Equilibrium Restaurant

Equilibrium Restaurant
15 Stamford Road
#01-86 Capitol Piazza

http://www.equilibrium.sg/

Le Bombette (SGD $16)

Stylish Cocktails, Chic Setting

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $42 per person.


.....


Owned and operated by the Cre8 Group, the same folks behind casual Italian fusion restaurant Supply & Demand, the Equilibrium Restaurant is their upmarket Italian offering, a stylish older sibling of sorts. Opening its doors in June 2015, Equilibrium Restaurant, also known as Equilibrium Modern Italian Bacaro & Ristorante, eschews the typical Italian fare for more rustic, little known regional bites, and a creative list of bespoke cocktails that tantalise.

Ambience at Equilibrium Restaurant is a highlight. Thoughfully designed, with numerous quirky details that catch the eye, the small floor space is lined with dark wooden furniture and booths. A lit mosiac tile ceiling under the duplex floor, intimate lighting playing across the angled mirrors and a green mossy wall, all lend a feeling of elegance, yet feels cozy and comfortable. The place will get noisy and bustling during peak dining hours.

Service at Equilibrium Restaurant is good. Staff are attentive and quick to respond, they display basic product knowledge on the menu. I like that they come around regularly to check on your experience, and the more senior staff are really engaging and funny. However, it falls just short of being memorable and personalised, coming across as efficient but mechanical. Also notice that staff don't offer greetings, which is a basic thing observed by most.

Food at Equilibrium Restaurant is Italian cuisine, but rather than the usual suspects, they've adopted an off-the-beaten-path approach, going for lesser known regional dishes. Generally, taste is alright, nothing really spectacular, but decent enough. Portions are sized for individuals, though dishes may also be shared. The highlight here is the list of bespoke cocktails, which make creative use of ingredients, and also tap into your range of senses during presentation. Prices are comparable to other restaurants, budget about SGD $42 per person for a meal here.


.....

Equilibrium Restaurant Exterior

Equilibrium Restaurant Interior

Designer Lamp

Lighted Ceiling

Green Wall & Mirrors

Shelf Decor

Bar

Just like their sister restaurant Supply & Demand, they also serve the Roman Beer Peroni Nastro Azzurro (SGD $10 / $14) on tap here.

Beer Peroni Nastro Azzurro (SGD $10 / $14)

So named for its potent kick, the Cocktail NSFW (SGD $24), or 'Not Safe For Work', is a blend of vodka infused chocolate rose tea, chocolate syrup, French cream, shaved white chocolate, and fresh bird's eye chili / chili padi. Thick, rich, and luxurious in texture, with deep chocolate notes followed by a spicy kick and a short burn. Worth ordering!

Cocktail NSFW (SGD $24)

Cocktail NSFW

Inspired by Chai Tea, the Cocktail Madarchod (SGD $23) features a blend of chai latte, hazelnut syrup, French cream, honey water, Bulleit bourbon whisky, and Amaretto almond liqueur. Rich and milky in texture, with robust earthy flavours of tea, sweet honey, and nutty fragrant hazelnuts. Good!

Cocktail Madarchod (SGD $23)

Cocktail Madarchod

The Cocktail Sencha Apple (SGD $24) is a delightful blend of vodka infused sencha green tea, honey, sour apple liqueur, dehydrated apple slices, and fresh mint leaves. This cool, refreshing blend has notes of sweetness with a tinge of bitterness, very floral, fruity, and delicate.

Cocktail Sencha Apple (SGD $24)

Cocktail Sencha Apple

The Cocktail Practical Magic (SGD $24) is presented in a fun, quirky manner, like a science experiment, mix your own drink feel. A blend of gin infused raspberry nectar tea, fresh lemon juice, mint syrup, liqueur de violettes, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and a smoky blue curacao on the side. Complex flavour, floral and medicinal contasts, which may put off some.

Cocktail Practical Magic (SGD $24)

Cocktail Practical Magic

The eye-catching presentation of the Cocktail Smoke On The Water (SGD $26) is a classic head-turner. A blend of hibiscus tea, honey water, cherry brandy, orange zest, sloe gin blackthorn liqueur, smoke, and absinthe, set ablaze right of front of you. The dancing flame burns for quite awhile, and everyone around is sure to look over. In taste, it's fruity sweet and sour, not bad I think.

Cocktail Smoke On The Water (SGD $26)

Cocktail Smoke On The Water

The vegetarian appetizer of Panelle (SGD $12) is a common street snack in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. While it is often eaten between sliced bread, they've chosen to serve it on its own here, with a spiced dipping sauce. These Sicilian fritters are made from gram flour, have a crunchy grainy texture, and an earthy taste of lentils. It's nice, I liked it.

Panelle (SGD $12)

Panelle

The popular street snack of Le Bombette (SGD $16) originated in the region of Apulia / Puglia, in South Italy. With a name that translates to 'Bomblets', the snack is named for its small, round shape that has an explosion of flavour when bit. Traditionally, it's made with dry cured ham salume di capocollo, wrapped around a filling of salt, canestrato cheese, pepper, and parsley, then grilled. There are many variations of this. Here, they've replaced the meat with lean pork belly, and the filling within is a decadent mix of grated parmesan, oregano, and chili. Nicely grilled, gooey and chewy in texture, with a bold savoury salty spicy flavour. Lives up to its explosive name with its bold flavour. Highly recommended!

Le Bombette (SGD $16)

Le Bombette

The vegetarian Corn & Mushroom Cremoso Farfalle (SGD $18) features al-dente, ribbon shaped, farfalle pasta noodles, simmered in a rich, creamy sauce, along with tender earthy button mushrooms, juicy sweet corn kernels, bold floral sun-dried tomatoes, and shaved parmesan cheese. The delicate layering of flavours is nice, and the pasta picks up the sauce well. Pretty decent dish.

Corn & Mushroom Cremoso Farfalle (SGD $18)

Corn & Mushroom Cremoso Farfalle

The house signature pasta of Maiale Orientale (SGD $22) is actually an Italian interpretation of an Asian Chinese stir-fried noodles. Eating this in Singapore though, is like Inception, the dish having come a near full circle. Slightly under al-dente spaghetti pasta noodles, tossed with savoury salty back bacon, generous bits of minced pork, earthy button mushrooms, and garnished with fresh wild rocket leaves / arugula. It's the gravy which makes this outstanding, a mix of garlic, garum / Roman fermented fish sauce, parsley, white wine vinegar, chili, and ginger. The result is an amazing, slippery texture to the noodles, with a sharp sour tangy bite at the front, then notes of savoury sweet with a hint of herbal, followed by a slight spicy kick. Delicious, and well executed. Highly recommended!

Maiale Orientale (SGD $22)

Maiale Orientale

Maiale Orientale

Felt the vegetarian Margherita Pizza (SGD $19) was rather underwhelming. While I like the crisp, thin crust of the pizza, I felt the garnish of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, buffalo mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, and oregano, lacks that bright, intense flavour of freshness. Skip this.

Margherita Pizza (SGD $19)

Margherita Pizza

.....

Reserve a table now @ Equilibrium Restaurant

.....