The White Rabbit, with its alice-in-wonderland allure and delectable European fare, is a lovely place to have an idyllic meal and escape from the real world for a while.

By Melanie Lee

While Dempsey, the hot dining spot in Singapore, has become quite crowded of late, The White Rabbit still manages to retain that original countryside charm which drew diners to this area in the first place. For one, it is housed in a beautifully restored chapel that is tucked away from the cluster of restaurants and bars where parking can often be a nightmare. Its classy yet whimsical interiors with gorgeous high ceilings, retro mosaic floors, vintage furnishings and sunlight shining through stained glass windows, give this restaurant a peaceful, otherworldly feel that made me very comfortable and relaxed during my visit there.

The White Rabbit may be known as a place where beautiful people hobnob (especially at its cozy outdoor watering hole aptly called The Rabbit Hole), but its scrumptious menu of reinvented classic European comfort food created by its Chef, Daniel Sia, has not gone unnoticed. After hearing and reading about some good things about its menu, I went there for lunch with pretty high expectations and was not disappointed. Cheryl from The Lo and Behold Group (the majority shareholder of this restaurant) made it a point to let us sample a spectrum of starters, mains and desserts to get a good sense of their imaginative offerings.

We whetted our appetites first with the sinfully creamy chicken and duck liver parfait ($19) served with port wine jelly and buttery and toasted brioche soldiers, brochette of roasted sea scallops and crispy pork belly ($19) succulently served with wakame salad and a sesame soy dressing and steak tartare ($23), spiced minced top grade beef served raw with soft quail eggs. While our appetizers on paper seemed to be quite heavy and meaty, everything turned out surprisingly light, making me wonder if the calories could have magically disappeared in this enchanted place.

The main dishes were all about bringing indulgent yet contemporary comfort with The White Rabbit Mac and Cheese ($28) emitting a heavenly fragrance from its truffle sauce (a big favourite with diners here for obvious reasons), 48-hour braised short ribs ($32) which was lightly crisped and served with a rich Burgundy-style red wine sauce made with bacon and mushrooms as well as the hearty Tournedos Rossini ($45) a classic pan roasted US choice tenderloin topped with pan-fried foie gras and black truffle sauce. There’s just something about the taste and scent of truffles that transports me to a happier, calmer plane so this selection of dishes was definitely a fantasy come true.

The mystery of the bottomless tummy continued as we transitioned quite effortlessly to our excellent desserts of baked alaska ($16), a delightful vanilla ice-cream cake encrusted with lightly browned meringue and topped with fresh berries as well as  the  crepes suzette ($18), homemade crepes dramatically flambéed with grand marnier at our tableside by the service staff. It was a fitting finale to our splendid little “Eat Me” adventure to The White Rabbit.

The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Singapore 249541
Tel: +65 6473 9965
www.thewhiterabbit.com.sg

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