Praelum Wine Bistro

Next door to the nice wine tapas place Sabio is another very good wine bar called Praelum wine bistro. The name praelum means wine­press i.e. the device that is used to extract juice from crushed grapes when making wine. Praelum has been around since late 2011 and I first visited in 2012 but has since returned at infrequent intervals but they have for all these years remained consistent in quality.
I have actually barely eaten anything here. I have however tried the onion soup and that was really good so I am sure that they can make food as well. My main reason to visit is however the wine and then primarily the selection they have in the tasting machines. For those not familiar with these it is basically a machine that allows you to extract a small amount of wine from a bottle without ruining it. The big benefit is that it allows you to sample smaller amounts of several wines which is always nice.
I will not go into the detail of what I sampled as the selections is always changing. I think the key here is that they always have carefully considered selection and the sommeliers are always able to help you with recommendations. There is of course also a more extensive wine list by the bottle so for larger groups that is also a good. This is one of the better wine bars in town so well worth a visit.

Great little restaurant. Very small with limited seating, so make reservations for the busier days (Friday and Saturday). Despite that it’s not very crowded, even at 8PM on Saturday night. Very cozy place with darkened ambiance and rustic design.
Service was very good, but impersonal. The som was knowledgeable and our food and drinks came quickly and we didn’t need to ask for anything but the check at the end — there was nothing wrong with it, bit nothing survival about the service either. The email the afternoon before our reservation asking us if we had any special requests was a nice touch.
The food was very good, especially the foie gras and the beef cheeks though the portions are a little bit in on the small side.

Booked a place for two on a Friday night. When I arrived the place was pretty much filled up, so I guess it’s a good idea to not walk-​in.
Other reviewers for this place mention the automated wine dispensers, but we dispensed with them because we had a nice sommelier (Simon I think?) come to us and understand what we were after. My companion described a preference, and the sommelier came over to let offer a tasting portion, which my companion didn’t like. No problem at all. Tried again, and hit the spot. Very patient dude, very accommodating. You wouldn’t have a problem saying no and feel embarrassed if you didn’t like a wine, because this dude is just so nice!
Me? I have an unrefined wine palette which involves me drinking copious amounts of oaked chardonnay. That was pretty easy to please, so he got it right on my first try. I’m easy to please when it comes to wine, I guess.
We ordered 3 small plates to nom on while we drank, and we had:
1. Calamari
2. Lamb chops in merlot jus and mint sauce
3. Seared scallops with almond cream sauce
+add on — mashed potatoes.
Calamari — yes! Lamb — slight overdone, they were medium, and I like my lamb rare so you can see how off it was for me. Scallops — quite beautiful. I consider myself a connoisseur of seared scallops, so they were seared rather evenly, not overcooked, and while I am not entirely sure (I still can’t decide) if the almond sauce goes with it, but yummy nonetheless. Mashed potatoes — soso.
Would I come back? Yes. I might try other Chardonnays.

This is quite a delayed review. I visited the place a few months before I started Unilocaling. Me and my friends wanted to try something new so we decided to check out some places and this one has got lots of good reviews. We were disappointed when we got there. 1^st, the restaurant photos were deceiving. 2^nd, I made a reservation directly with the owner (though he was really very friendly), we still had to wait for a table. We wanted to leave the place upon realizing that despite our reservation, they still didn’t have any table for us. Since we were already there, we decided to try their food. I ordered one of the chicken dish and it took so long for them to prepare and serve it.
I’m hoping that this is just an isolated case. However, that would probably be the 1^st and last time I’ll visit this wine bistro. :(

Have been reading and searching for a wine bar using Unilocal and magazine. I’m only back here in SG for a month (been out for 7+years) Notice this place and though it might be good to explore this area (Duxton hill) since there seems to be many highly rated restaurants and bars nearby. I think I made the right choice so far. Love the food, wine, ambiance and notably their smile faces :)

I love the Duxton area for the copious cafes, restaurants and quaint little stores, as well as the generally laid back atmosphere any time of the week. I’ve been rediscovering da hood these couple of weeks so you can be expecting a few more restaurants to be added to my Duxton list. So happens that Praelum Wine Bistro is a restaurant under the Palate Card and that gave me a chance to utilize my privileges!
Nothing good happens when you put 2 hungry girls in a wine bar, especially one that easily allows you to taste the various wines with their automated wine dispenser.
After Amanda, our young and bubbly sommelier, passed us our wine card, we proceeded to have a little wine tasting of our own. The drinks are available in 3 sizes, tasting, half and full glass. This is great because you could try many bottles before deciding on the drink (or drinks) for the night.
If you don’t know what to get, Amanda is really good at giving recommendations. My Austrian Leth– Roter Veltliner Schieben was aromatic, extremely concentrated, smooth, round and waxy on the palate with a bit of spice and racy acidity. I found this a great food wine that is refreshing and friendly.
The Ojai Pinot Noir 2007 is another good quality easy drink that goes with any meat from chicken to pork. This is a rich, ripe fruit pinot that comes from America, California. It has the typical ripe fruit flavors but is still delicate on the palate.
The Yllum Reserva Malbec 2007 is another delicious red that we enjoyed. Smooth, ripe fruit, rounded with a little tannins; it’s almost like biting into the fruit. This entry level Yllum from Argentina is yummeh and you can expect more from their top range!
The Tarte Flamee– Classic Alsatian «Pizza» ($ 15) is actually a thin crust bread dough that is baked to cracker crispiness. We had ours with crème friache, onions, bacon and egg and i loved how the yolk coated the slice to give it that extra moisture. The onion may be a little overpowering but it was delicious nonetheless. Vegetarian option is also available.
If you love cheese then the Baked Brief with Nut Crust ($ 18) is made for you. Mind you this is an entire round of oozy brie baked with roasted garlic and nuts. Spread it on top of the crispy garlic bread with pillowy interior and you have a winning formula.
The Escargot with herb and garlic-​basil pesto (½ dozen $ 16) is a must order. W and I mopped the sauce with our buttered bread and left nothing in our pot. It can be so hard to find a sauce this flavorful and i liked how the snail had absorbed all that essence thoroughly.
You got to be crazy to say no to the Bacon wrapped Scallops ($ 18). The rich Bernaise sauce was the icing on the cake and had me ooohing and aaahing as i chewed on the juicy morsel.
The Roasted Pork Parcels ($ 16) was undoubtedly our favorite dish of the night. Juicy pork fillets stuffed with herb filling, mushroom, cream cheese, wrapped with pork belly and roasted and then topped with apple sauce. Pair this with the Leth Rottinger; this wine complimented the dish and brought out the sweetness of the pork. TOO GOOD.
The Coq-​Au-​Vin ($ 24) was one huge plate of traditional French chicken stewed in red wine. The meat was tender but we found that the dish was a little salty for our liking. If you’re a big eater, you’d love this dish. The garlic butter mash was hearty and i love that it still has the potato bits in it.
No dinner is complete without dessert and wine! We paired the Moelleux Au Chocolate ($ 12) with the Hungarian Disznoko estate 1999 Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos. It was like drinking nectar and this wine is fresh and well balanced with a delicious long finish. This 1999 was the best vintage of the 90s.
The cake is not exactly a lava cake and certainly not as rich but i liked the lightness of the flour. Perfect sweet ending to the night.

Absolutely the best service in Singapore. Owner Gerald cared about the customers, the food and the wine! We loved the stories for each wine that paired with our food. We will definitely be back. Recommended for group dinner and dinner dates.

The area stretching from Tanjong Pagar to Tiong Bahru is pretty much where most of the new bars and cafes in Singapore open up these days. In the midst of all the activity, Praelum Wine Bistro stands out as a place where you can split a bottle of wine between friends, and while the night away. Don’t get me wrong though — this doesn’t mean that it’s a quiet little bar. On the weekends, the place is positively buzzing with every table being filled with customers catching up. This relatively new bar more than holds its own against neighboring stalwarts like Tantric and Sa Bio, gathering a crowd which is both attractive and hip.
Aside from the atmosphere, Praelum has an awesome wine selection. The bar has a counter where you can ‘pour’ your own wine. Pre-​selected are 6 white wines and 6 red wines, all standing invitingly behind a glass screen. Simply put in a card that you get from the bar, press a button indicating the amount of wine you’d like, and the counter does the rest. A machine magically dispenses the selected wine into a glass. All you have to do is stand there for 10 seconds, and you’ve your drink in front of you. No more long queues and frantic signalling to busy bartenders.
Finally, no bar is complete without an awesome staff. Praleum’s sommiler in particular stands out from the rest of the waitstaff. Amanda is young, but don’t let her age fool you. She has an impressive knowledge of wine, and a bubbly personality to match the bubbly she sells. What more can you want from a sommelier?

The first thing that caught my eye about this place was the automated wine dispensers, probably the only one in Singapore. Basically you are given a card at Praelum and you can choose from the selection of wines dispenser. Once you have selected your wine of choice, simply insert the card into the reader and make your selection of either a tasting portion or regular portion and you will be charged accordingly. Prices are shown digitally above each dispenser so be sure to keep your eyes open, you don’t want to be have six glasses of wine that costs $ 100 a glass. All that aside, the bistro’s general operations is run by Gerald, a highly regarded sommelier here in Singapore and he is always around to answer your queries. Praelum also serves light bites and well portioned mains. Do give the pork parcels or bacon wrap scallops a go and if you’re in the mood to share, try their signature pizza! Overall if you’re a fan of great wine, this is the absolute place to be!