A year since launching, The Summerhouse blooms into a lush garden restaurant in the Seletar countryside

Photo: Coconuts Media
Photo: Coconuts Media

What used to be colonial bungalows built to house the families of officers from Britain’s Royal Air Force near Seletar Airbase is now a sprawling site of hip restaurants, cafés, and bars, far away from the crazy hubbub of the city.

The biggest — and probably buzz-worthiest — of em’ all is none other than The Summerhouse, a multi-concept establishment that seats about 620 guests across its 45,000 sq ft property, complete with an edible garden and three garden domes.

Garden domes? Yessir, the lush grounds of The Summerhouse now hosts three self-contained geodesic domes — with their own air-conditioning, sound system, and lighting (of course) — as unique private dining spaces for up to eight people each. But the glamping-like vibes extend to the prices as well — you’ll have to fork out about $300 per couple, and a $150 per additional guest to dine in-dome with the dinner menu from The Summerhouse Dining Room.

Alternatively, for a private hangout sesh, there’s the lounge dome that can be pre-booked from Wildseed Garden Bar with a minimum spend of $300.

 

Photo: The Summerhouse
Photo: The Summerhouse

As for The Summerhouse Dining Room itself, it’s gone through a proper revamp of both its interior and its menu. The entire upper level is now air-conditioned, and that includes the veranda. Food-wise, it’s a new menu with old habits — The Summerhouse sticks strongly to its farm-to-table theme, working closely with local and Malaysian growers, as well as bringing in harvests from the rest of the region, Australia, France, and even from the edible garden right outside its door.

Photo: The Summerhouse

Communal dining is the focus here and the dishes are designed for sharing. Take for example the starter — crisp grilled rye bread topped with buttermilk accompanied by velvety smooth house-made butter ($5 a la carte, complimentary for communal menu). Then there’s the avocado dish ($14), a complex combination of chia seed crackers, truffle paste, pecorino cheese, slices of Australian avocado, inure and sous vide Johor-grown egg yolk hiding underneath it all.

Rye bread with house-made butter. Photo: Coconuts Media
Australian Avocado. Photo: The Summerhouse

As a must-try, the smoked potato puree ($14) might have you ignoring all decorum by attempting to lick up the bowl it comes in. Australian potatoes are boiled, puréed, and smoked with applewood chips, then mixed with house-made butter before being poured through a food siphon for that extra fluffy texture. Topped with rich beef broth, parsley emulsion, grilled abalone mushrooms from Kin Yan Agriculture Singapore, and toasted pine nuts, it’s one mashed potato to rule them all (and one mashed potato dish you won’t want to share).

Smoked potato puree. Photo: Coconuts Media

The mains are similarly rustic and hearty — the slow braised lamb shoulder ($34) comes with kumquat chutney and local sweet potato mash, while Summerhouse’s chicken entrée is a wood-fired free-range French Poulet ($28 for half a bird) served with a hockey puck of “stuffing” comprising of brioche, chicken stock, pistachios, and seasoning.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder. Photo: The Summerhouse

For some oceanside fare, Singapore’s Seafood Culture provides the goods. Tuck into the delicate red snapper filet ($42) that’s been sous vide and torched on a base of seaweed beurre blanc, or the charcoal grilled kelong slipper lobster ($16) that’s torched table-side with a variety of hand-picked herbs from the edible garden.

Smoked butter poached snapper fillet. Photo: The Summerhouse

Dessert needs to be shared as well — the in-house Varlhona chocolate ice cream perched on a hazelnut cookie ($14) is probably too rich to be eaten by a single individual. For something lighter, try the brandy-marinated mandarin oranges ($14), a gourmet Chinese New Year offering served with organic honey, honeycombs, and orange-infused ice cream.

Chocolate ice cream with hazelnut cookie. Photo: The Summerhouse

Since there’s a lot to choose from, you can probably make your feasting sesh easier by opting in the communal experience — $70 per person for two pax with 8 dishes; $65 per person for three to four pax with 10 dishes; or $60 per person for five pax and above with 12 dishes.

 

The Summerhouse is at 3 Park Lane, reservations at 6262 1063. Open Wednesdays and Thursday 6pm-10pm; Fridays to Sundays 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.



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