'Meaty' beet burger at Skyve got us excited

Yeoh Wee Teck | The New Paper | Wed Mar 28 2012

by Yeoh Wee Teck

Singapore, March 27, 2012

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar
10 Winstedt Road

While I'm seldom impressed by clever, gimmicky restaurant names, Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar appeals to me. Maybe it is because the concept of "skyving".

To skive, a slang word popular when I was a student, meant to sneak off and do nothing. As a working adult, you can imagine how delightful the idea is.

Skyve is a casual restaurant housed in the former Monk's Hill Secondary School. It is run by the same people who ran Table 66.

I tweeted about wanting to eat at Skyve and received mixed feedback about the restaurant. Some loved the food, most hated the service and a few moaned about the tiny servings.

Well, my two experiences there - once invited by the restaurant, once unannounced - were pleasant. I like the food and there were a few items I would gladly order again when I return.

The menu is divided into sections: breakfast (served from 8.30am to 10.30am on weekdays), brunch (10am to 4pm on weekends) and lunch (noon to 3pm on weekdays).

So it is important to know what you want to eat because while it may be on the menu, it may not be available at the time you are there.

My favourite item on the breakfast menu is the ricotta hot cakes ($12).

The pancake is light and creamy. The passion fruit butter adds dimension to the dish.

The Skyve Sous Vide Egg Benedict ($12) was good enough. The eggs were perfectly runny, but everything else was not out of the ordinary.

The dinner courses fared better. These are available daily between 6pm and 10pm.

My colleague from RazorTV, Sara Ann K, raved about the Char Grilled Beet Burger ($30) and her enthusiasm was not misplaced.

Beet patty

It was a vegetarian burger with a patty made out of beet. It also had melted aged cheddar cheese, lettuce and was served with aromatic truffle fries.

I loved the burger. It was sweet, robust and very memorable.

The texture of the patty was so much like regular beef that my partner insisted there must be meat somewhere in there.

The caesar salad ($16) was also a winner for its delicious homemade sauce.

There were a few fails, like the prosciutto ham pizza slab ($16), available for brunch, and the confit of duck leg ($34, available for both lunch and dinner). I found it too salty, but the skin was nice and crispy.

The service, it seems, was the big stumbling block. The online feedback I had was that service was slow and the food took a while to arrive.

I found it reasonable, but I do wish service was more alert.

When I turned up on my own, I asked the waiter what went into the vegetarian burger. It was obvious he had no idea.

But the food arrived at my table at a steady pace.

Maybe the wait staff was affected by the relaxed vibe the restaurant exuded.

It is hard not to slow down when you are surrounded by greenery and everything is so chilled out.

And if you spot me skyving there, don't tell my boss and I won't tell yours.

FYI

WHAT:
Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar

WHERE:
10 Winstedt Road, Singapore 227977
Block E, #01-17.
The nearest MRT is Newton and it's about a 10 minutes stroll from there and near Anglo-Chinese School (Junior).

WHEN:
8.30am to midnight from Tuesdays to Fridays; 10am to midnight on Saturdays and public holidays; and 10am to 11pm on Sundays.

CALL:
6225-6690 for reservations.