After seeing pictures of food from this restaurant on social media, I thought this restaurant looked promising so I aimed to try it someday. Without prior reservations, I was lucky to get a table on the day of visit for lunch.

Upon stepping in, I detected a strange smell, something like ammonia. This restaurant is still relatively new so perhaps it was the smell leftover from renovation (but surely it’d be gone by now since it’s been a few months?). Anyway, I tried to ignore the smell to enjoy my meal.

For lunch, they serve a la carte, 3 course lunch menu ($42.00++) and Chef’s Degustation menu ($68.00++). I opted for 3 courses for this meal.

Amuse bouche

Looks pretty but it’s only as good as tobiko sashimi gets. Nothing special.

I chose the mini baguette because it’s cute. The bread was served really warm (to the extent of being hot to touch at first).

Cured trout, seaweed tartare, quail egg, salmon roe, cucumber

This is a cold appetiser with refreshing flavours, somewhat like a salad.

L’emulsion du marche

This is Jerusalem artichoke velouté with basil and red wine. I like Jerusalem artichoke but this version wasn’t fantastic. The red wine kind of ruined it for me because it made the overall flavour sweeter.

Roast duck breast, pine pearl barley, Shimeji ‘a la Greque’

The duck was alright. As for the barley, I’ll just say I’m not used to it.

Barramundi, crushed Vitelotte potatoes, creamed corn, shallot

The barramundi itself was good, with crispy skin. It was almost as good as The Naked Finn’s barramundi. I didn’t quite enjoy the side dishes though, especially the shallot and purple potatoes which I left mostly untouched.

Rhubarb posset, jelly, custard, granite

This was like fizzy ice and Rhubarb over panna cotta. I think this dessert was good and quite unique.

Warm chocolate cake, salty caramel, vanilla ice cream, praline

I always preferred rich desserts over fruity one. This one was done to a mousse like texture inside, rather than runny liquid. It was fine and nice but nothing special overall.

I must say that this meal wasn’t as good as anticipated, though it was pretty decent. The presentation of dishes was actually better than how it tasted (and this could appear pretentious to some). It seems hard to find new places in Singapore with really good food nowadays.

*****

Ambiance: 7.5/10 (would be better without the weird smell)
Food: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Overall: Presentation is better than taste

*****

Rhubarb Le Restaurant
3 Duxton Hill
Singapore 089589

Tel: 81275001

*****

Monday – Friday
Lunch : 11.45am – 2.30pm (Last order)
Dinner : 6.30pm – 10.00pm (Last order)

Saturday
Dinner : 6.00 – 10.30pm (Last order)