Verve Bar & Bistro

Recommended by a friend, I recently visited Verve Bistro in Gillman Village, and was I pleased I did! What was originally planned as a few drinks with friends turned into an immensley enjoyable evening of great food and wine. The setting is both relaxed and stylish, the service friendly and attentive and the menu varied and enticing. I would recommend the pizzas, especially the duck with hoisin sauce - unusual as it sounds, it was wonderful! The chocolate brownies for dessert were scrumptious. The cocktails we started with had a freshness about them rarely found in other bistros in town and the wine list, whilst not extensive, was varied (and very reasonably priced) and contained more than a few labels I would love to try. If you are looking for somewhere new to try then give Verve a visit - i'm sure that you'll go back for more. I've been three times this month!

No, I did not get that title from some famous poet in the sixteenth century, just in case you were thinking. However, I thought the statement summarised this dining experience. The previous occupants of this place, Turquoise Room, had a special place in my heart as it was a place where I brought my mom for a wonderful mother's day treat about two years back. So with its closure, I felt like a part of my history had suddenly disappeared.

Or has it?

Enters Verve Bar and Bistro. Started by two individuals from the financial industry, Verve brings new life at the otherwise quiet Gillman Village. While there is a slight change in branding, I was happy to learn that the crux of the kitchen crew such as the chefs were all retained for continuation and many of the popular dishes by Turquoise Room such as the Duck Confit Pasta would still continue to be on the menu.

However, there are a few new innovations, and that was what I was here to check out in a tasting session.

I started with the Apple Martini ($18), which has to be one of the better martinis I have ever tasted. With the juice of a whole green apple with apple bits in the drink, it is very refreshing just like setting of the restaurant. I also tried the Strawberry Cosmopolitan ($18), which was much lighter than the other Cosmos that I have tried. My final cocktail came in the Mojito Sorbet ($20), which was yet another refershing cocktail. Despite the drinks feeling light, the alcohol started adding up so it was time for some food.

For starters I had the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms ($14), which had a very strong vinegar taste and while the cheese dressing added a drier tone to the dish, I found it to be a little too "juicy" for my comfort zone. What was interesting though, is that mushroom sizes were very consistent, something that you only get in good-class restaurants.

I then tried the Calamari Fritti with Garlic Cream ($16), which I really enjoyed. I liked how unlike the usual calarmi rings that I am used to they fried up the different parts of the squid, which was very fresh and succulent. The garlic cream was also a great complimentary sauce, which is lighter than the usual mayonnaise sauce - in line with the theme of the restaurant.

I then tried the Fish Cakes ($12), which came with a nice salsa dip which had a srong herb element but not too spicy. The fish cake is unique in that one can barely taste the fish as it is masked by the potato and onion mix. Thus, a choice even if you do not like to eat fish.

Next on the menu was the Pizzas. If you do look at the pizzas, you would find that the names are not your conventional pizza names, but it does have an interesting underlying theme which I shall leave it for you readers to figure out. The first pizza I tried was Pizza Appolonia ($16), which was a combination of feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. The ingredients on the pizza bed blended well and will appeal to those who like their pizzas with slightly charred edges. Next was the Pizza Enzo ($16) which was an interesting innovation of peking duck on pizza. Peppered with spring onion, one can really taste the saltiness of the thick duck gravy on the pizza. Very unique indeed.

The next dish on this tasting menu was the Lamb Rack with Mint Yogurt ($32). The lamb was done very well - medium rare and succulent. Unfortunately, I found that the mint sauce had a little too contrasting a taste for my liking. Thus, I would recommend that anyone eating this dish enjoy the lamb by itself.

Finally, lunch ended with the Duck Confit Pasta ($26). It was done al dente and the duck was crispy and melted in the mouth.

I would have loved to try more, but after the above I can sufficiently say that it was more than what a body could handle. One thing I really liked was the bigger variety of wine selection due to an increase in suppliers. I really enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon housepour from Southeast Australia. If you are looking for quaint hideout with general good food, Verve is a must check out.

I agree totally with Hoongy.

The food was great, ambiance was wonderful as well even though I went to the place on Sunday for lunch.

But on the flip side, the thing that would make me think twice about going back there again is the kind of "attitude" / "look" some of the other patrons there.

We were giving while we were celebrating my friend's birthday.
I will admit that we were alittle noisy but what did they expect from people (more than 20 of us there)?
The kids were kinda noisy too but it's not like they were running around screaming their heads off kinda thing.

Anyway, IMHO, this is a nice place with great food... but I don't think I'll be back there anytime soon as it doesn't seem to "welcome" kids / families / large group gatherings.

*To the management, it's of no fault of yours but the patrons were kinda too "atas" / "head in the air" for my liking.