The hip hood of Tiong Bahru — home to old school eateries like the Tiong Bahru Market and cool new cafes such as Merci Marcel — now caters to the gluten-free crowd as well, thanks to The Butcher’s Wife. A concept by Spa Esprit Group founder Cynthia Chua and consultant chef Diego Jacquet (of boCHINche), the restaurant is modern European in style with a menu that’s completely gluten-free.
Whether you’ve actually got a gluten intolerance or you choose to live that lifestyle for health reasons, this place could be paradise for you. Especially if you’re sick of being an afterthought at most eateries in Singapore, desperately scouring the menus to find that elusive “GF” symbol on dishes that usually end up to be insipid and uninspiring.
Butcher’s Wife aims to offer up comfort food without a trace of gluten, but its kitchen still wants to keep the flavor factor up. Starters like kale and gorgonzola “buñuelos” with saffron aioli ($14) and Our Green Peas “Hummus” with grilled lamb sausage, yogurt, mint, and pistachios ($19) certainly deliver, while brunch enthusiasts would be happy with their brioche French toast with ham and bacon ice cream ($21), or poached eggs with baked mushrooms, potato ragout, and Iberico ham ($27).
On the seafood side, take your pick from cured salmon with crushed avocado ($23), chilled almond soup with crab, apples, and coriander ($17), or grilled octopus with celeriac foam and tuna mayo ($28).
If you’re a freak for meat, the grass-fed Argentine beef burger comes with layers of bacon jam, provolone, spicy mayo, and grilled cabbage ($29), while the 300g grilled ribeye steak is served with béarnaise sauce and triple cooked chips ($57).
Oh, and there’s something for the pasta addicts: Chestnuts pappardelle ($25) — gluten-free, of course — tossed with eight-hour braised occobuco ragu and sprinkled with walnuts and parmesan. As for the desserts, options include Pineapple Carpaccio with ginger syrup, coconut sorbet, and curry crumble ($14), and Strawberries Pavlova with passion fruit curd and basil sorbet ($14).
Wash that all down with a glass of red, white, bubbly, or rosé from any one of the 37 wine labels, which include a collection of natural wines.
FIND IT:
The Butcher’s Wife is at 19 Yong Siak St.
6221-9307. Tues-Sun 6pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 11am-3pm.
MRT: Tiong Bahru
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