Dinner @ The White Rabbit

A bunch of us celebrated a friend's birthday at The White Rabbit, a fairly new restaurant in the hip and happening Dempsey Road area. The place is whimsically named after the cute character with a pocket watch in "Alice in Wonderland".

I had heard mixed reviews (mostly bad feedback about the service and food) about this place so I had very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised that the staff were pretty attentive despite packing a full house.

I was held up by a prior appointment and was thus pretty late. I couldn't help but note the irony that like The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, I was indeed running late and scurrying around. Shortly after I arrived (and walked from the back door to my table), the menu was presented and I was served bread and water without having to call for attention. Not too bad.

Thankfully, there was not need to sing the little ditty a la The White Rabbit : "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" to get my glass of water. :)

Scallop Linguine Aglio Olio @ S$26 (sorry its not S$18)

I was not very hungry so I ordered a main course of Scallop Linguine Aglio Olio, skipping both appetizers and desserts. The linguine was pretty well-executed as the pasta strands were al dente and lightly seasoned. I wished it had just a little more salt to add some kick to my pasta. The browned, succulent chunks of scallops were adequately seasoned and seared such that the flavour was sweet, slightly savoury and smoky.

We shared a portion of the signature Mac & Cheese. I didn't snap a shot as the setting was too dark and I was too lazy to reach into the middle of the table to steal the plate for a picture. It was lightly seasoned (seems to be the order of the day here) and I could barely taste the truffles in this dish.

I ended my meal with a cup of Earl Grey Tea (again no shot taken due to the very dim lighting). My poor little point & shoot camera was struggling to take decent shots in the dark environment. I wondered if they were trying to make a case in point about the restaurant's name as white rabbits are albinos which tend to be sensitive to bright lights. Perhaps, the place might get brighter if we actually held a Mad Hatter's party so we can all admire each other's hats. Yep, I'm getting whimsical and am contemplating watching the Disney cartoon for the umpteenth time. *grinning a la Cheshire Cat*

The restored Ebenezer Chapel, in which this restaurant is located, was beautiful but I think it could have been better lit to allow for greater appreciation of the Gothic architecture. This wrought iron window stood above the main doorway, I snapped a picture of it (pardon the dark picture due to the dim lights) because I was drawn by the 3 Latin words: "Ego Te Baptizo" meaning "I baptise you". I didn't have the opportunity to check the other windows to see if the words combine to form the sentence: "Ego te baptizo in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." meaning "I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost."

When my tea was served, I saw what was printed on the cup and saucer set : "Coffee is my life". I thought it was cool and took a picture of the saucer with a chocolate chip cookie, great with coffee. Apparently they serve Giancarlo coffee. I've never tried this brand before. Looks like a return visit to try the coffee should be in the cards for me. :)

The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Singapore
Tel: +65 6473 9965

Operating Hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays: 11am - 2.30pm & 6pm - 10.30pm
Closed on Mondays