Verre Modern Bistro & Wine Bar @ Rodyk Street

Verre at Rodyk Street has transformed from a wine bar to a full fledged restaurant with a new chef on board as well as the goal to craft a cuisine that does justice to the superb collection of wines. Renamed as Verre Modern Bistro & Wine Bar, Verre is the French word for glass. Just like the mature of fine wine with time. the restaurant offers a extensive menu that is fitting to pair with its excellent fine wine collection.

Chicken Liver Parfait 4.5/5

We started the dinner with the Chicken Liver Parfait ($24) and French baguette slices. I love parfait and I will gladly give up the butter for the chicken liver parfait spread on the bread.

Tarte Flambee Forest 4/5

A delectable appetizer especially for sharing is the Tarte Flambee Forest ($22). The thin bread dough is topped with button mushroom, gruyere cheese, espellete pepper, creme fraiche with raw egg yolk mix and caramelised onion.

Half Lobster Salad 4.2/5

Mentioned earlier that Verre means glass in French. Hence throughout the restaurant you will notice the various touches to have the glass element such as the glass cloches for the dishes. The Half Lobster Salad ($38) is served on a smooth guacamole base. The Maine lobster cooked in court-bouillon broth is bouncy in texture and surprisingly goes well with the avocado base.

Black Garlic Soup 4.5/5

For those looking for a comforting bowl of soup, I would recommend the Black Garlic Soup ($19) served with a dill bread, bamboo charcoal wheat flour crisp and black garlic clove, The aromatic soup is a good change from the norm with a touch of exquisiteness.

Papillote Octopus & Clams 4/5

The Papillote Octopus & Clams ($30) interestingly is served on a bed of shells. Initially I thought the shells were part of my dinner until we cut open the parchment paper, revealing the seafood such as tiger prawns, white and bamboo clams, and octopus inside that are oven baked for 4 minutes.

Pan Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn 4/5

The Pan Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn ($38) with its plump and juicy scallop is beautifully paired with a sweet corn sauce. I like sweet corn and hence this combination managed to satisfy my palate.

Suckling Pig 4.5/5

On the bed of mash is the Suckling Pig ($42) slow roasted for up to 5 hours. In addition, it also comes with pork shoulder slow braised for 12 hours. The crackling skin and tender pork was so delicious that my stomach seems to have grown bigger that I wish for another plate.

Filet of Wagyu Beef 4.5/5

The Filet of Wagyu Beef ($62) is served with Truffle Fries. The Australian wagyu tenderloin is pan fried to a beautiful pink, juicy and flavourful. A good piece of steak does not need any fancy accompaniments when it is flavoursome on its own.

Lamb Chop with Moroccan Couscous & Mint Sauce 3/5

I love having a good piece of lamb with a glass of red wine. Unfortunately the Lamb Chop with Moroccan Couscous & Mint Sauce ($46) did not manage to impress me. The oven roasted Australian lamb finished on pan seems pale in flavour compare to the other meat dishes.

Vanilla Cheese Cake 4/5

Moving on to the dessert, we tried the Vanilla Cheese Cake ($17). The deconstructed cheese cake comes with a scoop of banana-passion fruit sorbet. The light and yet refreshing dessert awakens my senses after all the richness in the savoury dishes.

Jasmine Tea Verrine 4,2/5

The Jasmine Tea Verrine ($16) is another pleasing and delicate dessert that my internal self is screaming for more. The Jasmine flavoured granite, calamansi flavoured jelly and espuma foam together with marmite crumble and milk sherbet grows on me after each taste until I realized it was gone and it felt like I was waken up from a sweet dream.

Saint Honore 4.2/5 and Canele 4/5

For the warm dessert, we have the Saint Honore ($10), Cancele ($4) and Apple Mille-Feuille ($16). The trio of French pastry demonstrated the culinary experience of Chef Masashi Horiuchi who is trained in classic French technique. I have tried chef Masashi's cuisine before but I have never known of his dessert forte. All the desserts here are really good. I am not a sweet tooth person and the fact that I enjoyed them surprises myself.

Apple Mille-Feuille 4.2/5

In summary the new revamped Verre Modern Bistro & Wine Bar has created a menu that fits the huge collection of wines. The staffs are also very knowledge in the wine pairing for your dishes. Foodies who like to enjoy fine wine with great food, you have another great place to go to now at Verre Modern Bistro & Wine Bar.


Verre Modern Bistro & Wine Bar
8 Rodyk Street
#01-05/06
Singapore 238216
Tel: +65 65091917
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (NE Line, DT Line), Tiong Bahru (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 4pm - 12midnight
Fri-Sat: 4pm - 1am
Sun: 4pm - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop opposite Subordinate Court (Stop ID 06171) along Upper Cross Street. Take bus number 51 or 186. Alight 2 stops later. Cross the overhead bridge. Cross the river. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Tiong Bahru Plaza (Stop ID 10169). Take bus number 123. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the river. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes.[Map]

Toby's The Dessert Asylum @ TradeHub 21 (Jurong East)

Mud Pies, the in-dessert to have back in a decade ago, before it was being overruled by waffles. A luscious pie who has gone under the radar for the past few years,Toby's The Dessert Asylumis here to revive it. Being at Marine Parade for the past 6 years, they have shifted to TradeHub 21. Beside Mud Pies, their selection of cakes and made to order desserts will excite your sweet tooth as well. But nonetheless, we mustn't neglect our growling stomachs! Toby's has an extensive range of mains, in which I heard are just as delicious. I was lucky to be able to try out their Lunar New Year 3 Course Set Meal, which offers exclusive dishes only till end of CNY.

Fa Cai Yu Sheng 3/5

For starter, we were served with their Abalone Salad with a 'Huat ah!'. It was a refreshing salad made with an array of crunchy vegetable dressed with a tang. The crispy golden pillow and chewy abalone strips add dimensions to the flavour and texture. As the dressing is rather dense, less of it would have been better.

Braised Crabmeat with Seafood Soup 2.5/5

Our soup was Braised Crabmeat with Seafood, which was created with Shark Fin soup in mind for this occasion. If not for it being over-salted, I feel it has the potential to be one of the most unique seafood soups to be served in a western set up.

Baked Red Snapper 4/5

Next came our mains. Our Baked Red Snapper was beautifully presented. Sliced into 3 fillets, each was tender and with sides nicely baked. Lightly seasoned, it was well complemented with the creamy cheddar cheese mash. I love the fruits salad, which was tangy and appetising with the pineapple parley sauce.

Fried Pork Ribs 3/5

Their Fried Pork Ribs comes with braised cabbage, which I thought embodied an Asian wisdom in handling the heavy flavour of the pork ribs. The meat was tender and fell off the bones with a slight tug. It got rather porky at the fatty area but the smokey sauce managed it quite fine.

Salted Egg Spaghetti 3.8/5

Their Salted Egg Spaghetti did live up to our expectations. My earlier encounter with a salted egg pasta wasn't great as the sauce was too watery and absent of the salted egg taste.Their sauce was of the right consistency, coating the spaghetti without drowning it. Every morsel of it was flavoursome with a note of garlic. It could be bettered with more hardy ingredients such as prawns as crabmeat proved to be too delicate for this dish.

D-Lover 3.8/5

Finally it was time for desserts! D-Lover is their latest creation. The durian puree blends seamlessly with the fine vanilla sponge cake, creating a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. The sweetness level is just right for me but I was hoping for a richer durian flavour and texture.

Strawberry Shortcake 3/5

Cake and ice cream pairing is something unique over here. The strawberry shortcake does seem lonely without her companion, perhaps more strawberries in between the layering may help to jazz her up. The mellow strawberry sweetness of Love At First Sight may bring back some fond memories. You might want to consider having this during your Valentine's Day.

Lord Vader 4/5

The real bomb is of course their mud pies. We had one of their most popular Lord Vader ($15.90), one of the only 2 liqueur mud pies. The best part came when I poured the Grand Marnier over and dug my spoon in. The bitter sweet taste is the real pleasure.

Away from the hustle and bustle on a Saturday, together with great food and warm service extended by Toby's, our evening had been truly enjoyable. What I appreciate about their CNY meal is the subtle Asian note that runs throughout the dishes. The Lunar New Year 3 Course Set Meal is available from now till end of CNY at $38+ per set, excluding desserts. If you miss it, do look out for their Valentine's Day couple set meal, which includes their signature salmon dish.

Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Toby's The Dessert Asylum
TradeHub 21
8 Boon Lay Way
#01-35
Singapore 609964
Tel: +65 63162422
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clement (EW Line), Jurong East (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Clementi MRT station. (Stop ID 17171). Take bus number 52 and 105. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Clementi Bus Interchange (Stop ID 17009). Take bus number 99. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Jurong East MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Jurong East Bus Interchange (Stop ID 28009). Take bus number 52 or 105. Alight 8 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]