The Place Located in the charming Duxton Hill, which remains one of my favourite dining district, Praelum Wine Bistro is a French-IndoChine restaurant which is by no surprise a wine bar as well. The restaurant has a very casual setting which makes one comfortable. The indoor seats are limited so do reserve in advance if outdoor dining is not your preference.

After my previous awesome dining experiences in the nearby L’entrecote and Buyan, I was full of anticipation for Praelum.
The Food It is a shame that I did not manage to order any wine during my visit from the extensive wine selection at Praelum, especially when there are specialised sommeliers around to provide their expert advice. For a start, it is never wrong to have the Onion Soup Gratinee ($12), the traditional French way. It was certainly an appetising start to our meal and I simply love the taste of bread soaked in the aromatic onion soup.   Moving on to another of my favourite in almost every French meal – the Escargot ($16/half dozen). It is a unique presentation of the Escargot here at Praelum, where every single piece is buried within the thick layer of cheese. The garlic-basil pesto further adds to the garnishing of the Escargot, which is probably one of the best I have had in Singapore.
For something to share, the Tarte flambée with creme fraiche, onions, bacon and egg ($15) is one of the Alsatian dishes served in Praelum. It is basically French-styled bread dough and its texture and taste is quite different from Pizza. The dough is quite thin, which makes this starter a good option to share before the mains.
For mains, I had the Seafood Casserole ($26) upon the recommendation of Gerald, one of the certified sommelier at Praelum. It is a very unique dish to me, which I would recommend for a seafood lover. The seafood is fresh, which contains the likes of scallops, mussels and prawns, topped with some cheese and bread. I would say this dish is perfect after having a few of the starters and appetisers, as it is low on carbo.
The other mains which we had was the Pork Prime Rib with crispy fries ($20). It is a decent attempt at tackling a pork dish, but definitely not one of the best we had that night. I should have gone for the Grilled U.S Angus Cubes instead. Rants Other than some misses on the menu, it was overall a pleasant dining experience once again at Duxton Hill. The service is pretty commendable, as the two sommeliers are very friendly and helpful in sharing their dining experiences and in providing genuine recommendations to us. Kudos to the great service, we need more of such excellent dining service in the restaurant scene in Singapore.

Will I return again? Did I not mention that I should have ordered the Grilled U.S Angus Cubes? That is one good reason to go back soon. Another sweet deal is that Praelum is one of the participating restaurants of the Palate Dining card, where dining discounts of up to 50% applies.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Praelum Wine Bistro
4 Duxton Hill
Tel: +65 6238 5287