Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant – Rendezvous Hotel (Closed)

(Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant had since ceased operations.)

Opened fairly recently at Rendezvous Hotel is Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant, a new concept by the people behind now-defunct The Rawr Kitchen (featured in our Honourable Mentions (2016) post) previously in The Splendour at Bukit Batok Crescent.

Occupying the hotel’s courtyard space, Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant is a watering hole that not only has an emphasis on drinks but also carries a rather decent selection of substantial fare as well. Unlike The Rawr Kitchen, the selection of drinks are no longer sourced from a single brewery; Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant now boasts a selection of craft beer on tap from a variety of local as well as overseas breweries — examples include Innocence Brewing as well as Brewlander & Co. (itself being a collaboration between celebrities Allan Wu and Daniel Ong) amongst other breweries. Serving both bar bites and more substantial fare such as pasta and rice dishes, the food menu is less varied than what used to be served at The Rawr Kitchen. That being said, a number of the mains come with an infusion of beer during the cooking process — a rather interesting use of craft beers for food apart from the usual pairings. Non-alcoholics would also find a small variety of other drinks available.

(Beer Braised Pork Belly Linguine)

Having been to The Rawr Kitchen previously, we ordered the Beer Braised Pork Belly Linguine with high expectations considering the stellar Deep Fried Pork Belly we had at the previous location. Sure enough, the Beer Braised Pork Belly Linguine did not disappoint; the pork belly is braised and stewed with craft beer for days; the result was slabs of pork belly with soft, gelatinous fats that were incredibly tender and savoury with the meat absorbing the flavours from the braising without carrying any porky stench. The linguine was done al-dente; we actually quite liked how the linguine had a lighter flavour profile in comparison with the pork belly, yet had a lingering butteriness at the end of every mouthful. The portions were a little bit on the larger side, and the portioning of pork belly is one of the most generous at such prices.

(Beer Can Chicken Rice)

We also ordered the Beer Can Chicken Rice which was Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant’s take on the Beer Can Chicken and the local favourite Hainanese Chicken Rice. Replicating the rice from the Hainanese Chicken Rice, the rice, despite being mild in flavour (not to be compared with chicken rice speciality stalls) was rather appetising; possibly done so to avoid any clash in flavour when paired with the craft beers. The chicken was pretty flavourful; the flavours was pretty reminiscent to Piri Piri Chicken with a dry spice rub that provided a hint of peppery fragrance and that of cumin, while the meat was tender and succulent. The grilled potatoes that came on the side were grilled with beef fat; decently soft with skin-on for some bite as well.

(Young’s Double Chocolate Stout – Sample)

While we did not order any craft beer to go along with the food as we made our visit during lunch time, the staff pulled a sample of the Young’s Double Chocolate Stout from the UK that they had highly recommended for us to try. It carried a rather interesting profile; pretty punchy at the first taste but gradually becomes rather mellow near the finish; very easy to drink considering the lightness despite its alcohol content at 5.2% .

From The Rawr Kitchen to Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant, the branding may be different, but there is some sense of familiarity lingering around some corners of Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant. From the overall concept to the food in terms of menu offerings and quality of food all the way down to the people behind the scenes; Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant still retains that passion that The Rawr Kitchen used to have with the craft beers they have to offer. The use of the craft beers in their food is a pretty interesting idea that might have been done before but still remains rather uncommon. While the food offered on the menu might have seemed more mature than the days at The Rawr Kitchen (the Molten Wings were really all in for the kill in terms of spiciness!), there was a sense of familiarity in terms of execution and quality such as in the case of the Beer Braised Pork Belly Linguine. The staff were also pretty hospitable; carrying a heartfelt passion towards craft beers and willing to share their knowledge on them. A place for those into craft beers to check out, as well as those who are looking for a decent place just to have some good food with craft beer infusion; Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant certainly knows what they are doing, and does them well.

Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant
Rendezvous Hotel
9 Bras Basah Road
The Courtyard
Singapore 189559 

Web Page: http://fivemarbles.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fivemarbles/