The idea of Gastropub food is usually anything but exquisite or refined. And food expectations are low since it's more of a place for drinks. Yet Viio Gastropub in Balestier proved this wrong with its delicious and well-presented Asian-French dishes. But perhaps this is not surprising considering the background of the chef. The place is headed by chef Ronald Li, a LCB Paris graduate who used to serve at The Four Seasons Hotel, Michelin Star restaurant Andre, KU DE TA, Salt Tapas & Bar and The White Rabbit.
The 2nd tapas was Grilled Octopus ($28). The octopus chunks were tender, though E preferred them chewier as these were on the soft side. Wasn't expecting to have more potatoes again ( this was served on a bed of mashed potato and crispy potato croquette balls) but the overall flavor balance was good, especially with the caramelized sweetness of charred cherry tomatoes.
The Beef Ragout Gnocchi ($26) turned out to be a rather similar dish like the Grilled Octopus as the gnocchi tasted like the potato croquette. Would advise not ordering both at the same time.
We had the Angus Rib Eye ($42) as our mains and the meat was well executed. Black truffle added a light fragrance to the meat without overpowering it. That said the flavor profile bears close resemblance to the previous two dishes and would be great if the accompanying mushrooms were less salty.
Dessert was warm 70% dark chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream. Overall the food is tasty and we will be back to try other dishes next time.
Note: everything except the dessert reflects half a portion as the restaurant has kindly help to separate each dish into two portions as one of us could not take raw food at that point of time.
Viio Gastropub
520 Balestier Road, 01-01 VIIO@Balestier, Singapore 329853
11.30am-11pm (Monday - Sunday)
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