PUBLISHED October 17th, 2020 05:00 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 02:59 pm
One of the pioneers that kickstarted the natural wine revolution in Singapore, the aptly named RVLT celebrated their third birthday on Carpenter Street less than a month ago. And with this milestone – in Singapore it’s certainly one – they’ve launched an all-new food concept that’s reflective of having become a true blue local gastro wine bar.
Their philosophy of drinking raw and real with a focus on quality, sustainability and natural produce has certainly extended to the kitchen helmed by a team of young and creative Asian chefs. On visuals alone, our starter of Wild Spanner Crab, Caviar, Dashi Crystal Bread (S$36, two pieces) made by dehydrating a dashi stock that’s boiled with kuzu, a natural Japanese root starch, and katakuri (a mountain vegetable from Japan known as dogtooth violet), was intriguing.
More wafer like like anything else, it holds up a heavy load of seasoned crab meat and an emulsion of celeriac, apple and horseradish well enough, but with enticing aromas of tarragon, coconut, and green apple, you’ll want to try this one quick anyway. It paired well with the Clos de Tue Boeuf Romorantin 2019 (S$98, a sibling of the Chardonnay grape) hailing from the Loire Valley. Low in acidity, slightly earthly with ripe flavours of stone fruit and minerals – a bottle I look forward to ordering again.
RVLT is also one of the few places in Singapore where one is able to pair chicken nuggets with orange wine. If you’ve ever had a love affair with the former, the Chicken NcNuggets with Fermented Sriracha (S$20, six pieces) made with freshly ground chicken breast and chicken thigh alongside with hand-chopped soft chicken bones is just slightly short of addictive. Its sriracha could be (a lot) spicier, yet the tangy blend of house-fermented tomatoes, red chilli and shallots washed down nicely with sips of Cosmic Cellar Connexio 2019 (S$90).
Featuring a blend of Chardonnay, Xarel·lo and Moscatell grapes, this orange pour from Spain’s Catalonia also hit off well with familiar zi char flavours in the Air Dried Beef Tartare (S$30), courtesy of the ginger scallion pesto and rice wine dressing.
Next up, a pair of mains that are vegan friendly but no less intricate and would go with a Pinot Noir like the Commune of Buttons Kikuya 2017 (S$95) from Adelaide Hills. See the humble leek in a new light with RVLT’s Braised Leeks, Potato-Leek Veloute, Buah Keluak Coulis, Pinenuts (S$28); the vegetable itself gets extra flavour from a sparkling water and kelp brine being cooking while the buah keluak coulis adds sweet, nutty and earthy notes with black truffle and Madeira. Roasted pinenuts, fried potato brunoise, and raspberry vinegar-pickled pearl onions add texture.
Don’t expect the Taro Dumplings, Black Truffle Mushroom Duxelles, Housemade Shiitake Shoyu, Avruga Caviar (S$32) to have a bite and you won’t be disappointed. Holding duxelles of sautéed local eringi and shiitake, the soft and smooth housemade yam dumpling skin gets textural contrasts from deep-fried yam chips and yellow endives. The accompanying shiitake shoyu is aptly flavourful – made from fermenting koji with shiitake and kelp stock for four days.
Despite the MS7 rating, the Shio Koji Aged Futari Wagyu Striploin, Pickled Eggplant, Kale Salad (S$58) isn’t too oily. Aged in shio koji-marinated beef fat for 36 to 48 hours, this cut of full blood wagyu was a good balance of beefiness and richness. The veggie components, with Asian seasonal vegetables like celtuce, help to cut through the fat so it’s more than easy to go back for the next piece.
Enjoy it with another Catalonian wine; the Escoda Sanahuja Nas del Gegant 2019 (S$95) is blend of Merlot, Garnacha, Carignan, and Cabernet Franc. Almost spritzy, it has mucho character from nine months in the amphora and is plenty of fun to drink.
RVLT is located at 38 Carpenter Street, #01-01, Singapore 059917, p. +65 6909 5709. Open Mon-Fri 4pm-10.30pm, Sat 1pm-10.30pm. Closed Sun.