ROOTS Kitchen Bar Review: Hidden Gastropub in Little India with Nett Prices!

Challenging the conception that good European fare comes at a high price, is ROOTS Kitchen Bar – a gastropub tucked away in a quiet laneway in Little India. Having seen photos of their signature items on Instagram, I was immediately drawn in by the generous servings and meticulous presentation of their dishes.

The Ocean Crab Pasta ($18) consisted of capellini tossed in a lobster bisque sauce, topped with a heap of fresh crabmeat. This was quite unlike any seafood pasta I’d ever had, with its unique lobster bisque sauce.

The heaping serving of crab meat was fresh-tasting and deliciously sweet, the perfect complement to a creamy plate of carbs. The thin strands of pasta ensured that the sauce-to-pasta ratio was fully maximized, allowing for a balance of both in every mouthful.

Even so, I would’ve liked for the pasta to be cooked more al dente , as it was a tad too soft for my preference. All in all, the components in the Ocean Crab Pasta came together with harmony, and each bite was addictive.

London Broil Comprising of thick slices of grilled flank steak and colourful roasted vegetables, drizzled in red wine jus atop a creamy potato pur ée, the London Broil ($22) arrived beautifully plated. The roasted vegetables and the jus were too salty as well, eventually overpowering the other flavors in the dish.

With its velvety mouthfeel, it helped to temper the overall saltiness of the dish. Dessert Valrhona Cacao Mousse I was expecting a traditional mousse, served in a shallow cup and garnished with a wisp of whipped cream. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the stunningly deconstructed Valrhona Cacao Mousse ($12) .

This is most definitely not your normal chocolate mousse Composed of dark cacao mousse quenelles served on a bed of crumble, and topped with ruby-red blackcurrant granita and fresh berries; this dessert looked more like an art piece rather than something you would devour. ROOTS’ dessert is one of the most unusual interpretations of chocolate mousse I’ve come across so far, and the finesse in its execution transformed the humble chocolate mousse into a symphony of sorts.

Instead of a typical airy-lightness, the bittersweet cacao mousse component had an interesting density – being velvety and almost cloying, rather than melt-in-your-mouth. The richness of the mousse was cut by the tart blackcurrant granita. Sharp and refreshing with a balanced natural sweetness, the granita held its own in terms of taste, and did its job in lifting up what would have otherwise been a too-heavy dessert.

While the steak failed to charm me and could have been better executed, I was won over by the crabmeat pasta and their dessert. There were definitely more hits than misses – ROOTS unique interpretations of classic European fare worked for me, and I enjoyed the refreshingly different that took their dishes beyond the ordinary.