Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel

We were Marina Square for a movie that night and were deciding where to have dinner. Ryn was running late, so it was up to me and Jsn to decide where to go. Jsn wanted something western and so Western we went. While we were walking around, trying to decide which Western place to go  and we ended up at… Hippopotamus Restaurant and Grill.

Having had my first taste of Hippopotamus Restaurant and Grill (not meat of said animal!) in Paris sometime last year, I (finally) had the opportunity to try out the one in Marina Square. So it was off to start queuing to get in (it was dinner time after all). With about 4-5 people in front of us the wait took about 15 minutes for us to be seated inside.

The décor is comparable to the one in Paris, with splashes of red and brown (flooring, walls and lighting) and the trademark hippo signage (albeit newer). It’s not so much a restaurant as it is an eatery (as with the one in Paris) bustling with activity and chatter of the hungry patrons.

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Busy at dinner time!
 
As for the menu, it looked relatively the same (as in Paris) with the ribs and choice of sides and all. With it being a busy Friday night and dinner time to boot, it took some effort trying to get the attention of the moving (and uber busy) waiters to have our order taken down.

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Table Setting
Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Cutlery anyone?

While waiting for our orders' to arrive, we were served some bread (we had to request for the butter, it would have been good if the butter accompanied the bread, but it was a busy Friday night after all).

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Bread (which was pretty nice, not dry and hard) with butter that had to be requested for

The food arrived soon after and it was a time of feasting! For the main courses (especially the meats), there is a choice of sauces to choose from to accompany your meat (same as the one in Paris), from barbeque, béarnaise, stewed shallot, pepper or roquefort cheese. There are also sides that accompany the main dishes, a choice of (any 2): fries, potato gratin, green beans, baked potato, ratatouille or basmati rice.

Ryn had the stewed shallot sauce (which was really just that - onions that have been stewed till it created a nice mesh of sweet oniony goodness) with the order of Rump Steak.

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Rump Steak as it was served...
Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Rump Steak with baked potato after it has been rearranged by Ryn for a better photo ^^

Jsn played safe and had the barbeque sauce with the meat on skewer (can't remember what the actual name is, but it looked yummy and interesting).

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
Skewered meat with potato gratin

For my BBQ Ribs, I had the béarnaise which had a nice buttery taste to it. The portion for the ribs was alright (it was filling), but it seemed lacking when compared to my experience in Paris. Perhaps the Singaporean portion is smaller and lesser (for the vegetables) or it was my imagination playing with my memories. Anyways, the BBQ sauce coating the ribs was slightly tangier than the one in Paris, which was sweeter and had more of the smoky BBQ flavor to it. But it was still nice nonetheless.

Hippopotamus (Restaurant and Grill) - the Singapore Sequel
BBQ Ribs with vege and potato gratin. The potato gratin seemed a little raw and lacking flavor.
 Hippopotamus Grill Restaurant (Paris) Ribs and Vege
Ribs and Vege in Paris (doesn't the vege looks like it is a bigger portion?)

When all was eaten and cleared off the plates, and with our tummies filled, we made our way to the cinema to catch “Gravity”. The total damage for 3 persons that night was about S$82. For that price point, somehow the dining experience (for me) felt a little underwhelming.



HIPPOPOTAMUS AT MARINA SQUARE
Location: 6 Raffles Boulevard, #01-204/205 Marina Square Singapore 039594
Tel: 63385352
Opening Hours: 11am - 10.30pm (daily)
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