Gary’s Restaurant at Rochester Drive

Set in a beautiful two-storey black-and-white colonial bungalow, Gary’s Restaurant is nestled amidst the verdant surrounds of Rochester Park and is helmed by Taiwan-born Singaporean chef Gary Wu in the kitchen.

The restaurant first opened in December last year and is looking to draw a stronger crowd now with the Singapore government relaxing its stance on strict Covid control measures around F&B regulations from this week.

Gary’s look like the kind of restaurant to visit with a large group of friends to mingle and unwind, knocking back a glass of wine or two while enjoying the surrounding ambient:

The menu at Gary’s features contemporary Italian cuisine with a Japanese touch. Some of Chef Gary’s Italian Japanese signature dishes include creations such as a Meguro “Bruschetta”($28) made with avocado gel, Roma tomatoes, shallots and a Sakana Maki Croquette ($30) made with Ikura, Picquillo Aioli, fennel salad.

Chef Gary has close to three decades of culinary experience under his belt, having won multiple awards and accolades throughout his career, helming the kitchen of restaurants such as Buona Terra, Novus and Nalati. More details about Chef Gary is available here.

We were invited for a dinner tasting and these were the items we sampled:

Grass-fed Tenderloin, $50 – Potato Cake, Onion Puree, Pommery Mustard

We have dined at Nalati before previously when Chef Gary still heads up the kitchen there. The food at Gary’s does have reminiscent of Chef Gary’s signature styles, like his penchant for using Japanese-style edible flowers and leaves to decorate his dishes. The pasta and spaghetti are served al dente, the traditional way, which some Singaporeans may find to be ‘overcooked’, but is firmer in texture.

The dishes at Gary’s are all well plated and presented, with a decent selection of wine and beverages to pair them with. Japanese Italian cuisine is an interesting East-meets-West fusion cuisine that has developed into a branch of its own and Gary’s is looking to position itself in this space, catering to the mid-tier consumers.

Overall, I enjoyed my dinner at Gary’s, although there wasn’t a clear standout dish for the night.

Weekday Set Lunch

The restaurant currently features a set lunch menu on weekdays, excluding public holidays. Choose from a three-course (one appetizer, one main and one dessert) at S$38, four-course (one soup, one appetizer, one main and one dessert) at S$48 or five-course (one soup, two appetizers, one main and one dessert) set at S$58.

Try out the set lunch for a starter if you are new to Gary’s.

Gary’s Restaurant

Gary’s opens daily and opening hours are as follows:

Lunch: 11am to 2.30pm (2pm last order)

Dinner: 6.30pm to 10.30pm (10.00pm last order)

Address: 41 Rochester Drive, Singapore 138582

For table reservations, please call +65 89 200 200.