Verve

C says:

Many thanks to S for recommending this place to me, albeit quite a long time ago. We finally got a chance to try it on Tuesday, when we wanted to try some place new, yet didn't want to stray too far from home.

Verve is located in the Gillman Village/Lock Road area, and occupies the space which used to be Turquoise Room. Decor is very simple and understated, with dark wood flooring and white wooden tables and chairs, with some sofa seating lining one wall. Adjacent to the dining area is a chill-out bar, and a few alfresco tables are available on the patio outside.

The food is predominantly Italian, with a few anomalies in the pizza section throw in – think rendang chicken pizza, peking duck pizza and thai lemongrass chicken pizza. Their motto is “simple things done right”, and it certainly shows. Their pastas range from basic bolognaise and carbonara sauces, to more gourmet/signature pastas containing prawn and arugula, crab meat, slipper lobster and duck confit.


While making a note of all the various pastas/pizzas that I want to try in future, tonight I opted for the duck confit fettucine, with generous chunks of duck confit tossed in olive oil, garlic and topped with a slice of crispy proscuitto. This was really good – the pasta was cooked perfectly and the flavours weren’t overly complicated.


A had the owner’s special, which was linguine with sundried tomatoes tossed with olive oil and shaved parmesan. It sounds a bit plain without any protein, but again it was executed really well, and for once I think the lack of other ingredients actually did it justice, because this way you could really taste the combination of the tomatoes and the parmesan.


We shared a Calvados apple crumble with vanilla cognac ice cream (they like their alcoholic desserts here). This was a little less stellar because the crumble topping was anaemic and soggy, when it should have been nicely browned and crisp.

Still, suffice to say that this is our new second favourite Italian place, for its sheer simplicity as well as proximity to home. Can’t wait to head back and try the many other enticing items on the menu.

A says:

Another big surprise. I fully recommend it for food, setting and service.

On a side note, the parking may be a bit confusing at first. Just look for the small V sign, go down the slope at the entrance, ignore the restricted parking sign and turn into the little lane until you reach the small car park.

Verve
Block 7, Lock Road
Gillman Village
Tel: 6473-3655
Mon – Thurs: 12 noon to 11 pm (last order 10 pm)
Fri & Sat: 12 noon to 12 midnight (last order 10.30 pm)
Sunday & PHs: 12 noon to 10 pm (last order 9 pm)
www.verve.sg