Dinner at Vava Bistro @ MacRitchie Reservoir Park

181 Lornie Road, Hilltop, MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Singapore 297732

Tel: 6353 3220

The destination of choice for dinner tonight was Vava Bistro, located in the hilltops at MacRitchie Reservoir. It's no secret that the Beau and I like dining close to nature, and this venue was perfect, in a nutshell.

Vava Bistro provides the best combination - tranquility of nature, evoking a romantic ambience brought about by the peacefulness of the trees and and the calmness of the reservoir. Great food and excellent service are bonuses that enhanced the dining experience herein.

We were seated indoors initially, with a cheery environment and view of trees - complete promises of dining in a comfortable, cooling temperature.

However, we risked the possibility of mosquito bites and hotter climate, in order to dine closer to nature, and switched to alfresco seats. The thoughtful waitress asked us to take a look outside before switching, to get a feel, and also informed that despite their efforts at warding off mozzies with coils etc, there might still be a risk of us getting bitten. We chanced it - and were undisturbed by bugs throughout the night. Instead, we were rewarded with soothing breezes and a lovely (albeit dim) view of the still reservoir.

I had a frozen Strawberry Daiquiri (SGD$16.00) to start the evening off - a cold, delicious sweet alcoholic cocktail that always tops my list of "wants" alongside the usual Mojitos or wines. The fact that this drink was served in a large bowl glass was a plus point.

The Beau and I shared a starter of Asian Chicken Salad (SGD$10.80) - Meslun green with chicken, Mandarin oranges, cherry tomatoes, wanton crisps and Japanese cucumber served with Asian vinaigrette. The chicken had a slightly smokey / charred flavor to it, and tender juiciness was the flesh itself. Eaten with the tasty sour-ish hints of the crisp greens and vinaigrette, this was definitely a palate opener for us!

My main course of Crab. Bily On An Island (SGD$18.80) was served first - soft shell crab coated with homemade spice flour, fried till golden brown, served with chilli crab sauce, mashed potato and green salad. I wanted this item the moment I browsed the menu online before we got there, and did not regret ordering it at all. Crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, the natural luscious flavor of the soft shell crab was further made scrumptious with the spicy sauce smeared around the side of the plate. The mashed potato was a little hard, but made for a good neutralization of the savoury crab.

The Beau had a Confit De Canard (SGD$22.80) - crispy duck leg with garden vegetable, mashed potato and tangy honey mustard sauce. As claimed, the skin crumbled deliciously in the mouths, but the charred flavor lingered dreamily. The flesh was rather tender and easy on the teeth, and we enjoyed this all-time favorite immensely.

Overall, this was a lovely place to enjoy a very decent but inexpensive meal, letting nature invoke one's senses in its soothing hands, and chilling out over drinks and lovely decor (blue lights strewn over the building made this place distinctive and noticeable from a distance ahead).