The buzz: After 26 years as the director of kitchens at The Stamford and Fairmont, chef Otto Wiebel has opened his first ever restaurant in the idyllic Holland Village, offering comfort food made using his own recipes and a deli with fresh cuts of beef, Swiss cheese, mussels and seasonal truffles.
The vibe: This 46-seater establishment gives off a very homely feel with its monochrome earthy tones and has an abundance of sunlight that pours through the glass panels. Despite its rather chic and modern decor, it has a rather warm and welcoming vibe that will make you want to sit down with a glass of wine and a friend for hours.
The food: They serve up modern European cuisine, with quality over quantity in mind. We started off with the button mushroom soup ($8.50), and it was creamy without being too heavy. Their octopus salad ($17) is a perfect example of making something bland into something much more palatable. The octopus was tender and the zesty dressing (made from the octopus juice) really brought the dish together. The pulled pork burger ($19) is a juxtaposition of flavors: the sweetness from their house-made barbeque sauce and the tanginess from their yuzu cabbage slaw really complement each other. Take a bite into their beef steak ciabatta ($20) if you’re a fan of all-things briny. From the beef to the cheese, it was one salty dish (which some of us love). The main highlight has to be the wagyu beef rump ($32): served medium rare, it was juicy and tender. Their hand-cut fries had a good length to thickness ratio and they were served with ketchup, alongside mentaiko and salted egg yolk sauce which were kind of a miss.
The drinks: Their drinks menu is pretty standard, with fresh juices, coffee, beers, wine and champagne in the mix. But their lemonade ($9.50) and hot chocolate ($9.50) are definitely worth a mention. The former was very refreshing and the Manuka honey helped to even out the sourness from the yuzu whereas the latter was… let’s just say we’re yearning for another cup.
Why you’ll be back: If you’re on the hunt for home-cooked food but too lazy to cook.
