Over dinner last night, someone was sharing with me that Gluten Free food is so tasteless. To be honest, I would think so too if I have not been to Verde Kitchen which is a newly opened 32-seat restaurant located at Hilton Singapore level 2. What draws me to this restaurant is how they adopted a holistic and wholesome attitude toward healthy eating while supporting locally grown, organic, certified ingredients as well as sustainable food systems.
I am usually a bread person but I have never fancy Gluten Free bread as the ones that I have tried were dry and tasted like cardboard. But I was rather surprised when I was told that the ones I tried at Verde Kitchen were gluten free. While it was slightly denser than the usual bread we had, it was still slightly chewy (like normal bread). Hence, it has won my heart. For salads, we had the Salmon Sashimi & Pomelo Salad ( $27) and Super Food Grilled Halloumi ($25).These 2 salad were absolutely gorgeous! Salmon Sashimi & Pomelo Salad has a refreshing soy dressing which was a great starter to whet the appetite for the meal ahead while I adore the grilled halloumi which was firm yet savoury. Oh yes, not to forget those caramelised walnut and rocket salad which added a beautiful nuttiness to the Super Food Grilled Halloumi salad.
Low-fat Creamy Broccoli & Kale Soup ($16) was piquant yet creamy. In fact, I think this could be a meal on its own for any small eater.
I could never say no to Pulled Pork Burgers, especially the Free-range Pulled Pork Burger ($28) at Verde Kitchen. True to its belief of healthy eating, all the sandwiches and burgers are served with salad! In fact, I like this combination better as it feels that I am eating cleaner! Oh yes, did I mentioned that the sunflower seed brioche bun was made in house? The bun was soft, fluffy and perfectly paired with that moist and flavoursome pulled pork.
Malay-style Organic Lacto Chicken is definitely one healthier choice of curry you should miss. Not only are these chickens bred without antibiotics and growth hormones and fed with lactobacillus to enhance their immune system, Lacto Chickens also contain less fat and cholesterol! But that is not all, the spicy turmeric curry was packed with flavours yet one would feel that it is not so rich, thick and creamy as compared to the normal curry. In fact, one of my dining partners commented that it was really hearty and worth going back for!
Fish lovers would definitely like Organic Basil-crusted Glacier 51 Tooth Fish ($38). Those who don’t know about toothfish, it is also common known as Chilean Seabass. It is also good to know that the toothfish was from a MSC certified sustainable fishery. I really like how the fish was perfectly cookd and as it was encased with a basil crust, it has this beautiful nice aroma! Oh yes, the mushroom was really fresh and delicious too!
Homemade Gula Melaka Ice Cream ($14) was my favourite among the 3 desserts that we have tried. It was packed with the aroma of the gula melaka and the ingredients that accompanied made me felt like I was eating a deconstructed chendol!
Flourless Chocolate Cake ($14) and Chia Seed & Caramelized Hazelnut Pudding ($14) were 2 gluten free choices that you can opt for but mind you, they are made to end your meal in a perfect sweet note. Made with dark chocolate, Flourless Chocolate Cake was not too sweet and great for any chocolate lovers. Oh yes, do not let the word “flourless” deter you from ordering this dessert as it was moist and rich! While Chia Seed Pudding was known to be slightly more bland, the ones at Verde Kitchen was delicious and has a more sago pudding texture than a chia seed pudding texture which I am perfectly fine with. The caramelized hazelnut also added a sweet and nutty flavour to this dessert.
Chef Vijayakant Shanmugam has placed great emphasize on making 98 percent of the menu items from scratch in-house every day. Although I am not too concern with 60 percent of seafood served being sustainably sourced or having chicken and eggs that are certified organic, free-range and lacto-free, I like the flavours of the food served in Verde Kitchen and the idea of how healthy food can be delicious too. With my resolution of being healthier and getting fitter, Verde Kitchen is definitely one of the restaurant on the top of my list to be back.
Verde Kitchen @ Hilton Singapore
581 Orchard Rd, Level 2, Hilton Singapore, Singapore 238883
Tel: +65 6730 3397
Operating Hours: 10.30am to 5.30pm Mon to Sat
Tel: +65 6730 3397
Email: VerdeKitchen@hilton.com.
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