Return to Verve

C says:

We decided to make a repeat visit to Verve for dinner tonight, since we weren’t in a particularly adventurous mood and wanted something quite fuss-free. For starters we tried their fried calamari, which came with a garlic cream sauce, and their smoked cheese wrapped with proscuitto.


This wasn’t as oozy as the one from Valentino or even Pietrasantra; I guess it's because they use a different cheese. The one here uses a smoked cheese that’s quite hard, so it was more chewy, and also quite salty from the combination of smoked cheese and proscuitto.


I thought the calamari fared much better, though A wasn’t as enamoured. The calamari was quite tender, and I really liked how crispy it was without being oily. The garlic dip was a bit overwhelming but ok in small doses.

A decided to be boring and ordered the exact same thing as the last time – linguine tossed in olive oil with sundried tomatoes and shaved parmesan. The last time we came here this was a special, but it’s since been included as a permanent menu item.


I decided to try the slipper lobster linguine with cherry tomatoes in white wine and lobster broth. It was a big plus that the lobster came deshelled. However, I found the sauce to be a bit too subtle. I couldn’t discern much white wine nor lobster broth, and as a result the cherry tomatoes all but overwhelmed the flavour. This is good if you want something very light, but I much prefer the duck confit pasta I had the last time.

There are still a few more pastas on the menu that I’d like to try before deciding if they’re a one (or two) hit wonder. As it stands though, I don’t think Verve will take the place of Pasta Brava as our dependable Italian option (when we can't get a reservation at Valentino’s).

A says:

Generally, I’d recommend this for a nice, simple Italian meal. Just don’t expect the food to blow you away.

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)
http://www.verve.sg/