Lunch in a Church

The White Rabbit opened up in Dempsey just over a year ago to mixed reviews – diners offered differing opinions about the quality of the food, everyone seemed to agree that the service could be improved… but on the plus side nobody denied that the restaurant had found itself a stunning and unique location.

I wasn’t surprised by the negative press this new restaurant was receiving – this seems to be fairly standard in Singapore. In a city where service can be trying at the best of times, new establishments seem to need a few months to bed themselves down.

A year in and the reviews are definitely improving, so I gathered the girls together and suggested we try out the White Rabbit’s good value set-lunch menu ($30 for two courses, $38 for three).

First things first – the setting is fabulous, and definitely unique in Singapore. The beautifully-restored old chapel’s lofty ceilings and stain-glassed windows provide a bright and airy atmosphere perfect for lunch and, I imagine, a cosy and romantic setting for dinner.



The set menu offers a choice of six starters, and six main courses – with diners able to choose from the exceedingly tempting a la carte dessert menu for a mere extra $8.00. I kicked off with the Salad Printemps – a spring salad of asparagus, mangoes and tomatoes which was perfectly acceptable, but nothing to get too excited about.



For mains I chose the Pan Fried Red Snapper, served with shaved fennel and sauce vierge which was beautifully cooked – the fennel providing a contrasting crunch, and the sauce vierge the right amount of sharpness.



But where the White Rabbit really comes into its own is the desserts. Rather predictably I opted for the Molten Chocolate Cake. While the molten chocolate could have been more, well – molten, all was forgiven as it was served with a fabulous passionfruit sorbet (which my 9 month-old lunch partner was rather partial too also). The White Rabbit Crème Brulee, served with summer berries also got the thumbs up.



But the prize had to go to the Crepes Suzette – flambéed with Grand Marnier at your tableside.



These were so good that one mouthful of our friend’s dessert and we ordered an extra one to share amongst the table.



So thankfully the White Rabbit appears to have overcome its supposed teething problems. The service was attentive (although the restaurant was barely half full so it shouldn’t have been too difficult), and whilst the food wasn’t going to get any of us over-excited, it was well cooked and presented and made for an exceedingly enjoyable lunch. Its selling point however still remains its location – whether you’re planning a business lunch, a convivial dinner with friends or a romantic meal for two, it certainly ticks all the boxes.

The White Rabbit – 39C Harding Road
http://www.thewhiterabbit.com.sg/