SINGAPORE – The curtain may have closed on the former one-Michelin-starred Rhubarb Le Restaurant, but the main event is just about to begin. Even if you missed the show the first time around, you will want to stick around for the Encore.
The restaurant has shed its stiffer, white-tableclothed skin for a brighter coat of casual excellence, helmed by a chef who waits his own tables.
Chef-owner Paul Longworth says the rebrand was a way for him to plug the dearth in manpower. Instead of being confined to the kitchen like he would have been in a fine-dining setting, this relaxed format allows him to move between the back and front of house – manager, waiter, cleaner and chef, all in one.
He calls it “keeping the soul of Rhubarb and our obsession with detail, but giving ourselves room to grow”.
So, at Encore by Rhubarb, you can expect to find Michelin-standard cooking at reasonable prices. The lunch set, for one thing, is $48++, and starts with complimentary bread – olive focaccia and mini baguette, both served delightfully warm – and French butter.
Cured New Zealand salmon from Encore by Rhubarb.
ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK
It gets better. I start my meal with three plump slices of New Zealand salmon cured with beetroot and topped with orange segments that add a splash of bright acidity. Tiny puddles of buttermilk supply a creamy tang, while pearls of salmon roe burst with briny flourish.
For my main course, I get the chicken leg brushed with a layer of mustard and crusted with parsley breadcrumbs. It is brined overnight, then gently poached in chicken stock, resulting in pink, fork-tender flesh that needs little coaxing away from its bone.
Accompanying it is a serving of whipped potato, so featherlight and faultlessly seasoned, I am tempted to beg for another bowl.
Dessert is simple but satisfying: a classic French chocolate pot, lifted by a dollop of creme fraiche. It is served in a rooster cup – the kind of Singaporean staple you might find in a kopitiam or your grandmother’s kitchen, and a homage to the restaurant’s decade in the country.
There is an a la carte menu too, where guests can enjoy old Rhubarb signatures such as white onion emulsion with black truffle puree ($18++) and hay-roasted chicken with cotechino and mushroom stuffing ($88++).
A four-course dinner set is also available for $88++. And those who crave a touch of Rhubarb’s old finery can head to the second floor, where custom meals are served in an intimate, living room-like space.
Where: 3 Duxton Hill
MRT: Maxwell
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 9.30pm, Mondays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays and Wednesdays
Info:
encorebyrhubarb.sg
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