A century-old landmark mansion at Clarke Quay houses a modern Chinese restaurant, a Club Lounge, Alfresco Courtyard Bar and a Riverfront dining area.
VLV opened at Clarke Quay last with a guest list of the society’s who’s who last Wednesday. Occupying the iconic River House building, VLV is four concepts in one – a stylish modern Chinese restaurant, a glamorous Club Lounge, an al fresco courtyard bar and a riverfront dining area (yet to open). It’s been a long time since Clarke Quay has presented an exciting offering so we jumped at the chance to visit this new establishment.
It was a night of delicious food, familiar tunes and free-flowing laughter as the crowd turned up in full force to celebrate the launch of VLV, the brainchild of Chief Executive Officer Dolores Au. The 20,000 squarefeet lifestyle venue spans two storeys with the club lounge on the lower floor and the 140 seater restaurant on the upper floor.
The stylish and modern interior leaned strongly on bronze and gold influences while plush cushions and fresh flowers provided soft accents to the venue. Comfy booth seats surrounded the dancefloor while a giant rectangle fountain filled with floating candles commanded centre stage towards the back of the club lounge. Once upstairs, the vibe changes to a more welcoming and familial feel, with three private dining rooms for group bookings and clusters of tables generously spaced out so guests can enjoy their conversations privately together with their meals.
VLV Water Court
A quick glance at the menu shows that VLV Restaurant presents over 60 fine Chinese delicacies with a focus on traditional Cantonese flavours styled for a modern day dining experience. The kitchen is helmed by Executive Chef Martin Foo, who has earned more than 25 years of culinary and management experience across Asia. Rarely has Chinese food made us more excited or satisfied than the delights served up here.
We feasted on canapes like Canadian lobster wanton sambal dip, carrot cake topped with XO sakura ebi, golden prawn coated with pumpkin and salted egg yolk, chargrilled Kagoshima char siew, crispy beancurd skin with mushroom cheong fun, homemade shitake mushroom, Hainan chicken rice sushi, chilled fresh crabmeat Yuzu noodles and live stations showcasing the restaurant’s signature Peking duck, chilled alaskan crab with momotaro tomato and goma dressing, poached sea garoupa in bonito fish broth and a bevy of desserts. While most dishes hit high notes, my favourite would be the Peking duck! The succulent duck meat paired wonderfully well with the garnishes like avocado and crispy bean curd skin. The evenly balanced sauce made the dish a clear standout for the night. I was also pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of food and service that went on through the night.
Perhaps as a testament to the infectious beats and familiar tunes played by the DJ who skillfully blended classics with Top 40s music, guests spilled onto the dancefloor happily and the party continued well into the night, with nary a worry about work the following morning. If the preview was anything to go by, we’d definitely be back for more drinks, to hit up the dancefloor and most definitely, to wine and dine in the restaurant!
Details
Opening hours for VLV Singapore:
Restaurant
Lunch 12.00pm – 3.00pm | Dinner 6.00pm – 11.00pm
Club Lounge 6.00pm – 3.00am
Courtyard 12.00 – 3.00am
Riverside
Dinner 5.30pm – 11pm | Supper 11pm – 3.00am
Address: 3A Merchant’s Court, River Valley Road, #01-02, Singapore 179020
Please call +65 6661 0197 or email reservation@vlv.life for reservations or visit VLV for more information.
