Think Parsley & Thyme the next time if you’re searching for reasonably-priced European food in town. The friendly restaurant is a 30-seater cosy restaurant featuring a mix of European and Mediterranean cuisine, nestled away along a row of shop houses along Kampong Bahru Road.
Under the guidance of previous Dutch Chef–Owner Dennis Kool, Chef Daryl has worked in a couple of leading European restaurants before taking over #Parsley&Thyme…….
………… and here’s Ricky, father of Chef Darryl, serving us wines.
For the dinner tasting, two appetizers & wines were served for a start:
A favourite with unanimous votes went to the restaurant’s Grilled Calamari @ SGD 12. It’s easy to ruin squids on a grill, but the garlic-seasoned calamari was grilled supremely well with a smokey taste using an open-flame griller. Although served with a side of salad & tartare sauce, the #calamari was good on its own. Trust me, you don’t need any dressing. ★★★★★
Pairing with the seafood was the Allan Scott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from New Zealand. The #SauvignonBlanc has hints of pineapples & passionfruit. The entry onto the palate is smooth & fruit driven, which accelerates through to a mid-palate burst of energy from the firm lively acidity.
Slices of smoked duck breast plated with hues of colourful vegetables is the Smoked Duck Salad @ SGD 12, a Chef’s Recommendation. The salad has an interesting mixed of citrus fruits like grapefuits & mixed greens tossed in a star anise dressing with fennel seeds. ★★★★☆
The Ochagavia Raices Nobles Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 was served with our meat dishes. Made from old-growth vines in Alto Maipo, this #CabernetSauvignon is intense in its ruby red colour. The #RaicesNobles displays characters of cherries, chocolate & vanilla.
Parsley & Theme’s French Onion Soup @ SGD 9 has recently been picked as one of the best soups in Singapore by I-S Magazine & came highly recommended. Unfortunately, I do not like the pungent taste of onion in a soup. Regrettably, I opted for their Lobster Bisque @ SGD 9 which was a let-down. The bisque lacked hint of lobster & was served lukewarm. I also like my bisque to have bits of seafood, but I found none inside mine. Perhaps I should've been more adventurous & went for their recommended French Onion instead. ★★★☆☆
Diners that evening felt that the Prawn Aglio Olio @ SGD 22 didn’t taste like any #AglioOlio we’ve eaten elsewhere. Perhaps it was the lack of garlic. The tiger prawns with linguine pasta, sautéed in a light garlic prawn oil, was just doable. I would've given it a 4-star rating if the name of the dish is something like 'Prawn Linguine', but it gets only ★★★☆☆ as an Aglio Olio.
The restaurant’s Pork Ragu @ SGD 18 took the center stage in this pasta dish. The slow-braised shredded pork with #penne, with its full-bodied red wine cream sauce was everything it should be. Each bite returned with an irresistible tangy flavour that whetted our appetite. Could’ve been better if the penne weren’t so hard, although I do like my pasta Al Dente. A classic comfort food that deserves my full rating! ★★★★★
Another Chef’s Recommendation is the Seafood Stew @ SGD 27. I’m a fan of seafood stew, but this dish was also unlike any I’d tried. Another diner also thought the main course was a tat too sweet. I reckoned it was due to the selection of tomatoes? A sourish tinge would've been great. To me, the saffron-infused tomato stew resembled more of a Japanese curry as the broth was just too thick. But I do appreciate the effort made to add on a healthy side dish of grilled vegetables. ★★★☆☆
Desserts @ SGD 9 each - Strawberry Bavarois, Caramel Panna Cotta & Nutella Chocolate Mousse.
The Caramel Panna Cotta makes the spotlight in this threesome affair. You would’ve thought the Caramel dessert would be the sweetest, but it turned out to be the favourite among us. Send your spoon into the #PannaCotta custard, & bite into the light & crunchy cinnamon crumble toppings with a layer of apple compote in between. The creation is out of the world; a huge contrast compared to the other two which were overly sweet. ★★★★★
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Dramatic red hues & warm lightings set a cozy ambience in this restaurant. Although not everything succeeded, few of the dishes were a real knock-out. Coupled with the affordable pricing & intimate service, Parsley & Thyme sets to create a pleasant dining experience for any occasion.
Parsley & Thyme
61 Kampong Bahru Road
Singapore 169368
Tel: +65 6226 2801
Under the guidance of previous Dutch Chef–Owner Dennis Kool, Chef Daryl has worked in a couple of leading European restaurants before taking over #Parsley&Thyme…….
………… and here’s Ricky, father of Chef Darryl, serving us wines.
For the dinner tasting, two appetizers & wines were served for a start:
A favourite with unanimous votes went to the restaurant’s Grilled Calamari @ SGD 12. It’s easy to ruin squids on a grill, but the garlic-seasoned calamari was grilled supremely well with a smokey taste using an open-flame griller. Although served with a side of salad & tartare sauce, the #calamari was good on its own. Trust me, you don’t need any dressing. ★★★★★
Pairing with the seafood was the Allan Scott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from New Zealand. The #SauvignonBlanc has hints of pineapples & passionfruit. The entry onto the palate is smooth & fruit driven, which accelerates through to a mid-palate burst of energy from the firm lively acidity.
Slices of smoked duck breast plated with hues of colourful vegetables is the Smoked Duck Salad @ SGD 12, a Chef’s Recommendation. The salad has an interesting mixed of citrus fruits like grapefuits & mixed greens tossed in a star anise dressing with fennel seeds. ★★★★☆
The Ochagavia Raices Nobles Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 was served with our meat dishes. Made from old-growth vines in Alto Maipo, this #CabernetSauvignon is intense in its ruby red colour. The #RaicesNobles displays characters of cherries, chocolate & vanilla.
Parsley & Theme’s French Onion Soup @ SGD 9 has recently been picked as one of the best soups in Singapore by I-S Magazine & came highly recommended. Unfortunately, I do not like the pungent taste of onion in a soup. Regrettably, I opted for their Lobster Bisque @ SGD 9 which was a let-down. The bisque lacked hint of lobster & was served lukewarm. I also like my bisque to have bits of seafood, but I found none inside mine. Perhaps I should've been more adventurous & went for their recommended French Onion instead. ★★★☆☆
Diners that evening felt that the Prawn Aglio Olio @ SGD 22 didn’t taste like any #AglioOlio we’ve eaten elsewhere. Perhaps it was the lack of garlic. The tiger prawns with linguine pasta, sautéed in a light garlic prawn oil, was just doable. I would've given it a 4-star rating if the name of the dish is something like 'Prawn Linguine', but it gets only ★★★☆☆ as an Aglio Olio.
The restaurant’s Pork Ragu @ SGD 18 took the center stage in this pasta dish. The slow-braised shredded pork with #penne, with its full-bodied red wine cream sauce was everything it should be. Each bite returned with an irresistible tangy flavour that whetted our appetite. Could’ve been better if the penne weren’t so hard, although I do like my pasta Al Dente. A classic comfort food that deserves my full rating! ★★★★★
Another Chef’s Recommendation is the Seafood Stew @ SGD 27. I’m a fan of seafood stew, but this dish was also unlike any I’d tried. Another diner also thought the main course was a tat too sweet. I reckoned it was due to the selection of tomatoes? A sourish tinge would've been great. To me, the saffron-infused tomato stew resembled more of a Japanese curry as the broth was just too thick. But I do appreciate the effort made to add on a healthy side dish of grilled vegetables. ★★★☆☆
Desserts @ SGD 9 each - Strawberry Bavarois, Caramel Panna Cotta & Nutella Chocolate Mousse.
The Caramel Panna Cotta makes the spotlight in this threesome affair. You would’ve thought the Caramel dessert would be the sweetest, but it turned out to be the favourite among us. Send your spoon into the #PannaCotta custard, & bite into the light & crunchy cinnamon crumble toppings with a layer of apple compote in between. The creation is out of the world; a huge contrast compared to the other two which were overly sweet. ★★★★★
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Dramatic red hues & warm lightings set a cozy ambience in this restaurant. Although not everything succeeded, few of the dishes were a real knock-out. Coupled with the affordable pricing & intimate service, Parsley & Thyme sets to create a pleasant dining experience for any occasion.
Parsley & Thyme
61 Kampong Bahru Road
Singapore 169368
Tel: +65 6226 2801
Nice review of the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteGood !
Rajiv, thks again & have a good week!
DeleteWould love to try the calamari! I'll skip the aglio olio thank you... since it lacked of the garlicky flavor
ReplyDeleteKen, hahaha! With lots of garlic for me too :)
DeleteThe grilled calamari looks good to me too. The #Sauvignon Blanc had certainly caught my attention - hmmm.... hint of pineapple and passion fruits .....sounds tasty to me.
ReplyDeleteDS, do check out their set lunches if u're in town!
DeleteBeautiful ambiance with equally stunning dishes. I don't care much about pastas but the grilled calamari is really what I like to try.
ReplyDeleteNava, awesome! Hope u'll like it as much.
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous, I was anxiously waiting for this post. That looks insanely delicious
ReplyDeletecquek, glad u like it! Have a good day!
DeleteSuch a wonderful dining experience!~
ReplyDeleteKylie, thks dear!
DeleteThe food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteTrishie, u can chk out the place next time u're in SG.
DeletePrice wise it's considered affordable. Food looks good.
ReplyDeleteKathy, yap! Their set lunches are value for money too.
DeleteEverything looked nice and very delicious especially the desserts~!! Slurrps!
ReplyDeleteTM, hahaha! Enjoy your week making your nice bentos :)
DeleteI've heard of this spot. A rare find in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteYL, cool! Thks for sharing your thoughts!
DeleteHi Shirley, How you doing ?
ReplyDeletePlease take note of the post about Kinokuniya book store in Dubai in my blog. I heard Kinokuniya Singapore is also awesome ;1
Rajiv, Kinokuniya is indeed very popular here. Thks for the heads-up & will hop over when I've cleared my stuff on hand!
Deletethe best aglio alio i've tasted so far is at Brooklyn restaurant in my town. it's yummy! :D
ReplyDeleteAemy, it's good to hear that! Have a good week, sweetie!
DeleteHi Shirley, very delectable spread. I love the luscious dessert. :))
ReplyDeleteAmelia, u can check out this place when u visit your daughter next time ^_^
DeleteIm hungry just looking at the photos
ReplyDeletePepper, I'm also getting hungry now! Supper time?? Heehee!
Delete