The White Rabbit (Closed)

Last week, I visited The White Rabbit with some colleagues, wanting to have a nice set lunch to mark the start of the weekend. Set in an old chapel, the restaurant was a stunner, especially its backyard garden, which featured The Rabbit Hole, as well as lovely outdoor chairs.Accessibility: Not very convenient. Easier to go by taxi, if you do not drive.Waiting for the food to arrive, we took the chance to explore the place and had fun. Our appetiser was served to us just after our exploration, and the timing was just right.Their set lunch offerings are considered a good variety. A 2 course set lunch costs $38++ and 3 course costs $42++.Here are their recommendations:Starters - Ranger's Valley Wagyu Carpaccio, Pan-Seared Foie Gras, Seared Bay ScallopsMains - Sauteed Japanese Seabream (Fish), Alaskan King Crab Tagliatelle, 36-hour Brandt ShortribsDesserts - Chocolate Fondant, Fresh Fruit MelangeLet's Eat!They will serve bread and butter, which is slightly salted. The bread is freshly toasted and remains warm. Very good, I thoroughly enjoyed this.What I ordered for my setan-Seared Foie GrasSet on top of quince puree and roasted pear, the foie gras was pan-seared to salty. It was a little too salty for me. It was a good texture on the inside, but seemed a little charred on the outside.36-Hour Brandt ShortribsWhen I ordered this dish, I was told that they don't have shortribs, only the beef's rump cut. When it was served, it was saltier because of the truffle miso glaze. I also felt that the field mushrooms were salty, which I felt was unneccessary.I did like the rump cut nevertheless (super meat lover talking), and the rump cut was pretty well cooked.Chocolate FondantThe presentation was lacking, but overlooking that, I went straight to cut into the chocolatey cake, which was supposed to contain a molten caramel core. Nope, nothing flowed out. In fact, the chocolate had been hardened, nothing flowed out except for some oil. It wasn't a pretty sight, and I was utterly disappointed. The banana and rum icecream was also without oomph. This dessert failed badly.My colleague's orders:Ranger's Valley Wagyu Carpaccio (Starters)Topped with shaved parmesan, celery cress, balsamic pearls and thin truffle slices, the truffle slices was the winning factor for this dish, but I had wished the truffle flavour would have been more apparent.Chicken Roulade (Mains)This dish was not bad, set on barley and topped with (supposedly) crispy kale. The kale was not crispy, if it was, this dish would have been much better. By the time it was served, the kale had turned chewy. This was the failing factor for me.Alaskan King Crab Tagliatelle (Mains - no photo, sorry!)Salty. I tried the pasta as well, it wasn't as impressive as it sounds. Contains Alaskan King Crab meat, cooked in pork broth and kombu.Sauteed Japanese Seabream (Mains - no photo, sorry!)Tender fish meat, set on top of creamed leeks, smoked mussels. My colleague enjoyed his seabream.Fresh Fruit Melange (Dessert)The grapefruit shaved ice tasted like orange cordial, over shaved ice. Did I also mention the shaved ice was coarse shaved ice? It was served on top of a dark chocolate bowl.Lemon Meringue Tart (Dessert)While the lemon meringue, topped with fruit bits, had tasted nice, the chocolate pastry it was set on was very hard and not a pleasant combination. Also on the plate, bland tasting acacia honey ice-cream.I waited at least 10 minutes per dish to be served, and it was clear that the kitchen and the floor servers had messed up the orders, making the wait very very long. We were quite unhappy as we were running out of time to go back to the office. Overall, it is not a place I would specially return to eat, especially with such a price, long waiting hours and a confused kitchen crew.Low-DownThe best bit:The bread and butter, as well as the dining surroundings (well, this is pretty pathetic, isn't it?!)The worse bit: The super long wait for the food. The average tasting food. continue reading

Located in Demsey is the White Rabbit. It has a rather decent sized parking lot which is free of charge for customers. The White Rabbit is more of an upscale fine dining place you would take someone to celebrate a special meal with. It is also a beautifully restored 1930s Ebenezer chapel.The White Rabbit resides in a restored old chapel along the stretch of Dempsey Hill. The historical establishment itself is very captivating in creating a unique ‘Alice in Wonderland’ concept of The White Rabbit, attempting to bring you to another world. There's a very cute outdoor dining area lined with lounge chairs. The staff explained that they were setting up a wedding the next door. I can definitely see this place being used for weddings. I am glad that they managed to preserve the stained glass from when this was a place of worship. The atmosphere in the chapel was peaceful and romantic with ceiling lights as well very powerful air conditioning systems. So much so, that they staff offered us ladies, scarves or even warm water instead of cold water.1. Truffle Mac and Cheese with mushrooms $16++Though this is an appetizer portion. It had alot of mac and cheese and thus, became very filling quickly. The amount of truffle added to the mac and cheese was very significant and you could smell and taste it. They were generous with the mushrooms as well! The texture of the cheese was warm enough to enjoy and yet stick all the macaroni together.There was also bread service. I picked tomato basil bread, and since the bread is all freshly baked in house. The bread was piping hot and extremely crisp to begin with. The provided butter melted immediately once I applied it into the bread. 2. Deconstructed Cheese Cake $18++This was an interesting dessert. The wait staff asked me to mix up everything on the plate as there was graham crumble, blueberry sorbet and pop rocks all layered one on top of the other. The cream cheese wasn't too sweet or sour. The pop rock popped in your mouth in every mouthful. It was definitely a surprise for me. I enjoyed that the graham crackers were crumbles instead of a hard crust, that you would find in any typical cheesecake. This way, you could enjoy the graham crackers bit by bit.3. Chocolate Fondant $16++The chocolate fondant consisted of a caramel core lava cake with fruits and banana and rum ice cream. The lava cake wasn't moist on the exterior, but rather it was bread crust like. On the inside, was a small pocket of caramel that flowed out like liquid gold! The banana and rum ice cream was full of creamy goodness. I guess to compliment all the sweet stuff, all the fruits provided were sour?All in all, a very beautiful place to spend time with your loved ones. The food and the ambience are both top notch! continue reading

See my full reviews & photos at = http://chefquak.com/2015/09/30/good-value-set-lunch-the-white-rabbit-on-30sep2015/had lunch today with a long time business associate/friend at the white rabbit at harding road, dempsey on 30.9.2015. ^^this the first time i dined at the white rabbit. there is free parking & the ambience is nice. the restaurant occupied a nicely refurbished old chapel, bright & airy with high ceiling/columns & stained glass windows.there is a ongoing uob 1 for 1 set lunch promotion till 31oct2015 (tues to fri).the set lunch menu included the famous dishes like wagyu carpaccio, seared scallops, alaskan king crab tagliatelle, 60hr mangalica pork belly, 36hr short ribs etc.we had a complimentary roll & butter to start. quite good. restaurant offered additional bread but we declined.i had the wagyu carpaccio. it was very good, one of the better ones (or best) i had.there was shaved parmesan & truffle cream, nice truffle fragrance, sweet, great texture.my friend had the seared bay scallops.it looked great & he said it was good.friend also had the alaskan king crab tagliatelle.i tried a little. pasta was perfect al dente of course. excellent flavours, nice crab sweetness with a bit of bisque veloute, not creamy. i liked the pasta.i had the 60hrs pork belly. read one of the reviews about this special mangalica pork. for myself i don’t think it was naywhere near a good kurobuta in terms of the flavours & marbling.pork was very tender from the slow braise, and the skin was crispy (but if it’s only about crispy skin i would prefer the chinese crackling roast pork over this anytime).the pork overall quite nice though i not much into the white beans & miso broth. i made a tender tasty slow-braised miso belly pork myself so this dish not so wow for me.friend had the chocolate fondant. came with macaron & ice cream.i did not try it. friend said it was good. will try next time the molten caramel.i had the lemon meringue tart.also pretty ok, nothing special. but for the uob 1 for 1 promotion, the price difference between 2-course & 3-course was only S$2, so i took the dessert. continue reading

The White Rabbit has always been name-dropped here and there as serving good food but I never had the chance to visit because of its (past?) infamous 2-weeks-in-advance reservations requirements. It is located in a beauitfully-restored old chapel building at Dempsey area, directly opposite Au Petit Salut. They maintained the stained glass windows and rustic doors, replacing the pews with comfortable booths or tables, transforming the place into a mysterious yet intimate dining haven.After browsing through the menu, I decided to go for the Set Dinner (SGD$98.00++ for 4 course). For my set, I chose the Seared Bay Scallops as my starter, served with sweet shallot confit, white chocolate veloute and sevruga caviar. The white chocolate veloute (the foamy broth surrounding the scallops) was awesome, subtly sweet and complementing the bouncy fresh scallops perfectly.Then I had the Sauteed Foie Gras for appetiser, served with quince puree, roasted pear and spiced sherry gastrique. The butter-like piece of foie gras disintegrated deliciously in the mouth upon contact, spreading over the palate thickly with its rich flavor. It was a superb starter.My selected main course was the 36-Hour Brandt Shortribs, with truffle miso glaze, parsnip puree, field mushrooms and shaved truffles. The crispy exterior was easily torn apart to make way for contact with a succulent interior of fine red meat, so lean and tender. Mushrooms and truffles gave the bittersweet meat a lovely touch of enhancement; it was a beautiful concoction.Finally, time for my dessert - for this, I had the Crepe Suzette, where there was a flambeed tableside performance the service crew prepared the dessert right in front of us. The warm crepes were drenched in an orangey sauce, so they were infused deliciously in a citrusy flavor; the texture was pulpy pieces of flour (good flour); when paired with the vanilla ice-cream it was incredible.For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/04/dinner-at-white-rabbit-dempsey.html continue reading

For full review & more photos - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/04/birthday-dinner-at-white-rabbit.htmlI've been wanting to check this restaurant out since I stumbled upon pictures of its beautiful interiors on the web. I finally got my wish when my sistas asked where I wanna go for my birthday celebrations this year!The White Rabbit restaurant was a former military chapel, the name comes from the rabbit in the novel Alice in Wonderland, which was written in the 1860s, around the same time the British Military took over Dempsey hill and built barracks to house their families there. This century old chapel has been beautifully restored and converted into a modern European diner.We were blown away by the awesome and wonderfully preserved interiors. Majority of the original interior of the chapel was kept, with additions of modern touches such as aircon and furniture, the conversion of the former priest quarters into the kitchen, and the sacred altar into a chic bar counter.They have a main Ala Carte menu, a Drinks menu with a long list of wines and other alcoholic drinks and a handful of non alcoholic beverages. For dinner, they also have a 4 course Prix Fixe menu priced at $98++, additional $58++ for wine pairing option.Warm bread was served right after we were seated. Choice of regular mini baguette or the tomato roll. Check out the pretty looking chilled butter that comes with the bread!I had the tomato roll and it has a soft and fluffy center with crackling crust...nice!4 of my sistas chose the 4 course set dinner while I shared the Black Truffle Roast Free-range Chicken for two $76++ (min 30-40mins waiting time) with one of my sistas. Both of us also ordered sides to go with the chicken.The serving staff presented the freshly roasted whole chicken to us first before whisking it away to the kitchen for carving and plating. The chicken was cooked just right, the meat was tender and moist and very well scented by the generous amount of black truffle mushrooms. The truffle infused natural jus that comes with the chicken was amazing as well...thumbs up!For sides, I picked the English Peas w/ Crisp bacon $8++, while my sista had the Truffle Mac & Cheese $16++. My green peas were disappointingly dry and wrinkled, and bacon bits found in it weren't crispy at all. My sista was very happy with her Mac & Cheese though, and the dish looked fabulous too.The 4 course set dinner consists of a Salad, Starter, Main & Dessert.Salad Niçoise, an ensemble of tuna, french beans, soft boiled egg, potatoes & anchovy. My sista was fine with everything in this salad accept for the fishy anchovy.Wagyu Carpaccio, sprinkled with shaved parmesan, celery cress, balsamic pearls and topped with truffle cream. This was suppose to be TWR's signature Starter dish but 2 out of 3 sistas found the dish too salty for their liking.Another sista topped up $8++ for the premium Starter Foie Gras Duet. Done two ways, salt-cured with apple flan and pan seared with cherry compote. The seared liver was soft and creamy which she liked, but the salted version didn't impress her as much.Seabass en Papillote, fish fillet steamed in a parcel made from baking parchment, infusing it with natural flavor of the assorted vegetables. The fish has a very light taste which goes well with the flavorful and aromatic broth.36-hours Brandt Short Ribs (top up $8++) served with truffle miso glaze, parsnip purée and field mushrooms. The short ribs was very well marinated and tender but the portion was rather small though.Dessert time. White Chocolate Soufflé $18++, made with Valrhona Opalys white chocolate and served with dark chocolate ice cream. The souffle was unusually tall and holds its shape really well, it didn't collapse even after a couple of minutes wait (while we're busy photographing other desserts). Its texture was super fluffy and light as air...this warm dessert pairs impeccably well with the icy cold ice cream. One of the best souffle we had!My dessert choice, Crêpes Suzette with Grand Marnier, Flambéed tableside $18++. We were very excited about the live preparation of this dessert by our tableside. All of us turned into paparazzi for a couple of minutes!After a 'fiery' performance by the restaurant staff, I was elated to see the special plating for my dessert! Beautifully written 'Happy Birthday' on my plate The crepes were soft and fully infused with orange liquor aroma, it has a tangy aftertaste that goes well with the sweet vanilla ice cream...delish.We ordered some drinks during dinner, and I had the French Rose tea $9++. Organic french rose buds was used here, and it was served with a cute little rabbit cookie by the cup.The tea has a powerful rose fragrance and leaves a lovely aroma in my mouth every time I sipped it. A refreshing drink to have with rich tasting food.Some of my sistas had cocktails and mocktails. I got mixed reviews from them in terms of taste, but all of us agreed on the eye-pleasing presentation.Bettina $10++ with lime, orange, lychee, apple in soda, Isabella $10++, a fruity juice with Sarawak pineapple and seasonal grapes and And, Elderflower Grape Fruit Fizz $18++, a mixture of Gin, grapefruit juice, lime juice, elderflower syrup, egg white and club soda.The White Rabbit is an utterly charming place to dine in, the ambiance is 100 marks! Service was excellent, and they do serve magnificent food...if you know what to order. I would say the Ala Carte dishes are more worthwhile than the set meals cos the salad and main courses' portions are kinda lacking (to justify the hefty price tag). I would gladly return to this 'wonderland' to try out their popular weekend brunch! continue reading