You know those times when you want to have an intimate chat – where do you go? Bars can be too loud, restaurants can feel too buzzy. I usually go to the same two places (The Envoy and Bar De Luxe). After trying G Room, a new spot by Gaia Group, I might have another place to add to my list.
When I first walked into G Room, I found it hard to pinpoint the exact concept. It’s called a bar and lounge, but I think it looks very much like a restaurant in terms of the style of its tables and the lighting. That said, I’ve never been to a restaurant with a glass ceiling and 360-degree immersive screens showcasing a variety of looping vistas, from ethereal snowy forests to dynamic city skylines!
Maybe trying the drinks and food would help me to decide.... There’s a good selection of drinks, from sophisticated cocktails and premium wines to frozen fruit drinks and slow-pressed juices.
We tried a jug of G Room red wine sangria ($428), which is lovely and light. In addition to the red and white sangrias, there’s one made with a moscato base, elderflower and ginger. I’d like to go back to try this.
G Room describes itself as an East-meets-West tapas bar, and indeed there are a lot of appetisers and sophisticated bar snacks on the menu. We tried four dishes from the small bites section.
The roasted padrón peppers ($78) and grilled smoked scamorza cheese ($168) are as expected – both solid choices.
The crystal bread with hamachi, 36-month Ibérico ham, tomato and Spanish anchovy ($158) has a bit too much topping in relation to the airy texture of the bread (though some might not find this to be problematic). The flavour of the hamachi is a bit lost in the smorgasbord of flavours.
For those who enjoy the Spanish dish of “broken eggs”, the 63-degree poached Japanese egg with shaved truffle and Ibérico ham ($128) is a gooey, savoury delight – one of the best (and lightest) renditions in town.
From the medium bites section, we tried the white-wine-baked fresh clams with chilli ($118, pictured above with the small bites), which are bathed in the most heavenly roasted garlic broth. We refused to let the waitress take away the empty dish – we wanted to mop up as much of the sauce as possible!
Who can resist an elegant plate of fried food? The G Room seafood platter ($298) comes with a selection of fried calamari, jack mackerel, Thai-style fish cakes, ham and potato croquettes, zucchini and red prawns. This was gone in no time, though it does seem a bit of a shame to deep-fry those gorgeous red prawns.
We tried three out of the six noodle/pasta dishes. Of these, the table favourite was the fresh squid black garlic mushroom spaghetti ($228), which is very fragrant and addictive.
The other two were fine options though. I’d recommend the abalone shiso sea urchin pasta ($318) if you enjoy more delicate flavours.
The Italian red prawn spaghetti ($288) is recommended if you, well, love the sweet, robust flavour of red prawn.
The only real let-down of the night was the whole lobster paella with Spanish ham ($598), which managed to be both oily (the rice) and dry (the lobster). Perhaps we just had it on an off night.
Verdict
So does G Room feel like more of a bar or a restaurant? I suppose it depends on what time of day you go. If you go during the daytime, note that G Room offers a six-course lunch menu for $268. There’s also afternoon tea for $398 per person (my friend’s four-year-old daughter saw my photos of G Room and is now keen to see the swimming turtles on the screen!). If you go at night and are looking to have the day’s worries melt away, there’s plenty of food and drink to help you to do this. Forget about how G Room is branded – just know that there are interesting and sophisticated drinks and comfort food calling your name in a cosy corner of K11 MUSEA.
Shop 504, 5/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2332 6662, book online
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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