Rubato
12 Greenwood Avenue
https://www.rubato.com.sg/
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| A Gift From The Angels (SGD $88) |
The Italian Kitchen Maestro
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $117 per person.
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Established since March 2009, Rubato is a modern fine dining Italian restaurant, the go-to Italian restaurant of choice for food aficionados, Singapore cabinet ministers, international celebrities, and industry titans. Purposefully unknown, the discerning clientele of Rubato regard this culinary institution highly for their excellent quality of food, fantastic service, and relaxing ambience, making Rubato a place worth visiting again and again.
Ambience at Rubato is casual, relaxing, and homely. Warmly lit and neatly arrayed with white clothed tables, set with gleaming cutlery and comfortable wooden cushioned chairs, the place feels welcoming. Little wonder there's always a queue to get in, with advance reservations a must if you're planning to dine here. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the place is bustling during peak periods, yet, it somehow manages to capture the quiet atmosphere suitable for long, lingering meals.
Service at Rubato is professional, personalised, and polite. Staff respectfully greet guests, and while there a short wait to be seated, they make diners feel welcome. I note they possess good product knowledge ranging from food to wine, able to make recommendations. They proactively offer to clear finished plates throughout the meal, and clean up quickly when diners leave. Perhaps the most outstanding is their attentiveness to diners, making sure requests are fulfilled, and their service recovery, which is fantastic.
We'd returned 2 dishes because quality was not up to standard, and as Rubato prides itself on high quality standards, both dishes were replaced immediately with apologies. These replacement dishes were well executed too. They even offered complimentary dessert at the conclusion, really a surprise. On the assurance of such high standards of care, I would gladly recommend repeat visits to Rubato.
Food at Rubato is modern Italian cuisine, with a balanced meat and plant-based menu. They use quality premium ingredients, and execute each dish perfectly and consistently, a testament to the skill of the kitchen. In fact, dining at Rubato has been among the most memorable meals of the year for me. Portions are large for individuals, and most choose to share plates. Prices naturally command a fine-dining premium, but you get great value for money, budget about SGD $117 per person for a meal with drinks here.
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| Rubato Facade |
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| Rubato Signage |
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| Rubato Exterior |
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| Rubato Interior |
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| Rubato Entrance |
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| Seating Outdoors |
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| Seating Indoors |
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| Us |
Settled on Ferrarelle Sparkling Water (SGD $3.90), because my dining companions described regular water as "boring". We could also have ordered more wine peeps.
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| Ferrarelle Sparkling Water (SGD $3.90) |
The Terre Gaie Prosecco Brut DOC (SGD $66) is a sparkling wine made from 100% Glera (Prosecco) green grapes, by the Terra Gaie winery in Vo' Euganeo comune, Padua province, Veneto region, Italy. It has a clear pale green colour, with aromas and tastes of green apple, pear, lemon, and honeydew melon. The body is smooth, fizzy, and refreshing, with bold fruity sweet floral flavour, and a crisp finish. Great start to a meal.
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| Terre Gaie Prosecco Brut DOC (SGD $66) |
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| Terre Gaie Prosecco Brut DOC |
The classic Italian wine-based Cocktail Aperol Spritz (SGD $22) features a blend of prosecco, Aperol bitters liqueur, and soda water, garnished with fresh orange slices. With a bubbly fizzy texture and bright fruity sweet bitter boozy flavour, this lively beverage makes for a great apéritif. Good!
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| Cocktail Aperol Spritz (SGD $22) |
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| Cocktail Aperol Spritz |
While the more child-friendly Magical Bubble Tea (SGD $6.90) is available on the menu, the distinctly more adult version Cocktail Rum-Infused Magical Bubble Tea (SGD $23) is a special off-menu creation, made upon request. It features a blend of creamy Hokkaido Utterly Divine milk, flavoured with rich gula melaka / palm sugar, a decadent splash of white rum, and completed with chewy soft tapioca boba pearls. With an earthy milky sweet floral boozy flavour, this beverage was so yummy. Highly recommended!
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| Cocktail Rum-Infused Magical Bubble Tea (SGD $23) |
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| Cocktail Rum-Infused Magical Bubble Tea |
The World's Finest Sun Seeker Oysters (SGD $4.80 per piece) feature large sun seeker oysters, lovingly sourced from the pristine waters of British Columbia, Canada. Perfectly balanced with slippery succulent juicy texture and bright sweet briny salty flavour, these oysters are an unforgettable delight. We had 2 that weren't as fresh, and when we shared the feedback, the kitchen immediately served us another 3 oysters (yes, 1 additional oyster), excellent service recovery. Highly recommended!
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| World's Finest Sun Seeker Oysters (SGD $4.80 per piece) |
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| World's Finest Sun Seeker Oysters |
The highlight of our meal and a dish I still crave for, A Gift From The Angels (SGD $88) was beyond good and utterly memorable. This features a heavenly combination of silky angel hair / capellini pasta noodles, plump Hokkaido scallops, crunchy seaweed bits, premium white truffle oil, and freshly-caught slippery creamy Hokkaido bafun uni / horse **** sea urchin, served chilled. Each bite was a delightful burst of earthy sweet savoury briny flavour, embracing your palate with its divine notes. So good we ordered a second round. Highly recommended!
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| A Gift From The Angels (SGD $88) |
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| A Gift From The Angels |
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| A Gift From The Angels |
The premium Special Iberico Linguine Bolognese (SGD $38) has al-dente linguine pasta noodles with a mild bite to texture, in a rich generous fresh tomato ragout, filled with tender chewy Iberico pork cheek. Completed with shavings of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, this filling pasta has deep meaty sweet savoury floral flavour. Good!
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| Special Iberico Linguine Bolognese (SGD $38) |
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| Special Iberico Linguine Bolognese |
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| Special Iberico Linguine Bolognese |
The house special Garlic Chicken Alla Diavola (SGD $28.60) features boneless organic chicken thigh marinated with garlic and pepper-infused sauce, then grilled to perfection. The chicken is rendered tender and juicy, with bold spicy savoury sweet smoky flavour. Served with a medley of sauteed vegetables; crunchy cauliflower, crisp rocket leaves / arugula, tender asparagus, and soft carrots, contributing bright vegetal sweet savoury bitter flavour. Completed with tender chunky potato wedges with bold starchy salty sweet flavour. Highly recommended!
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| Garlic Chicken Alla Diavola (SGD $28.60) |
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| Garlic Chicken Alla Diavola |
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| Garlic Chicken Alla Diavola |
The 120 Days Grain-Fed Beef Tenderloin (SGD $44.60) wasn't done medium rare as we requested, so we sent it back. The kitchen immediately replaced it, and this time, it was so good. The premium grain-fed beef tenderloin steak held a tender juicy succulent chew to texture, with bold meaty savoury salty flavour. Served with a medley of sauteed vegetables; crunchy cauliflower, tender asparagus, and soft carrots, contributing bright vegetal sweet savoury flavour. Completed with tender chunky potato wedges with bold starchy salty sweet flavour, and a finishing touch of port wine and veal jus for greater earthy savoury sweet meaty flavour. Good!
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| 120 Days Grain-Fed Beef Tenderloin (SGD $44.60) |
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| 120 Days Grain-Fed Beef Tenderloin |
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| 120 Days Grain-Fed Beef Tenderloin |
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| 120 Days Grain-Fed Beef Tenderloin |
Their version of Affogato (SGD $9.90) surely puts other versions elsewhere to shame. The creamy thick scoop of vanilla ice cream blends into the hot espresso when poured over, infusing the robust smooth coffee with floral sweet toasty flavour. A fairly rich dessert beverage to cap off a meal here. Good!
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| Affogato (SGD $9.90) |
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| Affogato |
A classic dessert done right, the Angel's Breath Tiramisu (SGD $14) features rich alternating layers of mascarpone cheese and espresso infused ladyfingers / sponge fingers, splashed with Kahlua coffee liqueur, sprinkled with Destiny coco powder, and topped with juicy cranberries with fruity sour sweet flavour. This tiramisu rendition has bold toasty roasted coffee notes with milky sweet boozy flavour, so luxurious. Highly recommended!
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| Angel's Breath Tiramisu (SGD $14) |
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| Angel's Breath Tiramisu |
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| Angel's Breath Tiramisu |
The Artisanal Handmade Italian Gelato (SGD $6 per scoop) is classic traditional Italian handmade gelato, thick, creamy, and smooth. Available in chocolate, pistachio, or mango sorbet flavours. Good!
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| Artisanal Handmade Italian Gelato (SGD $6 per scoop) |
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| Artisanal Handmade Italian Gelato |
Cut into the Molten Chocolate Cake (SGD $14.90) and watch as the molten chocolate slowly oozes out of the chocolate cake. Rich and luscious, the chocolate holds deep chocolatey sweet flavour. The chocolate cake itself is soft and moist, with a light spongy chew and bold chocolatey sweet flavour. Served with a creamy thick scoop of vanilla ice cream which has bright floral sweet flavour, and juicy strawberries with fruity sweet flavour. Highly recommended!
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| Molten Chocolate Cake (SGD $14.90) |
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| Molten Chocolate Cake |
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CONVERSATION