I was looking for a proper place to host my vegetarian family a nice meal, when Joie by Dozo came up in one of the search results. To my surprise, the seemingly fancy restaurant in the central Orchard doesn’t come with a hefty price tag. I’ve decided to give it a try, and it turned out to be one of the best vegetarian restaurants I’ve visited!

Introduction to Joie by Dozo

Joie refers to joy in French, which is the concept behind the contemporary menu at Joie by Dozo. Many of the ingredients used in its menu and the style of presentations seem to be influenced by Taiwanese and Japanese cuisines. Furthermore, the 6-course lunch and 7-course dinner menu provides diners with a wide selection of dishes in a fine dining setting.

Private rooms are also available for a more intimate dining experience. Mind you, the private rooms were so cold and we were all freezing. They couldn’t adjust the temperature as the AC was centralised, therefore we had to rush through the last few courses to quickly get out of the place.

From the dinner menu, we were given the choice of:

  • Starter
  • Side Dish
  • Cold Dish
  • Soup
  • Main
  • Dessert
  • Drink

The lunch menu had the same selection for almost half the price, with the exclusion of Cold Dish.

Image source: click here

The Menu
Starter

One of the best experiences at Joie by Dozo has to be their customer service. We were greeted with genuine smiles the moment we set foot into the restaurant. Throughout the course, they also explained in details the different dishes and how to best appreciate them.

The starter includes a citrus sorbet as the palatecleanser, and the chef’s selection of assorted platter. We worked our palate down from the cracker with wasabi mayo honey, the unbelievable sashimi made of carrot, to the raspberry sphere that burst into wonder in your mouth.

Side Dish

We tried a number of different side dishes (see below), and they definitely did not disappoint us. Out of the many, my absolute favourite has to be the Gratinated Champignon with Mozzarella. I instantly drooled over the thick layer of mozzarella covering the button mushroom. The perfect savoury combination of the mushroom juice and mozzarella made this dish my absolute favourite. This is also a fine and creative alternative to the typical escargot dish.

Bailing Mushroom on Paper Hot Pot was my second favourite, simply because I loved the unique sauce that immersed and slow-braised the bailing mushroom.

The Baby Root Vegetables Garden and Tempura Platter on Mash are also the favourites of my companions, though I was not entirely impressed.

Cold Dish

The dish Tartare Platter au Naturel is what I described as ‘experiencing mixed emotions’ in a dish. Simply mix  away the pine nuts, avocado, corn, tomato salsa, pomegranate, seagrapes, and rice puff. You will then experience all four tastes – sour, sweet, bitter, and happiness.

My next favourite was the impressive Vegetable Sashimi on Ice with Sea Grapes Shooter Glass. The sashimi were again unbelievable – they tasted just like the real thing! Made of coconut, konjac, huai san, aloe vera, these sashimi were served with a sea grapes shooter glass. A guilt-free ‘raw fish’ experience? Yes please!

The famous Zucchini Tower includes a tower zucchini stuffed with crème cheese, truffle mayo, medallion of puff pastry, and beetroot sphere. Despite the amazing presentation, the taste did not wow-ed me.

Similarly, Transparency of Pear, which has layered pear tataki with apple mozzarella and basil dressing, had a rather bland taste to my liking.

Soup

Having always had a preference for savoury tastes, I was pleasantly surprised with the Japanese Kunbu Broth with hand carved Tofu. After the savoury side and cold dishes, this double-boiled Japanese seaweed consumé was the perfect thing to gently ‘equalise’ my palate and warm up the tummy for more upcoming surprises.

The Infusion of Cepes and Truffle was an exquisite mushroom soup, topped with white winter truffle oil and a few small pieces of black truffles.

Both the soups were enjoyable, so the choice is entirely up to your personal preference.

Main

Call me a mushroom-maniac, I absolutely adore the Grill Summer Mushroom Steak on “Pu-Ye” Hot Stone! The monkey head mushroom ‘steak’ was grilled to perfection that it will tear into shreds of an earthy wholesome flavour. The hot lava stones continues to heat up the fragrant magnolia leaf, sending a smokey sensation to the steak. The truffle mash potato was a great addition to fill up your tummy if you are not yet full with the steak. The originality alone blew me away, and the zen presentation that’s unmatched by any other was on point.

Though the mushroom steak was a game-changer, the other mains were disappointing in comparison.

The Duo Ravioli Platter was a duo of pumpkin and spinach dumpling ravioli, served in a flower emulsion and cream sauce. The presentation looked like flowers blooming in a hot bubble bath. I enjoyed the ravioli with their strong distinctive flavours but not over-empowering with presence of the light cream sauce.

Morel Soup Bun with Pastry Bar tasted like a good’ol giant xiao long bao with your ordinary baked pastry from a dim sum place.

The most disappointing dish has to be the Truffle Risotto, which tasted more like a porridge. Sprinkled with black truffle, cepes and edamamme, it was topped with mascarpone cream and Japanese croquette. This was the least impressive as it was rather bland overall.

Kid’s Menu

As we have a child, the kid’s menu came with the same Infusion of Cepes and Truffle Soup and a tomato-based pasta served with a Japanese croquette.

Dessert

We ended the meal with some pretty standard desserts. I especially appreciated the Truffle Crème Brûlée, as I loved how the savoury truffle enhances sweetness of the crème brûlée.

I did enjoy the Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Red Wine Poach Pear with Lime Sorbet was probably my least favourite, but still worth a try if you prefer a more refreshing end to your meal.

Drink

Finally, you get to choose your choice of beverages after the desserts. The drinks were mostly fruit drinks and teas, with an extra touch of herbs and flowers. I find them rather refreshing and a great way to cleanse the palate again after the entire satisfying meal.

 

Conclusion

At Joie by Dozo, you will experience not just an ordinary meatless dining luxury. To me, its the joy to consume the originality of exquisite creations that brings dining meatless cuisine to the next level.

I would, and I have, return to dine at Joie by Dozo for various occasions. All of my past visits had bear the satisfactions of myself and my guests. Everyone had their own preferences and everyone was joyful before, during, and after the meal. Hence, I highly recommend that you immerse yourself in the joy of dining at Joei by Dozo if you’re a vegetarian. For non-vegetarians, this will be a positive and unique change from your carnivorous diet!

Getting there is simple:

From Somerset MRT station, Joie by Dozo is located at Orchard Central level 12.

Address: 181 Orchard Road #12-01 Orchard Central Singapore 238896
Hours:
Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm – 10:30pm
Reservation: (+65) 6838 6966
Menu: 6-Course Set Lunch $38.80++; 7-Course Set Dinner $68.80++

Looking for more vegetarian ideas in Singapore? Try our recommendations here!