Wolf

C says:

I regret taking so long to visit Wolf. When they first opened, I'd read about them offering pig's brain croquettes but when we finally decided to visit, they were no longer on the menu. When asked why, they said they tweaked their menu since their opening, as they felt that Singapore diners weren't ready for a true nose to tail experience yet. Odd, given how we aren't strangers to offal and other nasty bits in the form of kway chap.

They've expanded their menu to offer more variety and options for less adventurous diners, but we made a point to stick to an ode to the pig, and I'm so glad we did.

The Crispy Pig's Ears with an endive salad and creamy mustard dressing were a revelation. Our previous experiences with pig's ears have been, while not negative, just very underwhelming. Mainly cartilege, I've always found them to be all crunchy texture and not much else.

Here, the ears are lightly breaded and deep fried, and the result is a super light cross between bacon and chicken skin. The slightly bitter endive and rocket salad toned down the richness somewhat.

No brains, so we ordered the Pig's Head and Trotter Brawn, which was a terrine-like cold preparation with different textured meat from the head and trotter encased in aspic. Despite the name, this was actually a very light and refreshing dish.

Their main course specialties are their pork chops. Simply grilled and cooked only till medium, they have a selection of 5 different breeds with different characteristics. We picked the Nagano, based on the description of fat level and tenderness. The meat was definitely unlike any store bought pork. It was juicy, sweet and delicate, and the bits nearer the bone in particular were full of flavour. We're definitely planning to make our way through the other breeds.

The best dish for me by far was the Grilled Iberian Spare Ribs. This, to me, is how ribs ought to be. Not ultra tender and slathered in BBQ sauce such that you're pretty much just eating pulled pork. Good ribs need some bite to them so I can gnaw them off the bone, and only need a simple seasoning and a good char. This ticked every box. Glam food this certainly wasn't - my hands were dirty and I had oil on my face, but I couldn't have been happier.

The reference to Fergus Henderson's St John Restaurant continues to the dessert menu, with classic British offerings like Eton Mess and Blancmange. We went with a Rhubarb Trifle and a Pear Tart Tatin. The trifle had an amazing chantilly cream, and the rhubarb puree was tart yet fragrant. Very refreshing.

Service was excellent, and the ambience isn't too stuffy but not very hipster/poseur either. Pig's brains or not, we'll definitely be back.

A says:

Blew me away. The pig ears were amazing. The ribs are hard to eat and make you look like a slob gnawing on the bones in a nice restaurant, but it's worth it. Super tasty. In fact, I think it may be better than the signature pork chops. We'll definitely be back to try different chops and report back. Plus, the desserts are very good too.

Highly recommended.

Wolf
18 Gemmill Lane
Tel: 6557-2224
Mon - Fri & Eve of PH: 11.30 am - 3 pm; 6 pm till 10.30 pm
Sat: 6 pm - 11.30 pm
Closed Sundays
http://theprivegroup.com.sg/index.php/wolf/