Viva Lavender Singapore sits on Lavender Street serving European fare with a touch of Asia (think Jap-inspired eggplant fritters). Weekday dinners just got an upgrade, thanks to their menu.
The Setting
Viva Lavender takes great pride in making the diner feel like they’ve entered an experience, not just a restaurant. The space has soft music, dim downlighting, and people speaking in low voices. It’s a perfect date night spot, to be honest! And the location is perfect to pop by right after work, especially if you work in the CBD area.
Bendemeer MRT is the closest.
The Food: What We Had
The meal opened with cold and hot tapas. The Smoked Japanese Mackerel ($14). This was two pieces of lightly smoked (smoked in-house at that) slices of mackerel, paired with a roasted piquillo pepper coulis, capers and fresh herbs. They smoke the fish in-house, which lets the chefs control the precise breath of flavour that goes into it. The coulis brings just enough sweetness to balance the brine of the capers.
The Gambas Al Ajillo ($16) was generous and properly garlicky. The house-made chilli oil and garlic confit paired beautifully with the prawns, with crusty bread to mop up what’s left.
The Salmon Tartare ($22) was incredibly fresh; with plump pieces of perfectly seasoned fish paired with ajo blanco, pipirrana and pomegranate.
The Eggplant Crisps ($12), thinly sliced, deep-fried in batter and drizzled with wildflower honey, are perfect for when you need a little tempura-touch as part of your meal.
The kitchen centres on a wood-fired Josper Grill. The Miso Black Cod ($52) is paired with tobiko beurre blanc and charred broccolini. The cod itself was perfectly cooked, yielding and silky, carrying the char without being overwhelmed by it. A white wine pairing lifted it further, the acidity cutting through the richness of the beurre blanc.
The steak arrived with the deep sear and smoky character that a Josper produces and a gas flame simply cannot replicate. A red wine pairing alongside made both the wine and the beef taste better than either would have alone.
Dessert
Three desserts on the menu, and we had two of them. The Chocolate Mousse and Hazelnut ($16) is luscious: scooped dark chocolate mousse, light chocolate mousse and salted hazelnut. Made with good chocolate (you know we’re chocolate-obsessed on this blog), every bit was a dip into chocolate heaven.
The Osmanthus Jelly and Wolfberries ($12), though, is what we’d order again (and again and again). Floral and lightly sweet, the seasonal fruit and wolfberries add contrast without competing.
The Drinks
The welcome prosecco (Pizzolato Spumante, $15 per glass) set a comfortable tone from the start. The wine list is short and approachable by design. It involves an easy handful of whites, reds and a sparkling, all priced per glass. The team is happy to guide pairings rather than leaving you to navigate the list alone.
We’d highly recommend the Red Sangria; it comes with the right amount of smoke from the bourbon they add to it.
On weekdays from Monday to Thursday before 8pm, Viva Hour offers 50% off the second glass of house wine and 20% off cocktails alongside a food order. The 3-course set lunch from $29++ (weekdays only) covers a soup, a starter and a main, and is a very reasonable way to try the kitchen at lunch.
Details
Viva Lavender
161 Lavender Street, #01-02/03/04, Singapore 338750
Lunch: Daily 11.30am – 3pm (last order 2.30pm)
Dinner: Daily 5.30pm – 10.30pm (last order 9.45pm)
Viva Hour: Mon-Thu before 8pm — 50% off second glass of house wine, 20% off cocktails (with food order)
3-Course Set Lunch from $29++ (weekdays)
Website: vivalavender.sg | Instagram: @vivalavendersg