Cuisine: Italian and fusion
Address: 7 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089115
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar station (East-West line) or 10 min walk from Chinatown Station (North-east and Downtown line)
Located in the upscale neighbourhood of Keong Saik, Wine & Chef serves up hearty Italian cuisine with premium Asian ingredients. The restaurant succeeds at localising the comforting Italian dishes we’ve come to know and love, and we were spellbound by the results.
The restaurant has over 400 Italian boutique wines to choose from, where you can match any glass to the delicious culinary creations whipped up by the chef. And if you can’t decide on what goes best, feel free to approach the resident sommelier for some recommendations.
Dishes that we tried
Granny Wings ($12)
Fried chicken wings made with a special recipe for the batter. There are six pieces in total, which comes in wings and the drumlets. They were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The use of spices and laksa leaves for the batter made it special.
Barramundi belly ($11)
It comes with about 8 pieces of barramundi coated with a light batter and served with harissa dressing. There are limited portions daily. Fish was fresh but those who do not like the fish skin may find the taste overpowering.
Small plate octopus ($19)
Caramelised grilled Spanish octopus tentacle that was served with tomato salsa. Note that this dish was served lukewarm, not sure why. The sauce was great and the octopus tentacle was huge, the sauce actually made the octopus taste nicer.
Irish duck confit ($35)
Price is quite steep for the portion given. Aged soy and premium Asian herbs marinated slow roast Irish Duck Leg, serve with corn risotto and seasonal condiment. The duck meat was tender and the corn risotto as the carbohydrate of choice was interesting.
Scallop Capellini ($33)
It is under main course but served cold as well. For those who like raw food, the Hokkaido scallop sashimi pairs well with the soy truffle dressing, giving it umami flavours. The capellini is a fine type of pasta, so as you slurp it up and have a bite of the scallop, it is like a match made in heaven. The cured kelp and tiny caviar also boost the prestigious status of this dish.
Australian Wagyu Striploin ($39)
It was pan-seared in such a war that the outside is slightly charred and the inside still remains the juiciness. Beef was very tender and easy to bite. It was served with some coucous by the side and broccoli. We ordered the striploin medium done and there were some red parts, cooked to perfection.
Spicy crab pasta ($27)
To be honest, we had eaten much better crab pasta elsewhere. Firstly when you look at this dish, you see that the crab meat had been boiled separately and sprinkled on the top. So the taste of the sauce is not there even after you have mixed the pasta. Secondly, spaghetti is a safe choice but we prefer the pasta to be linguine as it would absorb more of the spicy crab sauce with its larger surface area. This was by far one of the most disappointing dishes that we tried.
Lastly for desserts, we tried the tiramisu ($12) which is recommended on the menu. It was not the most authentic, it felt more like a cheesecake than a tiramisu. The lady finger sponge was not soaked through and certain parts of the cake were dry. We were slightly disappointed by the tiramisu.
Overall, Wine & Chef is a nice place to hang out with friends and loved ones. Weekdays are pretty quiet and walk-in is fine. I also managed to use my phone $100 Kris+ voucher on the second visit, but the voucher is only limited to ala carte food items. Service was efficient and good, they gave us plates after finding out that we were sharing the dishes. They also had a set of change of plates after we were done with the appetisers. No tap water provided, they only sell mineral water (in bottles). We got a cup of hot water instead, as the staff said it is complimentary. I feel that restaurants should all provide tap water (as part of the service) for free, as it is an essential item. Restaurants in New York all do that.
I did not like the booking system on Chope where you had to pay a credit card deposit, in case of no-shows. Reviews said that on weekends, the place can get very crowded, so reservations are recommended.
