Violet Herbs - Accomplished, Affordable Modern European Cuisine

Violet Herbs offers a great sense of occasion, and with a well-respected chef fizzing up fine quality dishes at affordable prices, it is a great value and accomplished establishment that guests are likely to return to. 


Opened in January 2015, Violet Herbs offers a fine culinary experience with a central focus on the use of herbs to offer a delightful palate that is sure to soothe the diners' taste buds. The restaurant is hidden within a two-storey conservation shop house along Tras Street, just minutes away from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. 

The modern European restaurant is managed by co-owner Ms Danni Lim, and the kitchen team is leaded by Executive Chef and owner Edward Hoe, a veteran who has almost 20 years of culinary experience in the kitchens of Restaurant Amber, Keystone Restaurant and the fine dining restaurant at The American Club.

Why the name Violet Herbs (Overview)
Named after the uncommon occurrence of purple-hued herbs in nature, which play a prominent role in the restaurant menu and dishes; the owner found that Violet Herbs is befitting to their label, hence the restaurant name.

The Dining Space (Overview)
Main dining floor seats 28 person and dressed in violet hues. 
Second dining floor seats 28 person, in addition to a private dining room that hold 14 guests comfortably. 

The menu is composed of choice dishes from a la carte options, as well degustation menu where diners can get to experience the finest masterpieces from the chef's offering. 

The Six-course Degustation Menu is thoughtfully priced at ($98+), where each dish is prepared with fresh styles accentuating the flavours of the ingredients used. The seasonally inspired Eight-course Degustation Menu ($128+) allows diners to indulge in a larger and more comprehensive offerings.

Value-for-money set lunch and dinner options are available at Violet Herbs on weekdays*; featuring Three-course Set Lunch at ($32+) and Four-course Set Dinner at ($48+). 

Each meal commences with a complimentary home-baked saffron roll and amuse bouche of the day. 

*Weekdays: Three-course Set Lunch - Mondays to Fridays / Four-course Set Dinner - Mondays to Thursday (not available on PH, eve of PH, and weekends)


APPETISERS AND SOUPS

Herb crusted Hokkaido scallops on sweet butternut puree and bitter chocolate soil, served with paper-thin potato crisps sandwiching pieces of parma ham ($18+), showcased the precision and skilful execution from the chef. 

The plump tasty nuggets were lightly pan-seared and then encrusted in an herb mix consisting fine breadcrumbs seasoned with crushed pistachio, thyme and juniper. I was ecstatic with joy over the paper-thin fried potato chips, wished that there were more for me to take home.

A Lobster cappuccino and brandy gets you an ethereal juniper-infused milk foam floating on top of a flavourful stock simmered with chopped onions, carrots, celery, lobster shell and red wine. The concentration of flavours with a dash of cognac was what made the taste so marvellous. 

At ($14+) a soup plate with generous pieces of lobster, I wouldn't mind having a second serving of the lobster cappuccino.


MAIN COURSES

Mains are classics well prepared with attention to richness and complexity of flavours, but without overly indulgent or aggressive to the palate. 

Beautifully braised with rosemary, parsnips and fennel, the sous vide Wagyu Beef Cheek (150-gram $32+) lends itself to a long, gentle slow cook for 48 hours; rendering a melting soft texture and then gently glazed in a red wine and port reduction.

Served with fregola sarda - Sardinian style pasta shaped like tiny pearls, drizzled with tart raspberry vinaigrette, and crunchy medallions of zucchini and squash worked great on the final touch. 

Roasted Lamb Rump ($32+), quite possibly my favourite cut of lamb as they are juicy and have great texture with no pesky bones. The lamb was sous vide for 30 minutes and infused with olive oil, butter and rosemary which gave it an excellent flavour and tenderness.

It is then lightly pan-seared till medium, sliced and rested on a bed of creamy sweet corn and sautéed baby spinach. To serve, simply pour the lamb jus made from sous vide juices (filled into a test-tube) onto the lamb as desired. 

An extensive selection of meats and seafood can be easily found on the restaurant's main course menu. 

The Marinated Red Miso Cod ($33+) is especially popular and appealing to diners at Violet Herbs. It takes longer time to marinate (up to 24 hours) the 160-gram piece of fish in a black miso and beetroot puree, than roast-cooking it partially and setting it to caramelise with the buttery flavours.

The accompaniments include a slice of fried purple aubergine, roasted pumpkin puree, and sprinkles of mixed crumbs consisting fine almond and herbs added a good textural contrast to the dish.

For pasta choices, the Sakura Ebi Angel Hair ($32+) was also a hit among the diners. The pasta was beautifully studded with crispy sakura ebi, served with lobster essence, rayu oil and bird's eye chilli which was heavy on taste (a little too spicy), but still satisfying on the palate. 

DESSERTS



Desserts are no less laudable with a luscious list of six desserts, namely Textures of strawberry ($16+), the Nutella Bar ($12+), Frozen nougat ($14+) and more.

The frozen nougat with mixed fruits, lychee sorbet and raspberry sauce are presented artfully on a plate, both a visual and sensual delight.

Herb cocktails and a list of fine wines are available for pairings and guests can depend on the expertise of the manager and bar manager for recommendations.

VIOLET HERBS

Address: 81 Tras Street, Singapore 079020

Reservations: +65 6221 3988

Opening Hours

Monday to Saturday

Lunch 11.30am to 3.00pm 

Dinner 6.00pm to 10.00pm

Website: www.violetherbs.com.sg