Roia at the E.J.H Corner House of Singapore Botanic Gardens marks Chef Priyam Chatterjee’s first foray into Singapore. Taking over the historic E.J.H Corner house – which was once home to illustrious names like the one-Michelin-starred Corner House that closed in June 2023 – the new restaurant is Chef Priyam’s hopeful experiment.
A verdant garden view greets you when you enter the second floor terrace – think endless greenery without any concrete eyesores in sight. But come dusk, the restaurant transforms into a quiet, romantic enclave away from the frenzy of the city.
French and botanical influences are strong here, unsurprising given Chef Priyam’s background in classical French fine dining and the restaurant’s locale. In fact, he’s the first Indian chef to be awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole, a French knighthood that recognises individuals’ contributions to French gastronomy and agriculture.
At Roia, he weaves technical mastery and creative inspiration into the six ($188) and eight ($288) course menus reflecting his journey from France to Singapore and paying tribute to Professor Corner – the botanist whom the building was named after.
The meal starts strong with an amuse bouche trio featuring the Roia Toast – a translucent, crispy crystal bread made with kudzu flour and a hint of curry, a hamachi, yuzu and ikura tart, and a unique take on kueh pie tee stuffed with corn mousse and sea grapes. The Roia Toast takes the win for sure with its satisfying crunch and tinge of aromatic curry. It’s also a bold starting move – after all, perfecting the crystal toast is one hallmark of any competent chef. Affectionately dubbed ‘My Curry Puff’, the Roia Toast is also inspired by Chef Priyam’s first taste of curry puff in Singapore.
The first heavier course on the menu, Fungi & Corner, is a nod to Professor Corner’s fascination with mushrooms. Seasonal shrooms and a confit mangetsu egg yolk sit atop a bed of potato rosti and warm mushroom velouté, where each bite is rich and umami-laden yet well balanced.
But the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly Corner’s Flowers, which sees the rare appearance of Japanese Ginpo fish, paired with smoked almond and drizzled with beetroot extraction and yuzu calamansi sauce. Art buffs might recognise the Jackson Pollock-esque plating detail which was very much intentional; Pollock is one of Chef Priyam’s favourite artists. Perfectly soft and flaky, the fish pairs well with the trio of sauces, hitting the right spots with its blend of savoury and acidic notes.
It’s just like Chef Priyam to toss in a whimsical creation right after flaunting visually stunning dishes like Corner’s Flowers and Fungi & Corner. In What’s For Breakfast, he rings in the dessert section with a playful rendition of soft-boiled eggs typically found in traditional Singaporean breakfasts. Young Thai coconuts and mangoes are used to create a familiar gelatinous texture while black rice is grinded down to mimic pepper – the ‘yolk’ breaks apart in a similarly delightful fashion too.
Vibrant, fresh, and laced with Chef Priyam’s characteristic playful elegance, a meal at Roia is in equal parts charming and enlightening. It’s a humble tribute to its surroundings mixed with a display of technical flair, and you might just leave with a newfound appreciation for the beauty of the gardens.