REVIEW : VINEYARD AT THE HORTPARK SINGAPORE IS JUST A BISTRO WANNABE

Image from The Chosen Glutton

Just a couple of days ago, T brought us out for dinner. He made a reservation at the new joint named Vineyard which is located at the wonderful Hort Park.

Upon seeing the photographs of Vineyard on the internet got us very excited. It looks like a beautiful place to wine and dine. The menu didn't excite us but we thought we would try the place nonetheless as the photographs look beautiful.

Upon arrival, we have to say that the ambience was a bit disappointing.

The other side of their lush and modern surroundings is the Maple Tree Business Center.

Most of photographs online showed their modern architecture and lush Hort Park surroundings. A lot of bloggers somehow did not show that the restaurant is facing the busy Maple Tree Business Center. Perhaps we are a bit too picky in our fine dining options. T has been spoiling us quite a bit. It is just a bit disruptive to the tranquil setting.

The al fresco area next to the indoor dining. There is an area for kids to play too.

We decided to sit outdoors. The setting is nice indoors but we prefer an al fresco setting. The outdoor area is not too well done. The furniture looks tired, especially the chairs and they were not at all comfortable. This is how we would rate Vineyard.

AMBIENCE : 2.5/5
We like the lush greenery surrounding the restaurant. But with the Maple Tree Business Centre next to it, you would think that the management would block that view with more greenery to create an oasis away from the urban surroundings. There are a lot of bits that are not well done in this restaurant. The attention to details is neglected leading to a 'wannabe-fine-dining' restaurant.

The music is less than desired. Instead of no-brainer chillout lounge music which is so easily available in urban Singapore, they were playing songs from musicals and midi music. We asked for the music to be changed but the inexperienced waitor just gave us a shrug and said he had told the manageress before but to no avail. When we told him to convey to the manageress that we felt we were in a really bad musical, the manageress did nothing to change the music too.

THE FOOD: 1.5/5
We are foodies. And we do not tolerate bad food charged at an exorbitant price. This is not high end fine dining price but it is NOT good food. They have 2 different menus. Italian and Thai. This already rang alarm bells for us. No decent, authentic restaurants would have 2 different cuisines. We picked the Italian tasting menu and were less than impressed.

• The appetizer was made using local non-italian produce.
• They did not use pomodoro. Instead they used local orangey tomatoes.
• The minestrone soup was served in a big bowl which we then had to serve ourselves.
• The risotto was overcooked and it came cold.
• Why does it say 'Soul Food' on the signage anyway? It isn't serving soul food.