Unwind and dine at the brand-new Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse

CONTENT: Seraphina Tang

The iconic Bar & Billiard Room (BBR) at Raffles Hotel Singapore has recently been revamped, now reopening as Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse. With Chef de Cuisine Francesco Soletti at the helm of the kitchen, Osteria BBR offers diners a relaxed yet authentically Italian meal, with a focus on modern Italian fare using locally and regionally sourced produce.

We recommend going for the carefully curated seven-course Menu Tentazioni (S$108++ per guest), showcasing signature creations by Chef Francesco and his team. If you’re just dropping by for lunch, or find seven courses a little too ambitious, you can opt for the lunch-time two-course (S$36++ per guest) or three-course (S$42++ per guest) menu options.

Here are some of the dishes that we tried and enjoyed – available on the a la carte menu as well.

The Mazara del Vallo Red Prawn Tartare was a delightful dish, both gorgeous in appearance and equally indulgent on the tongue. With the prawn tartare served alongside buffalo mozzarella, jelly and a generous serving of Kristal caviar; this dish presented both creamy and briny flavours that were so very moreish. The John Stone 28-day dry-aged Beef Carpaccio is another wonderful dish – served with pistachio cream and buffalo ricotta, don’t skimp on adding on freshly-shaved black truffle, which adds a further savoury nuttiness to the dish.

Our favourite dish by far was the Eliche di Gragnano, consisting of al dente pasta served with luscious Maine lobster, citrus and roasted eggplant. Warm, lush, yet not overly-indulgent, this was the perfect seafood pasta dish.

For dessert, have yourself a slice of the Signature Baba, drizzled with a generous amount of limoncello and luscious whipped cream; or the zesty Strawberry sorbet, along with a coffee or tea.

Besides this, Osteria BBR offers not one, but two happy hour promotions between 3pm to 8pm daily – Camparitivo and A pero’!, where you can unwind by the bar area and delight in a cocktail or two. For the Camparitivo, take your pick from a selection of cocktails made from classic Italian – priced at S$16++ each – from the Campari Spritz to Aperol Sour, and Garibaldi. Selected white and red wine labels are also available at S$12++ per glass.

Or if you enjoy seafood, go for the A pero’!, which offers half a dozen fresh oysters plus a bottle of Prosecco at S$88++ (usual price of S$110++). Options for Champagne (both regular-sized bottles and magnum), as well as a 3-litre Jeroboam-sized rosé can also be added at special prices – the perfect thing for an afternoon tete-a-tete with friends.

Osteria BBR by Alain Ducasse
Raffles Hotel Singapore, 1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673
(Located next to the Main Building)
Open on Public Holidays

Opening hours:
Lunch Thursday to Monday: 12:00pm to 2:30pm
Dinner Thursday to Monday: 6:00pm to 9:45pm
Bar Thursday to Monday: 12:00pm to 10:00pm (Happy Hour from 3:00pm to 8:00pm)
Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays