Occupying one of the street-level units of Hotel G Singapore, Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar seems imposing. Despite the casual vibes, everything is impeccably put together: from the tall ceiling, the mezzanine, a wall of wine glasses dangling over the bar counter, to the tiled floor. You probably wouldn’t take a second look at this place even if you have a loose budget. This place looks expensive.
Except it isn’t.
Poring through the menu, you’d find a glass of wine starting at $6, a cup of latte at $5, and a serving of pasta at $16, all of which doesn’t look like the prices such a place would command. With the cheap prices, they probably can’t afford a good chef, right?
Wrong, again.
Celebrity chef Hervé Frerard, the man who cooks for the Thai Royal Family regularly and helmed one of Thailand’s hottest restaurant, Aldo’s, cooked up a storm on the last week of June. It was so well-received that Chef Frerard decided to stay on to take up the role of the executive chef in Ginett (sorry, King Vajiralongkorn and family). Now, our expectations were raised and appetites whetted.
The first dish, Organic Slow-cooked Egg and Smoked Haddock Purée with Herring Caviar, felt more like a dish to start the day than to start a meal. Don’t get me wrong, because I’d gladly have it for breakfast every day. Brown bits that looked and tasted like dried crispy bacon were actually crispy bread cooked in duck fat, along with the herring caviar that added accents of saltiness to every bite. Though the texture of the dish is predominantly creamy, everything on the plate didn’t feel overly rich.
After a dish of almost homogenous texture that still turned out really well, it’s time for contrasts. The splash of of the Pan-seared Foie Gras with Provençale Apricot and Beetroot Xérès Reduction made the dull duck liver look more appealing. Taking a little of everything in one bite reveals the magic of this dish: the sweetness of the seasonal Provençale apricot and the freshness of the beet leaves surprisingly masks the oiliness of the liver well. The beetroot and sherry vinegar reduction balances out the with an earthy, acidic kick.
Rich flavour seems to be the order of the day. It peaked at Grilled Hokkaido Scallops with Ratte Potato and Morel Mushroom Sauce. Prepared with veal stock and port wine, the morel mushroom sauce is packed full of meaty flavour. It certainly paired well with the almost stringy Ratte potato mash, but its role with the Hokkaido scallops remained questionable. The scallops are large and fresh, but its subtle flavours are mostly drowned by the sauce. It is a really tasty dish overall, just that it is not quite a familiar combination.
You’d think that after the flavour fest, Chef Frerard would give your taste buds a break by offering something refreshing. Instead, he dishes out the Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream with Almonds and Chocolate Sauce. Yes, more cream, more richness, and more flavour. But that didn’t stop us from leaning all the way in and lap up the bowl. The chocolate sauce was actually pure melted dark chocolate. Its bitterness countered the sweetness of the ice-cream, which was made with pistachios from Sicily, where some of the finest pistachios can be found.
It doesn’t seem to make sense to have all the courses with almost the same texture profile, but somehow Chef Frerard pulled it off. It’s simple, honest food packed full of flavour that’s elevated to another level, all without the price tag.
At the end of the meal, we’re not bloated, not sick, just satisfied.
Thank you Ginett for inviting us to the tasting!
Photos by Jerron Chua of the team.
Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar
Hotel G Singapore
200 Middle Road
Singapore 188980
Tel: 6809 7989
Website: https://www.randblab.com/ginett-sg
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