The Vintage Room: Laid back sophistication and delicious cocktails
PUBLISHED May 27th, 2013 03:11 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:34 pm
As Le Petit Cancale was gaining critics’ disfavour with its snobbish menu and obstinate focus on Brittany seafood, Deliciae Hospitality Management was already steering the Duxton Hill establishment in a new direction. The Vintage Room is its new reincarnation, and this time, the same group behind La Cantine and Sabio seem to have hit the right notes.
If you’re not up for the flood of expats at Lucha Loco or the high-brow dining at L’Entrecote, The Vintage Room is your perfect post-work hangout. It is intimate but not too close for comfort, relaxing but not too shabby. Cast iron lampshades, retro tiles, vintage posters and faded Persian rugs fashion the quaint Champagne bar with a touch of Moulin Rouge whimsy, mixed with a dash of laidback sophistication. It presses the right buttons, and you feel relaxed the moment you step in.
The food and drinks, too, implore you to chill the night away – nibbles and sharing platters dominate the clipboard menu. You will also surely find a drink that takes your fancy from 22 types of Champagnes and an extensive wine and spirit list.
We loved the range of simple but tasty tartines on offer. Goat cheese and caramelized onions with Bayonne ham ($17) with judicious tang and sweetness. Sitting atop slices of rye-like Poilane toast, the shavings of chewy, lean ham were piquant and lip-smacking good. Classic Mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto ($16) were a healthy yet hearty trinity to worship – the lovely cross between a Margherita pizza and a tomato crostini was heavenly. The philosophy of minimal cooking with maximum flavour reared its head again in a Vegetarian tartine ($13); the sweetness from the medley of juicy peppers, mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes were teased out from a light bask on the grill.
The restaurant’s sharing platters are also clear winners. While the Mix of cold cuts ($38) was a lesson in charcuterie appreciation, from the florid perfume of Andouille sausage to the welcome richness of the fatty duck strands in a rilette, the Seafood platter ($38) offered a lighter counterpoint. Sharp herring, toasty trout and little anchovies with a blue cheese funk were preserved to the point where new flavours were developing, a feat in sly disguise, credit to Group Executive Chef Damien Le Bihan.
While sharing of food is clearly the modus operandi here, you have to be selfish with the cocktails, just to make sure the delicious beverages don’t get all slurped up by your dining neighbours. A Caesar Ritz ($15) was floral, sweet and tropical at once, with elderflower liquor tamed by lime juice in this vodka- or gin-based tipple. Another libation worth indulging in is the ‘V’ Style Mojito ($14), with its muddled strawberries and mint accented with a tantalizing tingle from ginger and pretty strong rum.
Since opening on 2 April, The Vintage Room might not have amassed critical fan following, but do watch out for this one. Olivier Bendel, founder of Deliciae Hospitality Management, is hardly the sort to throw in the towel till the kinks are knocked out. He’s a feisty one, judging from how he’s scoring big time with his other establishments.
Your role as a diner? Take a breather, slink down on one of the vintage couches, and feast to your heart’s content. The Vintage Room, is exactly that.
Written by Mr Nom Nom.
On this occasion the drinks, bites and photos were compliments of The Vintage Room.
