Chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket describes his cuisine as Modern Singaporean.

Despite Wild Rocket being around for 6 years – I have yet to step into the doors of this establishment till now. On the other hand, K has been there a couple of times so we relied on some of her experiences and recommendations.

The restaurant has a modern and clean-cut design – with some rustic feel. Being located at the lobby of a travelers’ hostel (Hangout @ Emily), it is not surprising that the restaurant is not a big one and with very limited parking space.

The Executive Set Lunch Menu offers 3 Courses at $35++ while the Set Lunch Menu offers 3 Courses at $28++. The difference in the executive and the normal set menu is that the former offers more premium appetizer & main course selections, as well as the option to select any dessert from the a la carte menu. It was great they have the set menus because looking at their extensive a la carte menu – I wouldn’t have been able to make up my mind! However, I did wish they had the Laksa Pasta in their set menu.

SALMON CARPACCIO on octopus & bonito spiced brown rice – this dish was interestingly served in a wooden bowl with chopsticks and spoon. Every scoopful was a burst of flavors and texture. Frankly, I am not a fan of brown rice and never thought I would enjoy brown rice this way! The small pieces of squid among the rice is a very smart combination – the chewiness of the squid lifted the otherwise predictable texture of the brown rice. Salmon carpaccio was good – as expected. Arguably my favorite dish of the day!

HERBAL PORK RIB BAK KUT TEH consomme with foie gras & pork wanton –  the wanton was like a mini packet filled with tender pork – a very interesting deviation from our usual wanton filled with minced meat. Consomme was light but bak kut teh flavor was distinct. What we could not understand was the foie gras – if the intention was to add a western touch to the dish, we personally felt the 2 did not marry well. Nevertheless, a good starter.

DEEP FRIED HOMEMADE EGG TOFU with century egg sauce – we did not enjoy this dish. The flour batter was thick like that of Fish & Chips – not how we wanted our tofu to be. Unfortunately, the century egg puree did not help.

ROAST CHILEAN SEABASS with chai po confit on light congee – The result of integrating one of my favorite chinese condiment with one of my favorite fish was a complete success! The moderately oily nature of the seabass compliments the chai po very well (think: Chwee Kueh) – combine these with some congee at the base which did a great job at balancing the saltiness – this dish is a classic display of how Chef Willin cleverly combines local flavors with western fare! I LIKE.

CRABMEAT LINGUINI with chilli tomato cream  – a generous serving of crab with spicy tomato base was served up. Pasta was slightly past al dente but I enjoyed the dish as it is not overly rich. My lunch companions however thought that the dish could be better if the sauce is less viscous or if a little more cream was added (think: Da Paolo Pasta with Crabmeat).

WILD ROCKET BURGER with sun-dried tomato relish – I found it an average burger – nothing more. Besides, the burger was not medium rare as per requested.

(Right) WILD ROCKET STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE – served in a martini glass, this deconstructed cheesecake is such a brilliant concept! Not a cheesecake lover but I enjoyed every mouthful of this because it was not overwhelmingly cheesy/rich – instead, it has a good mix of crumbs, fruit jam, ice cream.
(Left) PINK GRAPEFRUIT CHAMPAGNE JELLY with calamansi granita & pamelo –  to me, this is perfect after a hearty meal like the one we had. It reminded me of the jelly cocktail dessert sold in any hawker centre – complete with shaved ice. However, my lunch companions found it too bland and wished this dessert was more aesthetically pleasing (the real deal wasn’t quite as nice as how it looks in the picture above, actually).

LYCHEE MARTINI WHITE CHOCOLATE TART – there was a very weak presence of Martini in this dessert – my lunch companions could barely detect it. Other than that, I could not find anything that I did not like about this dessert except that I would prefer something more refreshing – given that the portions of all the courses reminded me of how they serve it up in US!

Overall, we had a highly satisfying meal. However, we thought we would have enjoyed ourselves more if we did not leave the restaurant feeling so stuffed. Also, K highlighted that Wild R have had “better days” – presentation used to be more exquisite and food more delightful. But given such good value – I wouldn’t be complaining!

Wild Rocket
Tel: +65 633 99448 (Reservations Recommended)
Add: Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily, Hangout Hotel, 10A Upper Wilkie Road, S(228119)
Opening Hours: Tue thru Sat, 12pm-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm/ Sunday, 11.30am to 3pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm (Closed on Mon)
Spend: $35++ Per Pax (3-Course Executive Lunch Menu)