Roots Mediterranean Tasting Session

Roots Mediterranean Tasting Session
2 Greenwood Avenue

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm


https://www.facebook.com/RootsSingapore/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from Jennifer Yeo Lifestyle, Purple Taste, Eat Dream Love, Wish Upon A Tart, and The Arctic Star.

Gratinated Mussels (SGD $18)

A Mediterranean Epicurean Journey

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Budget about SGD $51++ per person.


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Opening its doors in August 2019, Roots Mediterranean specialises in wholesome, authentic, and delectable Mediterranean dishes, drawing on a combination of influences from Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Turkish / Levantine cuisines. True to its name, Roots Mediterranean is a back-to-basics place, where diners can embark on a culinary journey with simple yet hearty dishes, made using fresh ingredients and original recipes.

Roots Mediterranean Signage Outside

Roots Mediterranean Signage Inside

Ambience at Roots Mediterranean channels the modern casual dining vibes of an Italian Osteria, a Greek Ouzeri, a Spanish Tasca, and a Turkish Lokanta. The rough brick walls and simple cushioned furnishings are warmly lit by low hanging decorative bulbs. There's a warm, welcoming, earthy feel with shades of white, black, wood, green, and orange. The casual dining space is neatly arrayed, with shelves of wines along the side, and a medium sized bar counter fronted by a patio window. Despite the openness of the place, the interior retains the air-conditioned atmosphere well, while the exterior has al-fresco seats to watch the world go by.

Roots Mediterranean Exterior

Roots Mediterranean Interior

Decor

Service at Roots Mediterranean exudes the personalised attentiveness and engagement of a Modern European restaurant. Staff are friendly and polite, displaying deep product knowledge on the menu, being able to offer recommendations and describe dishes when served. They are proactive in topping up water, and in offering to clear finished plates throughout the meal. Staff work efficiently to clean up when diners leave, and generally seem happy and chatty, which creates a good dining experience. While the wine list is extensive, they're able to briefly share the taste profiles of the available bottles.

Seating

Seating

Seating

Food at Roots Mediterranean draws on the rich culinary landscape of the mediterranean, with dishes from Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Turkish / Levantine cuisines. Largely finger food / tapas and 1-dish meals, diners will find popular dishes from each cuisine on the menu, lending a sense of familiarity. Made with fresh premium ingredients and original recipes, dishes are bold in flavour, wholesome, and hearty. Portions are medium to large for individuals, but some are sized for communal group sharing. Prices are more affordable than other casual dining restaurants, though drinks command a premium. Budget about SGD $51++ per person.

Wine Display

Wine Bottles

Dips Flat Lay

The Sangria (SGD $12) here has a rich infusion of red wine and a variety of fruits, from oranges to pears to apples. The result is a chilled beverage with a bold fruity sweet flavour and a refreshing feel.

Sangria (SGD $12)

Sangria

Started with an Assorted Bread Bowl (SGD $4), which seems to be an off-menu item. There's crisp spongy focaccia bread with delicate bready sweet flavour, crunchy grainy grissini / breadsticks with addictive sweet grainy cornmeal flavour, and crackling light flatbread crackers with earthy sweet flavour. Served with a crushed herb pesto dipping sauce on the side, which has bright earthy herbal flavour. We ended up using these to pair with all the meze / mezze. I especially loved the quality of the grissini / breadsticks, really addictive.

Assorted Bread Bowl (SGD $4)

Assorted Bread Bowl

The iconic Middle Eastern meze / mezze, Hummus (SGD $8), features a blend of mashed chickpeas, mashed sesame seeds, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. With a thick creamy smooth texture, and a bright earthy nutty sweet savoury flavour, this pairs so well with bread. Pretty good, though I'd have liked more bread to go with this. Worth ordering!

Hummus (SGD $8)

Hummus

The refreshing Tzatziki (SGD $8) is an iconic Greek starter. It features a smooth creamy blend of strained yoghurt, juicy cucumbers, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. With a bright vegetal earthy herbal milky sweet flavour, this opens the palate beautifully. Worth ordering!

Tzatziki (SGD $8)

Tzatziki

The Melinzano Salata (SGD $8) features a blend of diced eggplant / aubergine / brinjal, laced with lemon juice, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. This Greek starter had a distinct smoky earthy vegetal sweet flavour, rather unique.

Melinzano Salata (SGD $8)

Melinzano Salata

Quite taken with the Spanish Croquettas De Jamon Y Queso (SGD $8), or dry-cured ham and cheese potato croquettes. Loved the creamy wispy soft texture, and the robust salty savoury sweet grainy flavour. Actually good enough on its own, the accompanying dipping sauce lends little to taste. Good!

Croquettas De Jamon Y Queso (SGD $8)

Croquettas De Jamon Y Queso

Named for the skillet in which this Greek appetizer is prepared, the Garides Saganaki (SGD $18) features bouncy juicy deshelled shrimp, in a bright tomato paste, with chunky soft feta cheese to finish. Usually de-glazed with ouzo anise liqueur, but I think they've skipped that here. Still the shrimp is beautifully fresh and sweet savoury, pairing well with the natural vegetal sweet notes of the tomato gravy. The feta cheese lends a small contrast of texture, but adds little to flavour. Rather feels like a pasta dish, except without any pasta.

Garides Saganaki (SGD $18)

Garides Saganaki

Loved the Italian Gratinated Mussels (SGD $18). While the mussels were small, they were plump and meaty, with a moist chewy texture and delicate sweet briny flavour. The herbed breadcrumb and parmesan cheese crust turns slightly crisp slightly soft after baking, and lends a good hit of salty cheesy spice bready sweet flavour. Delicious, wouldn't mind ordering more. Highly recommended!

Gratinated Mussels (SGD $18)

Gratinated Mussels

The Spanish Octopus Gallego (SGD $18) features bouncy chewy octopus chunks, juicy tomato chunks, tender roasted potatoes, and soft kalamata purple olives. Finished with a sprinkling of smoked paprika and extra virgin olive oil, this appetizer has bold earthy herbal bitter sweet savoury smoky flavours. Execution of the octopus is key, and how well the dish fares depends on the skill of the kitchen in preparing this.

Octopus Gallego (SGD $18)

Octopus Gallego

Enjoyed the Spanish Tortillas De Papas Y Queso Fundido (SGD $8), which has a fluffy soft egg omelette topped with chunky tender potatoes and gooey emmental cheese. With bright eggy sweet savoury salty cheesy flavour, this appetizer stays warm, courtesy of the hot skillet it's served in. Loved every bite. Good!

Tortillas De Papas Y Queso Fundido (SGD $8)

Tortillas De Papas Y Queso Fundido

Tortillas De Papas Y Queso Fundido

The Greek Moussaka (SGD $20) is a warm, hearty dish, almost similar to an Italian lasagne. In place of pasta noodle sheets, they have fluffy soft mashed potatoes and tender eggplant / aubergine / brinjal, layered with juicy minced beef ragu in tomato paste and creamy bechamel sauce. Rich and filling, each bite is a burst of meaty savoury salty sweet vegetal earthy flavours. Wholesome and satisfying, great for sharing. Worth ordering!

Moussaka (SGD $20)

Moussaka

Moussaka

Loved the Tagliatelle Bolognese (SGD $20), which is as authentic as most Italian versions. This means the juicy minced beef ragu in tomato paste is moist but not wet, and clings well to each strand of the wide flat tagliatelle pasta noodles, which have a light al-dente chew to texture. Bite in and you get a robust meaty savoury salty sweet flavour, nicely satisfying. I actually dreamt about this. Highly recommended!

Tagliatelle Bolognese (SGD $20)

Tagliatelle Bolognese

Tagliatelle Bolognese

The Tagliatelle It's Not Alfredo (SGD $26) was a special treat. This has wide flat tagliatelle pasta noodles, which were slightly soft, served with a thick rich emulsion cream made from 24-months aged parmigiano-reggiano / parmesan cheese. This creamy gravy imparts a lovely cheesy salty savoury flavour to the dish, nicely unique. Super filling. Good!

Tagliatelle It's Not Alfredo (SGD $26)

Tagliatelle It's Not Alfredo

Tagliatelle It's Not Alfredo

The Italian Risotto Porcini Mushroom (SGD $24) is rich and hearty, with a base of sticky thick carnaroli rice that has a good al-dente bite to texture, cooked with tender porcini mushrooms and creamy butter. Garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley, this has bold earthy sweet savoury salty flavour. I find the sweet salty notes to be more pronounced than it should be, when typically this should be more earthy sweet instead.

Risotto Porcini Mushroom (SGD $24)

Risotto Porcini Mushroom

Risotto Porcini Mushroom

The 1-Metre Pizza Board (SGD $50) features the house signature 'Pizza In Teglia Alla Romana', or Roman style pan pizza, which is square, not round. More bread-like in nature, their pizza is made with a 50% whole wheat flour dough that has 85% hydration after 36 hours of poofing, and results in a soft fluffy spongy texture similar to bread. You can choose up to any 4 flavours of pizza on the menu for this communal dish, with each flavour measuring 25cm in length. During our visit, we sampled the Pizza Burrata And Parma, the Pizza Spanish, the Pizza Greek, and the Pizza Pineapple.

The 1-Metre Pizza Board (SGD $50)

The 1-Metre Pizza Board

Holding The 1-Metre Pizza Board

Holding The 1-Metre Pizza Board

The Pizza Burrata And Parma (SGD $18) is done blanco style, or white pizza style, without any tomato paste. It's garnished with juicy confit cherry tomatoes with vegetal smoky sweet flavour, wispy dry-cured parma ham with salty savoury flavour, chunky soft burrata cheese with earthy milky sweet flavour, fresh crisp basil leaves with vegetal herbal flavour, finished with extra virgin olive oil. A classic Italian combination of flavours, straightforward enough for most.

Pizza Burrata And Parma (SGD $18)

The Pizza Spanish (SGD $18) draws inspiration from the region, with a thin tomato paste that holds vegetal sweet flavour as the base of this red pizza. It's garnished with chunky tender roasted potatoes with starchy sweet savoury flavour, bouncy chunks of octopus seasoned with paprika which have bold savoury salty spice sweet flavour, finished with garlic, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. A novel combination of flavours, rather similar to the appetizer, except on pizza.

Pizza Spanish (SGD $18)

The Pizza Greek (SGD $18) draws inspiration from the region, with a thin tomato paste that holds vegetal sweet flavour as the base of this red pizza. It's garnished with soft feta cheese with milky sweet flavour, juicy cherry tomatoes with vegetal sweet flavour, soft kalamata purple olives with bright earthy bitter sour flavour, finished with oregano. The strong and unique combination of flavours means this will be an acquired taste for some.

Pizza Greek (SGD $18)

The Pizza Pineapple (SGD $18) will appeal to the child in most, though snobs may turn up their noses at this affront to pizza. It starts with a thin tomato paste that holds vegetal sweet flavour as the base of this red pizza. It's garnished with thin chewy turkey ham with savoury sweet flavour, juicy chunks of pineapple with fruity sweet sour flavour, finished with gooey mozzarella cheese. This American style pizza is a safe bet.

Pizza Pineapple (SGD $18)

The Rootless Dessert Platter (SGD $32) is a communal dessert platter, which is served with Chef's choice of desserts. It has between 8 to 10 different varieties of seasonal dessert, with between 1 to 3 pieces for each dessert. Also great as a sort of high tea dessert platter, if you don't mind all sweets.

Rootless Dessert Platter (SGD $32)

Rootless Dessert Platter

The classic Italian Tiramisu (SGD $Platter) stood out for me, with the correct balance of soft creamy spongy textures, and sweet smoky milky flavours. Based on the quality of this small sample, I would happily order the regular sized version.

Tiramisu (SGD $Platter)

The Crema Catalana (SGD $Platter) was delicious, with its creamy smooth textures, and bright sweet sour zesty spice flavours. This small sample included a smoked marshmallow, which I think isn't included in the regular sized version.

Crema Catalana (SGD $Platter)

The Chocolate Fudge Cake (SGD $Platter) carries deep chocolatey sweet flavour and a soft moist texture. Decent enough.

Chocolate Fudge Cake (SGD $Platter)

The Raspberry Tofu Cheesecake (SGD $Platter) was much softer and creamier in texture than expected, and the contrast of bright fruity sour sweet flavour complements the delicate cheesy sweet flavour.

Raspberry Tofu Cheesecake (SGD $Platter)

We enjoyed our experience at Roots Mediterranean, with its relaxed ambience, happy service staff, and decently delicious food. With their affordable and reasonable prices, Roots Mediterranean looks set to draw diners, especially for casual after-work meals or their promotional Sunday brunch.


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