The world’s highest urban craft-brewery refreshes its dinner menu to focus on organic and sustainably sourced ingredients
Sip on a hand-crafted beer as you take in the breath-taking Singapore skyline from LeVeL33. A popular hangout among tourists and professionals from the Marina Bay Financial district alike, you can now unwind with you colleagues over drinks and Executive Chef Jimi Tegerdine’s new dinner menu.
Chef Jimi’s new creations
Australian Octopus ($24.50) with toasted hazelnut satay sauce and coal smoked aioli.
Imported from a sustainable fishery in Fremantle, Western Australia, the pan seared octopus was delightfully chewy and went perfectly with the acidic coalsmoked aioli. The toasted hazelnut satay sauce, however, lacked the spiciness one would hope from satay sauce.
Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($25) with grilled porcini, burnt onion and torched goat cheese.
Never would I have expected the smoky and sharp taste of torched goat cheese to compliment fatty slices of wagyu but this combination works. Throw in the sweetness of the burnt onion and crunch from grilled porcini mushrooms, this dish is a winner in taste and texture.
Heirloom Tomato Salad ($14.50) with ricotta terrine, basil sponge, black garlic balsamic, peperonico and walnut oil.
A unique twist to the typical tomato, cheese and balsamic salad, LeVeL33 flies in heirloom tomatoes every week from Italy to construct one of their bestselling side dishes. I loved the huge portion and the sweet black garlic balsamic dressing that was both sweet and tangy.
Venison Loin ($43.50) with espresso gastrique, pistachio oil and blueberry jus.
Served medium rare, this incredibly tender and lean piece of meat lacked any unappetizing gamey taste you would fear from deer meat.
If it’s beef you’re looking for, LeVeL33 also has seven steak cuts including organic Tasmanian rump, grass-fed bavette from the UK and Omi A3 Wagyu sirloin from Japan.
Brittany Cod ($39) with cauliflower rice, vanilla fennel compote and squid ink smoked yoghurt.
This was the dish I was most excited to try but unfortunately, it turned out to be the let-down of the night. The fish was dry, certainly not the silky layers of fatty cod fish I’m used to. Even the cauliflower rice was a tad too soggy for my liking.
Spanish Suckling Pig Rack ($135) with toasted nuts and mushrooms, sage pangrattato and candied apple compote.
After the disappointment of the cod came the star of the new menu. The outer layer of skin from the Suckling Pig Rack was flawless crispy while the meat remained moist. The element of crunch was echoed throughout the dish with the fried sage pangratto, toasted nuts and more pork crackling.
Don’t forget the alcohol
Beer Tasting Paddle, 0.1 litre taster of five LeVeL33 craft brews ($20.33).
The minute you enter LeVeL33, you are greeted with bright copper tanks that help craft the restaurant’s signature beers. I also enjoyed the smoky bitterness of the 33.4 House Porter that paired well with the Venison Loin and the 33.9 Wheat Beer for its light fruity flavour.
While LeVeL33 is known for its premium hand-crafted beers, they have an extensive and exclusive wine list you won’t find at other bars.
The sommelier recommends having the Rockford Alicante Bouchet Rose from Barossa Valley with the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio. Compared to regular rose wines that have a light pink hue, the Rockford is a deep purple-pink colour and is sweet without being too dry.
For pairing with fish, you can’t go wrong with the Hannes Reeh ‘Unplugged’ Chardonay from Neusiedlersee, Austria. Like unplugged music, this wine is unfiltered and not overly processed so it still retains some of its acidity. The woody aroma of the oak it is stored in also comes through.
The verdict
The men behind the beer and food at LeVeL 33.
LeVeL33’s new menu impressed with its innovative twists on old classics. For example, the pork and candied apple compote go swimmingly well together as one would predict but the dish veers away from being your traditional pork chop served with caramelized apple.
I also appreciate Chef Jimi’s attempt to marry sweet and savoury throughout this menu. Despite eating 7 courses, the blend of distinct flavours helped to whet the appetite and left me in constant anticipation for more.
By Nicole-Marie Ng
LeVeL33, 8 Marina Boulevard #33-01 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1 Singapore 018981
Opening hours: 11:30am – 12am (Monday – Wednesday), 11:30am – 2am (Thursday – Saturday), 12pm – 12am (Sunday)
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