Hopscotch is a local brand founded by four former bartenders back in 2014, specializing in craft cocktails and Western cuisine infused with uniquely Singaporean flavours. The outlet that my husband and I visited is located at Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski outside the entrance to the iconic Capitol Theatre.
Although we’ve walked past this restaurant many times, we never really felt compelled to dine here as the items on the menu were a tad costly. However, Chope ran a dining voucher flash sale with a 1-for-1 lunch mains voucher up for grabs. After applying an additional promo code, we paid $32.50 in total for this voucher. Looking at the prices on the menu, this wasn’t exactly a 1-for-1 pricing but at least it lowered the barriers to entry enough for us to give it a shot.
- Our order:
- Guinness beef bourguignon ($26++ waived with prepaid voucher)
- “Bachor” foie linguine ($25++ waived with prepaid voucher)
- Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream ($12++)
- Spent: SGD$32.50 + $14.15 = $46.65
The restaurant has a bright and airy alfresco vibe but is actually fully indoors and air-conditioned. Natural light from above floods the spaces, creating a breezy atmosphere. There is also a foosball table at the side for customers to use. More seats are available on the second level above the bar, an elongated area that seems well-suited for cosy gatherings or parties.
For our mains, my husband got the “bachor” foie linguine while I was initially gunning for the halibut fish and chips. However, the staff said that due to changes in their suppliers, they only had barramundi available. I opted for the Guinness beef bourguignon instead.
My husband’s dish was severely underwhelming – it was basically bland pasta with oil and a bit of flavour from the pork. Only the foie gras supposedly tasted more legit. Mine was unfortunately no better. The first few bites were okay but it become increasingly gluggy with each subsequent mouthful. The garlic mash was nice but did nothing to cut through the richness of everything on the plate.
We were disappointed once again when we wanted to order the chocolate lava cake but were told that due to supplier issues, they’ve replaced it with a brownie instead. This dessert usually comes with a gula melaka drizzle but we requested for them not to include it as I’m not really a fan.
Similar to the verdict on our mains, the flavours were largely muted and the brownie’s texture was more on the dense side. It wasn’t terribly bad or anything, just very average.
My overall rating of the experience: 3 out of 5 stars. What I did like about the restaurant was the ambience. It was a relaxing, sunlit environment in which to chill out and enjoy a slow, unhurried lunch. Alas, most of what we originally wanted to order from the menu wasn’t available, supposedly due to supplier issues. The food failed to shine as well and nothing really stood out for the right reasons. I guess this blow was partially cushioned by the fact that we had a 1-for-1 deal, but it would certainly not be value for money if we were paying full prices. In addition, the staff didn’t seem too welcoming either except for one guy, who was more helpful and attentive. He took the initiative to top up our water and checked with us whether all our orders had been served. All in all, there is no real imperative for us to come back a second time.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 