OChre Orchard Central, Singapore Italian Restaurant

May 13, 2010 | 15 Comments

Australia Lamb Rack

OChre Orchard Central’s Agello – Australian Lamb Chops

When it comes to dining in Orchard Central, there are so many restaurants and eateries that we are really spoilt for choices. There’s a couple of restaurants at Orchard Central that I have been wanting to check out; for instance I have heard a lot of good things about Ootoya Japanese restaurant but the long queue always puts me off.

Like what I mentioned in my previous blog post on the Best Singapore Italian restaurants, I have been going to many Italian restaurants recently, one of which was OChre at Orchard Central.

When Mr Gadget was in town back in March, dweam and I brought him to OChre – an Italian restaurant on the 11th floor of Orchard Central. It seems inappropriate to start my introduction by jumping straight into the main course, but the picture of the Almond and herb breaded Australian lamb chops ($34) was too irresistible.

Beef foie gras

Rossini on right, Fegato Grasso on left

And then it was foie gras, and more foie gras! Our appetizer was the Fegato Grasso ($27), hot and cold foie gras. It was the virgin experience for both my dining companions when it comes to foie gras.

I was like, “Oh my god, how can you guys never tried foie gras before?”

It’s definitely one of the must-try food in the world! All of us preferred the hot foie gras, with a texture and taste that was consistent with the melt-in-the-mouth effect. On the other hand, the cold foie gras was a bit too much for us to stomach, with an overbearing gamey liver taste.

One of the main course that we ordered was the Rossini ($36). Done medium, the seared grass fed beef tenderloin also came with a piece of caramelized foie gras that sat smudgy on top. A bite of beef tenderloin and a bit of foie gras, I can’t think of a better combination!

Scallop carpaccio

If the chef is the artist, then surely the Doppio Carpaccio ($22) will be the piece of artwork. It was so pretty that we did not know where to start. Essentially it was a double carpaccio of Hokkaido Scallop and Parma Prosciutto. I’m a sucker for all things pretty, this is a feast for the eyes as much as for the stomach.

OChre Italian Pizza

I couldn’t remember which pizza we had. All I knew was that: it was thin crust, with a very subtle tomato base topped with wild rocket.

Red Snapper Fillet

The Acqua Pazza ($32) was the most disappointing among the three main courses that we shared. Fillet of red snapper braised in broth of clams, anchovy, capers and dried tomato – it was exceptionally ordinary.

OChre Italian Pasta

Luckily, the Squid Ink Pasta and Duck Risotto were much better. The pasta was infused with squid ink and tossed in tomato sauce, the Squid ink pasta is one of my all time favorite pasta! We were intrigued by the Duck risotto, thin slices of duck meat were prepared with the risotto and lots of cheese, it’s very creamy and delicious!

Best Tiramisu Singapore

It will be foolish to have an Italian dinner without trying the Tiramisu ($11). OChre’s rendition was generous not only in portion, but also in terms of the alcohol level. Give me a tiramisu and I will be a happy boy!

One of the must-order dessert at OChre Orchard Central will be the smooth and bouncy Pannacotta ($11). In addition to that, we also had the Creme Brulee ($10), which came in a trio of orange/espresso/pistachio flavors. Personally I preferred the orange over the other two flavors.

OChre Orchard Central

OChre Orchard Central has a complicated system in placed; there’s two different menus with the degustation set dinner menu at $68 per head for the interior dining, and the causal ala carte bar menu for the al fresco dining area.

In short, it means that you must order the set dinner menu to dine indoors. At $68, the dinner set menu includes antipasto, soup, pasta, main course and two desserts. While prices for the ala carte menu are around the $20s for appetizers and pastas, and $30-ish for main courses.

OChre Restaurant Orchard Central

While the complicated system ‘forced’ customers to have the degustation menu; dining at OChre Italian Restaurant at Orchard Central is pleasant and doesn’t have the fine dining vibe. It will be better classified as a semi-fine dining Italian restaurant, and I wouldn’t mind having dinner at the breezy al fresco area.

From what I understand, OChre’s chef Kentaro Torii has been trained in Japan and Italy, naturally there’s a blend of the Japanese cuisine with Italian food. OChre Italian restaurant is a good option for a romantic dinner, with prices being slightly above mid range.

Which restaurants at Orchard Central will you recommend me to go next?

Restaurant Review
OChre Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#11-03/04 Orchard Central
Tel: +65 6634 0423
(Note: This was an invited tasting session)

Comments

15 Responses to “OChre Orchard Central, Singapore Italian Restaurant”

missyeley
May 13th, 2010 @ 1:23 pm

I MUST BE A FOOL!
Carlos
May 13th, 2010 @ 3:39 pm

Great Post Brad. Picking up tips for my own blog at foodiemanila.com! Looks like a place I must go to next time I visit!
Yuan L Zahir
May 13th, 2010 @ 10:41 pm

i happen to be goin down on sat for ym BD dinner !
linjie
May 14th, 2010 @ 1:19 pm

The tiramisu looks so tempting! hehehe
ladyironchef - Singapore Food Blog
May 16th, 2010 @ 3:15 am

missyeley: Why are you a fool?

carlos: thanks dude, yea you shld check it out when u are in town and craving for italian food!

Yuan: how was your dinner? hope u had a good time yeah?

linjie: hahahaha sounds like you are quite a fan of tiramisu? do check out the place when u are at orchard central : )
Arnoldo aka Mr.Gadget aka Fong Sai Yuk
May 16th, 2010 @ 8:07 pm

I’m going to sound very NOT connoiseurish here but the Goose Liver thing…bleh… sorry.

Everyone else was delicioso

Thank for taking us out here Brad. The owner was friendly and ambience very romantic – too bad you spoiled it for me and Val… kidding!!

Love the photos maestro.
Yewon
May 17th, 2010 @ 11:08 am

Chef Kentaro Torii is sooo cute
Maria
May 18th, 2010 @ 12:05 am

Looks like a fantastic place!
ladyironchef - Singapore Food Blog
May 18th, 2010 @ 2:17 am

arnold: we must have the foie gras the next time u are in singapore! i will love to see the look on yr face again! : D

yewon: AHA! did you get to take a picture with him?

Maria: Yeah it is a great place to have a good dinner
nicole
May 18th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm

Thanks Brad for reviewing this restaurant. Noticed it when I was in Orchard Central. I am so tempted to give it a try
ladyironchef - Singapore Food Blog
May 19th, 2010 @ 3:49 pm

No problem nicole, have fun trying it : )
seamoth
May 22nd, 2010 @ 11:30 pm

i just had dinner at ochre tonight. the service was unbelievably poor for a restaurant that wasn’t even full. they gave away our table because we were FIVE minutes late. they had another table ready for us within five minutes, which begs the question: why give away our table in the first place? the food was merely mediocre and the service slow. i’m definitely NEVER going back.
foodie
June 10th, 2010 @ 3:56 pm

I had the squink ink pasta and the exact pizza in your photos! I totally agree with you that those 2 are pure signatures. The taste was heavenly and beyond words (: Oh and i heard they’re having a 1-for-1 pizza lunch promotion! Sadly, its only on weekdays and my office is too far a distance from OC. Service was great. Adi was the person-in-charge and he was so friendly, helpful and patient in giving us recommendations. Your cup of water never runs empty cos it will be refilled promptly. Ambience was exquisite. It was like being in a fine-dining place with not way off the top prices.
ladyironchef - Singapore Food Blog
June 12th, 2010 @ 12:05 pm

seamoth: So sorry to hear about your bad experience at the restaurant. I cannot stand restaurants that do not take their reservations system properly too.

foodie: glad you enjoyed it! yeah the 1-for-1 lunch promotion was on when I went there, not so sure if it’s still available now.
Usagi
July 16th, 2011 @ 10:42 pm

I did write in Japanese because I want Japanese people to know I had a horrible dinner. I’m Japanese and Im so disappointed that Japanese chef did like that…. I’ve never had such a bad serves before… I did write comment on Japanese site so pls read it.