The Place Located at the heritage building EJH Corner House within Singapore’s Unesco World Heritage Botanic Gardens, Roia is a fine-dining restaurant which occupied what used to be Corner House. Named after the river Roya that meanders between France and Italy, the fine dining restaurant is helmed by Chef Priyam Chatterjee who has a French training background.
The space of Roia is as gorgeous as I expected as I had been to Corner House previously.
The interior is elegant, while the terrace tables are the best, especially in the day with ample natural light streaming into the space.
You also get a lush dining view since the venue is surrounded by beautiful tropical trees.
The Food The cuisine at Roia is essentially French, though you will find Asian and particularly some Indian elements in the ingredients used. There are also floral and herbs elements across the dishes, inspired by its location within Botanic Gardens.
The restaurant just introduced a new set lunch menu, and it is available in three courses set from Thursday to Sunday. Priced at S$98++ for 3-courses, there are also wine-pairing options from S$78++. Roia’s Lunch Set Menu is also available in a Vegetarian option.
I had the 3-course lunch menu and for a start, I had the duo of amuse bouche The Roia Toast and Pickled Cucumber Tartlet. The Roia Toast is also known as “My Curry Puff” where it showcases a crystal toast made with kudzu flour, a reflection of chef’s first taste of Singapore curry puff.
The Pickled Cucumber Tartlet is served with daikon, cucumber gel and creme fraiche, which is quite a refreshing starter.
The first course is a Mille Feuille of Braised Leeks with Dill Cream, Spring Flowers & Herbs.
Next up I had some complimentary bread – a house-made brioche that draws inspiration from the Indian pao, lightly seared with clarified butter, along with sourdough bread as well. I enjoyed the brioche more, as it goes very well with the butter along with the crispy texture of the brioche.
For mains, you can expect options such as the Brittany Chicken and Iberico Pork Chop. I had the chicken while The Rantee had the pork chop, and we both preferred the Brittany Chicken with Cumin Jus and Braised Leek Tartlet.
The chicken breast here is tender, and the presentation reminds of our local Singaporean Hainanese steamed chicken. I also like the leek tartlet with truffle, chives and crispy chicken skin along with the grilled maitake mushrooms. There is also the ginger puree by the side which goes well with the chicken and is coincidentally a very Singaporean way of having chicken meat too.
The Iberico Pork Chop on the other hand comes with Seared Foic Gras, Pommery Mustard Sauce, and Black Garlic. Overall, the pork was a tad too dry for my liking.
The last act of the 3-course lunch is dessert where I had the Roia “Pavlova”, where the meringue is served on a blanket of calamansi honey ice cream and Bergamot Thyme Sorbet, topped with petals of edible flowers.
Last but not least, Petit Fours of Sea Salt Caramel in Jaggery Tart, and a Strawberry Pâte de Fruit.
Rants French dining with a little Indian flavours, and some parts of the meal like the chicken reminds me a little of Singaporean-style. It might get a tad confusing what Roia really stands for at the end of the day.
Will I Return Again? A very gorgeous dining space, the other one restaurant which gave me similar vibes is probably Pangium. The service was very professional during my visit, and if you are looking for an idyllic dining ambience in Singapore, Roia is one to check out. The food might be a hit or miss for some.
This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.
TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5
Roia
1 Cluny Road
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore 259569
Tel: +65 8908 1705
Opening Hours
Wednesday: 6pm to 11:30pm
Thursday to Sunday: 12pm to 3pm; 6pm to 11:30pm
Closed on Monday & Tuesday
Ranted by The Ranter