Wild Rocket at Mount Emily – Fly Me to the Moon!

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Let me just begin by saying that Wild Rocket is one awesome, awesome restaurant. My main purpose in going there had been to try out the desserts, more specifically the warm chocolate lava cake; whether the main courses were any good was of secondary importance to me.

Wild Rocket at Mount Emily (Hangout Hotel)

Despite its rather remote location nestled at the top of mount emily, there was quite a crowd at this 40-seater restaurant on a Friday evening. That says a whole lot about the quality of the food and service here!

Wild rocket is run by head chef, willin low, who was previously — gasp! — a lawyer. He loved cooking so much he eventually stopped his practice to open the restaurant in hangout hotel, naming it after his favorite salad leaf (not the space missile!).

Even during the evening chow hours when the restaurant was brimming at full capacity (with mostly yuppies and stockbrokers), our orders arrived swiftly.

Crabmeat Linguini with Chili Tomato Cream

Crabmeat Linguini with Chili Tomato Cream
SGD18.80+++

Off the pasta menu, I had chosen the crabmeat linguini with chili tomato cream. It was perfect. Not just excellent, but perfect. The cheery bright orange speckled with green simply made the dish look so colorful and inviting!

It’s hard to find the right words to describe the unusual taste. Okay, “intriguing”, that’s the word! I never liked cream-based pasta, but for the first time I was actually loving it! There was just so much flavor and spice in the chili tomato cream. I slurped down every last bit of the pasta which, by the way, was of an ample portion that would satisfy any full-grown man.

White Wine Sauce Atlantic Cod Linguini with Lime Zest

White Wine Sauce Atlantic Cod Linguini with Lime Zest
SGD19.80+++

The other pasta we had was the atlantic cod linguini cooked in white wine sauce. It was quite spicy and had a very peculiar sourness due to the lime zest. Like the crabmeat linguini, it had been cooked to al dente perfection. Seems like you can’t go wrong with a pasta dish at Wild Rocket!

Finally, the desserts, the primary reason why Wild Rocket was in my list of “restaurants to check out” in the first place. I have a very soft spot for warm chocolate lava cake. Just put me together with a mound of it and I would be as happy as a bouncy 3 year old.

Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau with Vanilla Ice Cream

Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau with Vanilla Ice Cream
SGD13+++

They call it the “dark lava chocolate gateau” over here, and comes with two options. You can have it with either vanilla ice cream or flambé banana. Vanilla ice cream is the way to go (at least for me).

Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau with Flambé Banana

Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau with Flambé Banana
SGD10+++

As for the flambé banana, which we thought would have an actual flame somewhere, it’s basically just grilled banana. Both chocolate fondants were similar. The thin cake layer holds the delectable warm chocolate lava that oozes out as you slice a fork through it. Wow, my entire mouth just filled with saliva!

In fact, a cup of black coffee would have gone perfectly with the chocolate cake, putting an end to a very cosy dining experience at Wild Rocket. Even with its slightly posh slant, the restaurant still exudes a sense of homeliness and comfort.

I rarely visit the same restaurant more than once unless it is really, really good. Wild rocket definitely fits into the category, along with graze and lagnaa (actually not so much of Lagnaa these days). When it comes to food, service, decor and ambience, Wild Rocket has certainly gotten all of it right — a rarity.

Wild Rocket at Mount Emily
Hangout Hotel
10A Upper Wilkie Road
Singapore 228119
(65) 6339 9448
Service:

www.wildrocket.com.sg

The good things do not end here. Willin has opened a bar next door called “wild oats”. I haven’t actually seen the place yet, but judging by the standards of Wild Rocket, wild oats definitely looks promising. This is what it looks like:

Wild Oats at Mount Emily (Hangout Hotel)

Is anyone intrigued yet?

About the Author

Veron Ang is the founder and chief editor of Sparklette. She lives in Singapore and has dined and traveled across the world. She also runs Sparklette Studio, a web design and development firm. If you'd like to connect with her, head on over to the contact page or follow her on Twitter: @sparklette.

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21 responses

Leave your comment

Joyz
May 22

Wild Rockets is indeed a good restaurant. The last time I was there, I had the steak and adventurously, the Laksa Pesto! Both were good…the steak was a bit cold when served (probably due to too much time taken on decorating the plate!) but still tender. The laksa pesto was really an interesting cross-cultural mix of western and asian. For desserts, I chose the strawberry cheesecake which was a nice touch to my meal. Service was excellent with those friendly waiters.
For Wild Oats, I was there for its chicken wings which is served with either thai chilli sauce or cream cheese. I asked for both and it was good. What’s there not to like about fried chicken wings right? Pity that the wings was a tad too thin for me….I didnt had enough of it! Everything was washed down with the Lambrini….which is some sort like a thin beer but it took the oilness out of the fried stuffs.
Both times I was there, I caught sight of Willin Low. He’s really one of the coolest local chef around!
Reply
Veron
May 22

No I didn’t get to see him at all! I was too engrossed in the good food I was having to notice any stray person walking around *lol*
Can’t wait to go to Wild Oats for a hot date!
Reply
james
May 22

Awesome! taste so great! can taste it just by reading your words!
Reply
Cobalt Paladin
May 22

Yes! The Strawberry Cheesecake is a must try!
Reply
Veron
May 22

Damn! Everyone knows this place already!
Reply
Miccheng
May 22

Heh… its new to me. :D
Reply
Veron
May 23

You’re abroad most of the time these days, so you’re excused!
Reply
Roy Leng
May 23

Cool find… its really informative for people who dun have time to go around looking for great place for dessert. Back in Australia, most of the cafes serve rich and sinful desserts complimented with quality coffee, but now back in Singapore, I must say looking such cafes is hard. So far, I’ve only been amazed by the dessert selection in NYDC Cafe, maybe everyone can give their recommendation of desserts from NYDC?
Reply
Joyz
May 23

The next time you are there, remember to just look up from your good food from time to time. You can’t miss Willin who’s in his chef’s uniform (of course!) with his name on it. Rather thin and lanky and with brains to boot!
Reply
Xanthe
May 23

I don’t know about such good restaurant too and I’m in Singapore all the while! Hmm, a consolation price for you? I love lava cakes as well, I had my first cake at Delifrance, $2 for a lava cake when we purchase a main course. What a deal!
Reply
hucks
May 23

do try the shiitake cream spaghetti next time. the laksa pesto is too weird for me though :P
Reply
leafie
May 24

Wild Rocket is pretty cool!!
Been there once, love both the service and the food :D
They make it a point to wait for the last person to finish
the main course (or at least this was what was practised when i was there with my friends), before clearing all the plates which i’ve never seen such service in other restaurants.
And if i am not wrong, Wild Rocket doesn’t serve Chicken. So don’t bother looking for it on the menu. Keke..
Reply
py
May 24

I am attracted to the building. :)
Reply
IZ Reloaded
May 26

The Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau with Vanilla Ice Cream! Ahhhhh…
Reply
Glenn
May 26

Hi Veron!!
I dropped you an email this afternoon. Let me know if you’ve not received it :)
Cheers.. BTW, do you happen to frequent Japanese places? Perhaps you might want to introduce some chick places to your readers ?
Reply
keith
July 19

i used to work there, the people there are great..friendly..
cheers to wildrocket, shall go back there and eat as a guest one day…
Reply
Lynn
August 20

it looks pretty yummy! might go and try it out soon :)
Reply
anthony ho
July 11

hi willin, good job, u make us proud, VS 4S4:)
Reply
joanne tay
July 23

know wat ? luv watching yr Tue, Ch U program on tv. am very impressed with yr culinary skills … with you so young some more. juz curious; is there anything you cannot/ do not know how to cook ? l luv food, all types. tho good food really matters to me, i eat to live. cannot afford to ‘live to eat’. was in the fastfood line after i left sch, with kfc. had a chance to run shop/ outlet @woodlands. dat being the case, we do have sth in common – FOOD.
enuf said, bye for now.
Reply
Manahil
May 9

cool … I may only b 13 but I knowmy food and the place id like to have it … and I lve ur site
:)
Reply