If you’re a wine aficionado that’s looking for affordable wine pairings, then Wine & Chef has definitely got you covered. With over 400 Italian boutique wines to choose from, you can match any glass to the delicious culinary creations whipped up by the chef.
And if you can’t decide on what goes best, feel free to approach the resident sommelier who will help you make an informed decision — all you have to do is wine and dine.
While most might mistake this for a fine dining establishment, Wine & Chef actually exudes a surprisingly homely atmosphere once you step into it.
Other than the inbuilt wine shop and bar, the interior itself is pretty basic and boasts a cosy setting that is a welcome respite.
To begin our meal, we had the Pork Slider ($9) which was fantastically paired with the Rambela Ravenna IGT Famoso ($39/bottle, $8/glass) that is meant to complement pork bellies pretty well.
Sandwiched in between mini bun halves, the braised pork belly in aged soy was garnished with coriander and boasted an extremely tender meat. The fact that the pork almost melted in our mouths made this a quick but satisfying appetiser.
Next, we had the Bafun Uni & Truffle ($32) together with the Coppiere Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Nero ($49/bottle).
We thoroughly enjoyed the Hokkaido Bafun uni as it had a creamy consistency and didn’t taste fishy at all. This was absolutely delightful when taken together with the fish roe, summer truffle and Capellini (which is a very thin variety of pasta).
Following that, we sipped on the Valpolicella ($32/bottle) while enjoying slices of the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($28).
Each thinly cut Mayura signature full-blood Wagyu was simply delectable and paired so well with the horseradish, parmesan and summer truffle. The citrusy flavours from the lime aioli also served to give the raw a beef a touch of zest.
If you’re here for the Salmon Confit “Risotto” ($18), you should most definitely order the Melis ‘Horreum’ Cannonau di Sardegna ($49/bottle) to go with.
This was dubbed as the menu’s main highlight and I could easily see why as soon as I tried it. The soy coriander cured salmon and mascarpone barley “risotto” combination turned out to be a wholesome indeed.
Throw in some snow peas for a nice crunch and a mix of ikura and tobiko for a burst of umami, and there you have a winning dish.
Served in a wine decanter, the La Foia Barolo DOCG ($79) was chosen to match with the Slow Roast Duck Leg ($18). For this main course, we also opted to get an additional serving of foie gras ($10) topped with flecks of truffle.
Marinated with aged soy, the duck leg was tender and tore easily apart from its bone. The roasted corn and scallions also added a charred flavouring to the plate that certainly took the dish up a notch.
It was my first time having polenta chips, and I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by how great the cornmeal tasted. The deep-fried sticks were crispy on the outside and had a soft mash inside that just warmed us up.
Lastly, we were served the Venere Rice Pudding ($9) for dessert. Of course, this had to be paired with a sweet tasting wine so the Bramusa Piemonte Brachetto ($29/bottle, $6/glass) was an obvious choice.
This was quite reminiscent of the Pulut Hitam, a popular Indonesian dessert made from black glutinous rice and coconut milk.
And well, the black rice was indeed present in this but the milk was swapped for a coconut crumble and pistachio paste before being topped with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Having sampled at least six different wines, I must say that each dish was paired very well with their respective alcoholic beverages.
The team at Wine & Chef certainly knows what goes well with the food items on their menu so rest assured that you will be placed in good hands.
Expected Damage: $30 ++ per pax
