space can look like.
Loca Niru is the first dining concept to welcome guests inside this 140-year-old house. Its takes its name from two Zen idioms – ‘Hakuba Roka ni Iru’ and ‘Hakucho Roka ni Iru’ – poetic images of a white horse and a white swan disappearing into a field of white reeds, blending so completely with their surroundings that they become one with it.
The Concept: Kotan, or the Art of Quiet Refinement
At the heart of Loca Niru is Kotan (こたん) – a Japanese philosophy of quiet simplicity, contemplative peace, and refined subtlety.
The restaurant’s cuisine is best described as Contemporary Innovative: a marriage of Japanese sensibility and French technique, built on deep respect for produce and the people behind it that lets seasonal ingredients, including produce sourced from across Southeast Asia, speak for themselves. Menus change with the seasons, but the throughline is constant – precision without excess, and flavour built through careful layering rather than embellishment.
The Chef: Shusuke Kubota
Leading the kitchen is Executive Chef Shusuke Kubota. Born in Nagano, Japan, and trained across Japanese, French, and Southeast Asian kitchens, Chef Shu brings together a genuinely global culinary voice – one shaped as much by classical technique as by a personal belief that “one must learn from the past to create the future.”
That philosophy runs through his approach to the House itself. As the chef helming what he describes as the “dining room” of this storied home, Chef Shu sees his role as one of stewardship as much as creativity – cooking in a way that honours the building’s history while pushing its next chapter forward.
In 2026, less than a year into operation, Loca Niru received significant recognition on the international dining stage. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star at the Michelin Guide Singapore ceremony, and Chef Shu was honoured with the Young Chef Award, a special distinction celebrating emerging culinary talent.
Discover Loca Niru at the House of Tan Yeok Nee, 101 Penang Road, Singapore.