It was not too long ago that I reviewed Casa Verde, so I thought it was fitting only to post my thoughts of another one of their restaurants in the same group.
La Strada is their casual Italian outpost located right next to their French bistro-styled Bisto du Vin. Food aside, I quite like the decor of the restaurant – from the wooden flooring to the relatively large dining tables. I could be wrong here, but the decor presented itself in a rather semi-formal setting. But I always say, while the ambience is important, the company and the food plays a much larger role when dining out.
Ah.. Peking duck. I feel deeply in love with them from the moment I visited Beijing back in 2004!
Can Singapore’s Imperial Treasure live up to the ones that I’ve tried in Beijing? Read on to find out! For one, the chef brings the entire duck out and slices them up, right in front of your table. Talk about skills! These guys made slicing the skins off the duck seem like an easy task.
Casa Verde, essentially means, “green house” in Italian and what an apt choice for a name! Casa Verde is nestled within the Singapore Botanic Gardens close to the Visitors’ Centre, away from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road, yet with the added convenience of being just 5 minutes drive away. Sitting 110 diners, 80 of which are situated within the al fresco area, Casa Verde is a collaborative effort between the venerable Les Amis Group and Buko Nero restaurant.
Lunch is a semi-self service affair, where you go over to the counter to place your order. Dinner, on the other hand, is slightly more service-oriented where the order counter is shut and you have wait staff coming by to take your order. I am pretty sure many will shun going there for lunch but really? I really much preferred it to remain this way – the whole idea of queuing up and placing an order at the counter just seems to fitting for the environment. Casual, relaxed and where company takes precedence. P.S. Pets are allowed in the al fresco area!
I’ve been here for both lunch and dinner due to its close proximity to home but make no mistake,on each and every occasion, both the service and food seemed rather good, self-service or not. They topped up the glasses without being asked and always seemed to be around yet being non intrusive.
