Note: Graze is now closed.

One of the good things about living in Singapore is that there are so many restaurants around. Even though I eat out quite often, it is still impossible for me to try all of them.

The new Graze at 38 Martin Road (sister to the original Graze at Rochester Park) is a relatively new restaurant, and I’ve been wanting to go there since my visit to KHA next door.

Graze is actually quite close to my ideal restaurant. It is classy, elegant, sexy, romantic, and modern. It’s the kind of place where you can go for a business luncheon, a romantic date, a laid-back weekend brunch, and even a private party.

There are some restaurants that offer a huge variety of options, but they mostly end up serving mediocre food. I like the fact that Graze kept it simple; there are only a few dishes under each section of the menu.

We started with a salad and Sumac Seared Scallops ($19). They were enough to keep us occupied while waiting for the mains to come.

Graze is known for their grilled items. Go for the 240g Wagyu Rump Steak ($64), or even better, the 1kg Black 250 day grain-fed Angus Rib ($128) if you are feeling hungry. Otherwise, the other main courses like the signature Pan-Seared Barramundi ($34) and Oven-Baked Sea Bass ($32) are worth a try too.

I was actually eyeing the Wagyu Rump Steak, but ended up getting the Jumbo Tiger Prawns ($34) as my dining companion was craving for seafood. Luckily, it turned out to be quite good. The prawns were juicy and meaty, and the skinny frites were equally addictive.

“How are we supposed to finish this?” I thought to myself, as this humongous monster arrived on the table. We watched as the butter slowly melt on top of the 300g Victorian Berkshire Kurobuta Pork Chop ($45).

I lurveee the roast vine-ripened cherry tomatoes that came along as a side. They were extremely sweet, and when I bit into them, they shot a gallon of juice into my mouth. Kurobuta pork with vine-ripened tomatoes? I think I’m in love.

The two of us shared four desserts: Pina Colada ($14) – coconut parfait with crispy wafer; Apple Tarte Tatin ($13) – served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; Black and White ($15) – Valrhona dark chocolate cream paired with vanilla bean ice cream; and Steamed Dark Chocolate Pudding ($15) – somewhat like a pudding version of Chocolate Lava Cake.

Among them, my favourite was definitely the Apple Tarte Tatin ($13). Every bite was better than the previous one, and before we knew it, we’d pretty much scraped the plate clean.

Graze at Martin Road (near Robertson Quay) is one of those places that I’d classify as semi fine dining: you pay fine dining prices to eat decent food in a slightly casual (and cosy) environment. As much as I like the ambience of the place, the price is not exactly affordable; I’ll most likely go back for dinner during a special occasion, but I definitely want to try their brunch on weekends.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Graze restaurant
38 Martin Road
Tel: +65 6509 1680

Lunch: Tue to Fri 12pm – 3pm
Dinner: Tue to Sat 6pm – 11pm
Brunch: Sat & Sun 10am – 4pm

Note: This was an invited media tasting.

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Updated on 23 Apr 2014: 1 Caramel is no longer in operations.

1 Caramel Patisserie used to be located at The Luxe at Handy road (besides The Cathay). They have since shifted to Rochester Park, sharing the space with their sister restaurant, 1 Rochester.

With only a few tables in a narrow rectangular space, 1 Caramel dessert boutique at Rochester Park is much smaller than before. But I like the cosy feel of the new outlet; it is a lovely dessert place to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake for a quiet afternoon high tea.

I lurveee to be in a kitchen of a patisserie. It makes me feel as though I’m in Disneyland. We were browsing the cakes on display as the Hazelnut Praline ($6) called out to me. I immediately knew that was the cake that we had to get.

But for the other cakes, we had a hard time trying to decide between tempting choices like the Tea-ramisu ($6), Chocolate Molten Cake ($14) and Earl Grey Creme Brulee ($14). In the end, we had a Lychee Cupcake, Vanilla Souffle and a Strawberry shortcake to go together with the Hazelnut Praline.

I had fond memories of their Lychee Rose cake, so I was hoping that the Lychee Rose Cupcake ($3.5) could replicate some of the magic. Unfortunately, the cupcake was way too dry, and I didn’t enjoy it very much.

Let’s observe five minutes of silence for the fallen souffle…

It was really fun to watch the rise and fall of the Soufflé, but other than that, we were not blown away by the dessert. Don’t get me wrong, though. The Vanilla Souffle ($14) with strawberry ice cream was not bad, but for the price, we were expecting a little more. Expectations are the root of all problems. That said, 1 Caramel has interesting options like hazelnut, passionfruit, and miso souffle.

I really liked 1 Caramel’s Strawberry Shortcake ($6). I liked the flaky pastry around the cake. I liked how it is different from the usual strawberry shortcakes. I liked the combination of fluffy sponge cake and strawberry bits.

This is definitely going into my list of best strawberry shortcakes in Singapore.

Besides cakes and desserts, 1 Caramel Patisserie at Rochester Park also serves all day brunch like Eggs Benedict ($12), Pancakes ($12), Croque Monsieur ($12), and French Toast ($10).

Singapore Food Blog Review
1 Caramel Dessert Boutique
1 Rochester Park, Level 2
Tel: +65 6774 1302
Weekday: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Weekend: 10am – 10.30pm

For more recommendations, please read my list of best dessert places in Singapore

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“Have you tried Da Paolo’s tiramisu? It’s the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

I have always wanted to go Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar because of the tiramisu. All my friends who had it before have nothing but praise for their tiramisu.

Like the other Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar offers a superb al fresco dining option. It’s great for dinner (maybe not for lunch under the scorching sun), otherwise you can always choose to dine indoor.

Da Paolo Bistro Bar at Rochester Bar is a cross between their restaurant and pizza bar. The restaurant has two open kitchens, with the pizza bar being positioned near the entrance of the restaurant and the main kitchen on the further end.

It has a very extensive pizza menu which includes selections: Pizza Bolognese with tomato, mozzarella, minced beef, béchamel and parmesan – Pizza Salmone with tomato, mozzarella, smoked salmon, mushrooms and pesto – Pizza Napoletana with tomato, mozzarella, capers, anchovies and oregano; and folded pizzas: Calzone Prosciutto e Funghi with mozzarella, mushrooms and cooked ham.

My brother chose the Pizza Mozzarella di bufala e crudo ($25) which has buffalo mozzarella, parma ham, sliced tomatoes and basil. We also shared the Pizza frutti di mare ($20) with tomato, mozzarella and seafood. Out of the two pizzas that we had, I would pick the latter as the spread of seafood (calamari, salmon, prawn and mussel) was more appealing in taste and flavor.

Da Paolo’s Tagliatelle al granchio ($26) was excellent. The home made egg pasta with crabmeat, tomatoes, cream and vodka was creamy yet not too heavy, and every slurp of the pasta was so good.

I felt powerless when the waiter brought the famous Da Paolo’s Tiramisu ($10) to our table. Thankfully, the tiramisu didn’t disapppint. It was fantastic, and wasn’t soggy like ordinary tiramisu and the marscapone was light and airy. I scrambled to lick my dessert spoon clean.

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The pizza at Da Paolo is good, but not great. I won’t go all the way just to have them, but it’s a different story if I’m in the Rochester Park area. When it comes to Italian-style Pizzas in Singapore, my pick will still be Bella Pizza at Robertson Quay. While they are both Italian restaurants that specialized in Pizza and have a similar price-point, it’s not fair to compare them since I didn’t order the same pizza.

Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar at Rochester Park is a nice chill out place after work, and you must order the tiramisu! Which is your favorite Italian restaurant for Pizza?

Singapore Food Restaurant Review
Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar
3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

// Da Paolo group has other dining concepts like Da Paolo La Terrazza, Da Paolo Pizza Bar, Da Paolo Dolci, and Da Paolo Gastronomia at Chip Bee Garden.

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Rochester Park was promoted as the next Dempsey Hill dining destination when they first started. Restaurants like Cassis fine dining French restaurant, Pinchos Tapas Bar, Twenty + One Patisserie have come and go, while the other main stewards like One Rochester and Da Paolo are still going strong. Are the Singapore Rochester Park Restaurants over-hyped? Or do they deserve more publicity?

Here’s a complete guide to the Restaurants in Rochester Park Singapore:

Da Paolo Bistro Bar

“Da Paolo restaurant has the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

My friend proudly declared, and no, she doesn’t work for them. Among the Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo is the one that I want to go next. In case you are not aware, the Da Paolo group also has other restaurants in Chip Bee Garden.

3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

Krish The Restaurant

Krish is a fine dining restaurant which offers South Asia influenced European cuisine. In short, it means Western food with an Indian twist.

9 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6779 4644

Min Jiang @ One North

Located at the fringe of Rochester Park, Min Jiang which is a fine dining Chinese restaurant has another branch at Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore. I have been wanting to try their famous Peking Duck and dim sum. All right, I don’t care. I am going there the next time I have cravings for Peking Duck.

5 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 0122

North Border Bar & Grill

A friend told me that North Border Bar & Grill’s serves very value for money set lunches. With choices like lamb shank and steak on the menu, the 2 course set lunch at $21.90++ looks like a good deal. Folks working in the area can come here when you have a long lunch break.

2 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6777 6618

Onaka

Unless you walk right to the end of Rochester Park, you will probably not see Onaka Cafe. I only found out about it when I was surfing online. Has anyone tried the food here?

44 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6778 0246

One Rochester

One Rochester is under the same management 1 Caramel Patisserie and 1 Twenty Six at Big Splash East Coast Park. I have tried their Communal Coast menu at the latter. While it is rather expensive at $70++ per person, One Rochester restaurant is well known for their ambiance.

1 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 0070

Rochester House

The newest kid on the block, Rochester House is a 3-in-1 concept. Rochester Park Cafe is a kids friendly restaurant which has an indoor and outdoor playground (called The Playhouse) for patrons to keep their kids entertained while they enjoy their meals.

7 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 1312

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If you are a big fan of green al fresco dining in Singapore, I believe you will like the Rochester Park Restaurants that are housed in Colonial buildings. Now, tell me: which restaurant in Rochester Park have you been to, and which one are you going to try next?

Dining Guides of Restaurants in Singapore:
Chip Bee Gardens Restaurants
Dempsey Road Restaurants
Greenwood Avenue Restaurants
Holland Village Restaurants
Orchard Road Restaurants
Sunset Way Restaurants