I had read about the recent opening of Casa Verde, a new Italian cafe at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on a few blogs, so I decided to check it out.


There’s an indoor and al fresco dining area – if you like to enjoy more of the greenery sit outdoors. For indoor seating, it’d be best to call in advance and make a reservation. I wanted to change my mind about sitting outside, but all the tables indoors were booked out on a Friday night.


Veal ragout pasta


The tiramisu after I ‘attacked’ it. It was nice and creamy but I felt that it could do with more alcohol.
The carpaccio with arugula is also a good appetizer to try – it’s a generous serving of beef slices and arugula flavoured with lemon juice. What I liked about their dinner menu was that you could choose to have different sets. There are four courses altogether if you choose to go for the appetizer, the primi, secondi and dolci (dessert). However, you can also pick any two or any three you want. It’s really flexible and, if I remember correctly, a four-course meal goes for $48+. There is no service charge. Wine lovers will be glad to know that there is wine available there as well.


I went back again on the afternoon of my birthday last Friday to have lunch with a friend visiting from the US. This time, I could see the lush greenery and foliage a lot better! The place was almost full that afternoon with many expat mums with babies in tow and some tourists.


My friend chose the fish & chips – I tried it and it failed to impress. I felt that the batter was way too thick. It was almost like fried bread. Why they are serving fish & chips at an Italian eatery baffles me.


As I wasn’t feeling too hungry, I went for rabbit food – a salad that contained chicken, walnuts, green apple cubes and raisins. Didn’t like it – I thought it was rather bland, the chicken was rather tasteless and hard, and I didn’t like the dressing.


As it was a rather hot and humid day, I ordered a cup of fresh apple and orange mixed juice to cool off. My friend ordered an ice cappuccino which very oddly was served in this plastic cup and sealed with a plastic seal as well. I thought that was a bit strange.
Service was generally good and efficient. I felt that the food served during dinner was better and apparently the dinner menu changes every two weeks. Whatever it is, I like sitting amidst all that greenery and enjoying a meal that even though doesn’t blow my mind, is hearty enough.
1 Cluny Road
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Visitor Centre
Singapore 259569
Tel: (65) 6467 7326