Violet Herbs offers wallet-friendly fine dining in the CBD area.
Above is its Marinated red miso cod | S$33/+
Photos by Chong Yap of Make Your Calories Count
It is a shame that fine dining is never quite associated with wallet-friendly or affordable but surprisingly Violet Herbs nailed it. Having opened its doors in January this year, the restaurant is quite a gem located on Tras Street, amidst the busy CBD area. While modern European cuisine is sometimes an overused term, Violet Herbs offers more than the usual with a twist of Asian flavours to the dishes.
Executive Chef and owner Edward Hoe has almost 20 years of culinary experience and picked up his skills from Sebastian from renowned Restaurant Ember then Keystone Restaurant, American Club and more recently Eleven Concepts. With an objective of delivering fine food at affordable prices, he hopes that his guests will return regularly for more of his offerings. Being quite a critique when it comes to fine dining, I was somewhat sceptical that it would be on par with some of the top restaurants out there until the first course.
Amuse bouche
While I was equally impressed with the amuse bouche, this was not the first course that blew me away, well I will leave that for later.
Chef Edward painstakingly ensured that all fresh saffron with parmasan rolls were served warm and accompanied by butter that was infused with basil and mint. Expect a lovely saffron aroma from the roll when you gingerly tear it apart to spread that smooth butter. For something as simple as a roll and butter, herbs play a prominent role and this can only be said for the dishes to follow. Living up to its name of Violet Herbs indeed!
For the amuse bouche which changes daily, we had the minced chicken infused with honey mustard which was a refreshing burst of flavours to whet our appetite!
The homemade rolls and amuse bouche will be served to all guests even if you are not taking the set menu as Chef Edward believes in giving all diners the fine-dine experience.
Pistachio and herb crusted scallops | S$18/+
The plump Hokkaido scallop is the star of this appetiser as it was cooked perfectly with a pan-seared surface that was coated with pistachio and herb crumbs to add another dimension in texture. The combination of flavours and variation in texture was spot-on and did more than necessary to impress our palate. The rich and savoury butternut squash puree coupled with the beautifully executed lobster bisque gel delivered a strong punch of flavours. While the chocolate soil seemed to be out of place, little did we realise that the mild bitterness and its coarseness completed the dish.
What impressed us was this delicately crafted potato chips. Two fine slices of potato chips were carefully pieced together with clarified butter and some herbs sandwiched in between the translucent slices. It was almost an art piece on its own and paying details to such intricate workmanship on the plate speaks volume about the Chef's culinary skills.
Lobster cappuccino and brandy | S$14/+For six tedious hours, mixed vegetables comprising carrots, celery, etc were boiled with lobster shells for that bold crustacean flavour so desired by seafood lovers. The broth was then reduced with the addition of cream and red wine to intensify the flavours before being topped with Juniper foam and a dash of brandy, which was a subtle reminder that you are in for a modern cuisine.
Ebi pasta (angel hair) | S$32/+ When you spot ingredients such as bird's eye chii, sakura ebi and rayu oil on angel hair pasta, you know that is a beautiful Asian twist to an Italian classic. We loved that the angel hair pasta was cooked al dente and the sakura ebi (similar to your dried shrimps) gave a nice crispy touch. Tossed in rayu oil (more commonly known as chilli oil for the Chinese) and bird's eye chilli, the heat was surprisingly manageable even for the light weights!
Passionfruit sorbet | complimentary As part of a proper fine dining experience, a homemade sorbet is usually served to clean the diners' palate before the more savoury mains and Chef Edward nailed it once again. With a refreshing passionfruit sorbet, everyone at the table was impressed.