S$48 Michelin-level meals at Encore by Rhubarb
FOR 10 years, Rhubarb put on a suit and dutifully dressed the part of a Michelin-starred restaurant, like an obedient husband who pulls on pants because the in-laws are coming over for dinner.
Then one fine day, Rhubarb decides the heck with it, it doesn't want to wear a suit anymore. It wants to embrace its inner bistro. But like the husband who just wants to wear his comfy boxer shorts regardless of who visits, it doesn't go down well with the people who set the standards.
Rhubarb's dropping of formalities may have cost it its star, but guess what – nobody's crying about it.
In fact, Encore by Rhubarb is just what we need: Michelin-level cooking without the Michelin-star stuffiness and price. After all, it's still the same chef – the genial Englishman Paul Longworth, who's been cooking French classics with the kind of self-effacing sincerity that must have kept this low-key restaurant going for the past decade.
Realistically, the revamped Rhubarb is a product of the times – a much-needed pivot in times of uncertainty. It has got rid of its round dining tables and installed comfy banquette seating. There's nothing that wins us over more than walking into the restaurant and being invited to sit anywhere we want – not the tiniest table we're used to being shunted to at other restaurants.
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There's nothing fancy, and there's a charming retro feel about the decor and the menu which looks like it got its fonts at a discount. But it's the price that catches our eye: S$48 for a three-course set lunch, S$88 for a four-course set dinner.
And on the a la carte menu, the most expensive main is S$48, unless you spring for a 400 gm ribeye for S$168. The lamb shoulder, at S$228, serves three to four people.
We're there for lunch, so we alternate between the set (with no supplements to sneakily hike your bill) and the a la carte. A quaint touch is the individually foil-wrapped pats of butter that come with warm, fresh olive focaccia and skinny baguettes.
Cured salmon slices topped with orange segments. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
For the set lunch, start off with a very pleasant and proper-sized portion of cured salmon – three thick-cut slices of firm, deep-red flesh topped with orange segments and paired with a creamy, tangy white sauce garnished with salmon roe.
Filo pastry wrapped pork belly and apple with creamy whipped potato. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
The main is no slapdash pasta or roast chicken either. It's a meticulously prepared pulled-pork belly, pressed and cut into thick rectangles and wrapped in still-crisp filo-like pastry – rich but not fatty, dressed in a simple brown sauce and finished with a slice of green apple and puffed pork crackling. Light-as-air whipped potato comes on the side, along with a little salad.
Smoked cod roe and seaweed crackers. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
The a la carte menu is a little more fancy, with addictive seaweed crackers the perfect kind of chip to scoop up creamy smoked cod roe (S$12) – a sort of taramasalata meets Korean supermarket in the most positive way.
Poached toothfish with squid, clams and chickpeas. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
Poached toothfish is cod by any other name (S$48), but it's a thick, fleshy specimen that flakes silkily into an even-tempered tomato-based broth that's mellow and tangy-sweet, with clams, tender squid and chickpeas for companionship.
Assorted cheese, home-pickled grapes and preserved kumquats. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
The set lunch ends with your pick of chocolate pot, bergamot posset or coconut sorbet, but you can also get your own mini cheese platter of whatever the chef has on hand. It's supposed to be tete du moine that day, but he's run out, so he gives an assortment of three types.
You know he's put thought into the choice because of the long description that comes with each one, including a very ripe goat's cheese with a name we can't remember or pronounce. Instead of the usual condiments, you get home-pickled grapes and preserved kumquats, bought from a nearby market for a quirky local touch.
Bergamot posset with blackberries and sorbet. PHOTO: JAIME EE
The bergamot posset (S$16) from the a la carte menu is simple, yet good. It's a light citrusy panna cotta covered with fat blackberries, and sorbet which does what it does without any fuss – end your meal on a sweet note.
In other words, Encore by Rhubarb impresses by not trying to impress you. It's just simple, honest food, prepared with integrity and gives you your money's worth. It's a familiar story that just doesn't get old. In fact, it gets better.
Rating: 7
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