The Olive Ristorante – Dine Amidst Nature

I had dinner with my ex-boss allan recently. We checked out the olive ristorante hidden up high amongst the greenery at Labrador Park. Ironically, its secluded location serves as its biggest draw, which explains why the place was packed during the evening chow hours.

Of course, dining amidst nature meant that we received a few unwelcome six-legged visitors. But this unique restaurant still allows for a charming dining experience overall. There is dense foliage and greenery in place of walls, and cooling night breeze and powerful overhead fans in place of air-conditioning, with classical music playing at a low volume in the background.

Labrador Seafood Platter
SGD14+++

The food served came in very petite portions. For our appetiser, we ordered the labrador seafood platter that consisted of smoked salmon, pan-fried scallops and prawns. The seafood was very fresh, although I did find the prawns to be a little on the bland side. All’s forgiven when I tried the smoked salmon that was rolled around a pouch of red caviar. It was ambrosiac. This is certainly a dish to die for.

Pumpkin Soup & Rack of Lamb (medium rare)
SGD7.50 for the soup, $35 for the lamb+++

Soup of the day was pumpkin soup which was nice and warm and rich with flavor. Very filling and very satisfying! Allan had the rack of lamb for his main course while I had my oven baked cod fillet

Oven Baked Cod Fillet
SGD28+++

My small cod fillet was lost on its big plate. The portion was so skimpy I couldn’t really detect much flavor in it before I polished it off the plate. I didn’t exactly fancy the mushroom and potato on the side either.

Peach Fantasia
SGD7.50+++

On the other hand, the desserts were definitely worth a try. The peach fantasia in particular was very delightful and gave a nice sweet ending to the meal.

Warm Chocolate Cake
SGD8.50+++

I say the same for the chocolate cake. It was a nice dessert that’s not too sweet. The warmness of the cake was nicely complemented by a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream. This dessert looks simple enough: a small square piece of cake on a plate, with ice cream on the side. But it’s totally yummy!

I really liked the seafood platter and the desserts, although the main courses still remain somewhat of a question mark. But with its excellent ambience and unique form, the olive ristorante is certainly a place that is worth checking out, for those on wheels of course.
Thank you, allan, for such a wonderful meal!

The Olive Ristorante
Labrador Park
Labrador Villa Road, Carpark A
Singapore 119187
(65) 6479 2989
Service:

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Runner-up for “Best Ambience”