Bar-Roque Grill: The only European eatery in Singapore awarded the MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for 2017
MICHELIN Guide Singapore on Thursday (22 June) announced this year’s list of local eateries that have been awarded the Bib Gourmand, which recognises places that offer quality cuisine at a maximum price of $45 per person.
This year’s list saw nine new eateries, such as Hawker Chan, a franchise from the Michelin-starred Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, Japanese eateries Man Man Japanese Unagi and Shirokane Tori-Tama, as well as Bar-Roque Grill, a French-influenced rotisserie located near Tanjong Pagar Road.
Bar-Roque Grill is the only European eatery given the Bib Gourmand nod this year, standing out from an array of restaurants and hawker stalls in the list that offer a variety of Asian cuisines.
Helmed by executive chef and co-owner Stephane Istel, the bar and restaurant offers a wide array of quality dishes for meat lovers, including their signature Braised Lamb Shank.
The restaurant opens everyday except Sundays, and is available for lunch from 12pm to 2pm and dinner from 6pm to 10.30pm. If you need an alcoholic fix, the outdoor bar opens throughout the day.
With a name inspired by the word Baroque, a term referred to 17th century French art, the interior of the bar-restaurant is decked in deep maroon, wood accents and metal grills.
While the design may somewhat evoke an air of mystery, the ambience is surprisingly casual and friendly, making it quite the perfect place for corporate lunches for those working in the Central Business District.
Besides its signature dish, Bar-Roque also offers mains like roast chicken or duck confit, which can be ordered a la carte or as part of a three-course set lunch priced from $35. The set consists of appetiser, main course and dessert.
Mains that are not on the set menu, such as beef burgers, can be ordered separately. Bread and butter served with each order.
During a recent lunch visit, Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore were told that the portions were bigger for main courses bought on their own as compared to the ones bought as part of a set.
There were various options to choose from for its three-course set. For appetiser, we had the baby spinach salad, goats cheese and pine nuts with oregano dressing, which seemed to be a popular choice among others who were dining there as well.
For the main course, we ordered the rotisserie Free Range Yellow Chicken with Gratin and Chicken Jus and for dessert, the Lemon Pie. We had another main course, the Bar-Roque Beef Burger with Morbier cheese, Wild Rocket and Cucumber pickles, separate from the set.
Overall, the meats were juicy and tender, the sauces complemented the meat without overpowering the flavour and the salads were refreshing to the palate.
While the meals lived up to a rather satisfying lunch, the dishes might come across as bland when compared to widely-available Asian meals cooked with stronger and more flavourful spices.
But if you prefer to step out of your comfort zones once in a while, Bar-Roque would be your best bet for a casual meal with friends that’s reasonably priced, as long as you won’t be ordering too much alcohol.
Related stories: 38 Singapore eateries awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2017, five dropped from list Second edition of MICHELIN guide Singapore to be launched on 29 June Follow Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Facebook.
