Minimalist décor featuring volcanic stone, industrial wire netting, wooden floors and views onto Marina Bay creates a casual, urban ambience

By Verne Maree
Issue 87 - October 2009

Rocks Urban Grill + Bar
2 Marina Boulevard
The Sail, #02-01/2
(+65) 6438 4404
www.rocks.com.sg

Minimalist décor featuring volcanic stone, industrial wire netting, wooden floors and views onto Marina Bay creates a casual, urban ambience, and manager Roxan from Toulouse, France, adds a certain je ne sais quoi. On Saturday night, the place is about two-thirds full, a mix of locals and expats. Our good mood is further improved by an interesting wine list that includes plenty of reasonable by-the-glass options ($10 to $15).   

We’ve never had better than the steak tartare (hand-chopped Aussie tenderloin, $18), served with an egg yolk and all the trimmings so you can mix it yourself. The six barbecued oysters ($24) are good, too, barely done and fragrant with soy sauce, limejuice and wasabi.

The barbecued chilli crab cakes ($26) are ordinary, the delicate taste of crab overwhelmed by the frying. But my lamb fillets ($30) are tasty, almost gamey, and redolent with fresh thyme and rosemary, while Roy is delighted with his tenderloin steak ($48). The excellent Béarnaise and three-pepper sauces are both complimentary and complementary (as an usually erudite menu points out), and generous side dishes ($8 each) of truffly mashed potatoes and ambrosial sautéed mushrooms complete the order.

Chocolate fondant ($16) and baked apple ($14) – with a memorable salted caramel ice cream – round off an eminently satisfying meal.