Wolf - Singapore's First Nose to Tail Restaurant

Priding itself as Singapore’s first nose to tail restaurant is quite a long shot; dress your Kway Chap uncle in a full suit and such restaurants are a dime a dozen. While such cuisines are commonplace in our lives, one would probably not find pigs’ intestines and whatnots in the Western kitchen. Wolf @ Gemmill Lane, the latest brainchild from the Privé Group, attempts to put European twist to our love for innards.

The kitchen is helmed by Chef Alysia Chan, and she intends to use British, French and southern influences to create her dishes. While the menu does look interesting, only a small handful of dishes caught my eye. We began our meal with the Pig’s head and trotter brawn ($18). The dish interestingly came out in the form of a terrine; not the best spread, but definitely robust in its flavours. Think Kway Chap ingredients in the form of a jelly with every bite.

The Octopus and chorizo stew ($30) that we had was nothing short of ordinary. While the octopus was surprisingly tender in texture, paying $30 for a chorizo-flavoured stew was akin to getting robbed with every bite.

For the mains, we opted for the safe choice of Wood-smoked Korobuta Pork Chop ($48). What may seem as a typical cut of pork chop was in fact a bucket full of tastiness. The korobuta pork lived up to its name for its juiciness and taste, with just the right amount of fats to not send you into a cardiac arrest. Lightly seared to a nice pink locking all the flavours in, the accompanying apple mustard sauce added a nice tinge of sweetness to the overall dish.

Feeling adventurous, we also ordered the Beef Lips and Oxtail Stew ($32). Pinching one’s own lips, one would expect those of a cow would be of similar firmness and bite; on the contrary, the lips had a similar texture to that of the oxtail, only more spongy with tendons. The dish was certainly an interesting texture on the palate, but nothing to rave about in terms of taste.

As for desserts, Chef Alysia’s experimental nature led us to the Chocolate Beetroot Cake ($12). Frankly, swallowing rocks would have been easier on the throat. Even with the goat’s cheese frosting on the top, the dried-up cake made Bangawan Solo look like a Michelin-starred bakery. The Banoflee Tart ($14) definitely sat better with us, and I found the sweetened bananas to go well with the generous serving of cream atop.

Those looking to experiment with the flavours from different parts of animals may find Wolf a restaurant that suffices. Locals such as yours truly are no strangers to these parts. While it may be interesting to shed a European twist to these ingredients, a visit to your neighbourhood kway chap store would offer you just as much delight at half the price.

Wolf 18 Gemmill Lane Singapore 069255

Tel: 6557 2224

Opening Hours: Mon – Sat (Lunch): 11.30am – 3pm Mon – Sat (Dinner): 6pm – 12mn