When Marche first opened their outlet in Heeren, it was a place that attracted families and young people for lunches and gatherings. The concept of having a semi self-service restaurant was very refreshing in those days and people like the fact that the entire Marche experience made them feel like they were dining somewhere in Europe.
The outlet at Vivocity is small compared to the other outlets so many of the counters are packed right next to each other. In order to cater to many guests, the tables are also quite packed closed to one another. As they do not take reservations, you have to come early to queue for seats. As with all Marche outlets, you are given a charge card at the entrance before being shown to your table. You can use the charge card at all the food counters before settling the bill at the exit.
As with the signature Marche look, you can see huge chalkboards above the individual food counters listing out the different dishes available at that food counter. The entire restaurant is still pretty visually enticing as it is dressed up with a European farmer’s market style with hanging garlic and vintage plates and bowls being used as decoration throughout the restaurant.
There are a few counters which are extremely popular with customers like this rotisserie counter that can roast beef, lamb, pork or a whole chicken for you when you make the order at the counter. One of the most popular orders is the German pork knuckle which is extremely crispy and huge in size.
Another popular counter is the soup counter which offers at least 2 to 3 kinds of soup. One of the most ordered soup is probably the cream of mushroom soup and you can choose to add condiments like parsley. croutons, chilli flakes or even cheese flakes.
Depending on the outlet, sometimes you get paella or ragout and sometimes they might even have seasonal dishes like beer-battered mushrooms for Octoberfest or Spanish stew.
This is a national dish of Switzerland and Marche being a Swiss brand, this is a MUST order dish whenever you visit Marche and you can almost see this dish on every table. Potatoes are shredded and pan-fried to golden crispiness with a soft and creamy texture when you bit into the rosti. The most basic way to have the rosti is a dollop of sour cream which balances out the slight oiliness of the pan-fried rosti. You can also choose to add sausages or other meats with your rosti. Perhaps, I’m not aware of other Swiss restaurants but the rosti here is really delicious.
The creamy mushroom soup is thick and full of deep mushroom flavours. It could be quite sinful but the soup is creamy and smooth with fine mushroom bits in each spoonful of soup. The crispy croutons added an additional layer of texture to the soup as it is fried to extreme crispiness.
The pasta counter also has a very decent selection like this vegetable pasta that comes with grilled vegetables as well as fresh rocket leaves. The pasta is cooked al dente style and has a generous amount of sauce to coat the entire bowl of pasta. For meat-eaters, you can also try their carbonara which comes with bacon or their seafood marinara with a generous helping of prawns and squid.
Marche has a very extensive beverage bar as they serve many different alcoholic drinks and beer from some parts of Europe. There are also many selections for non-alcoholic drinkers. For desserts, they have the sweet crepes and waffles as well as cakes and ice creams.
Overall, the food at Marche is always decent and satisfying. While it might not be at the gourmet level, the food flavours are always on point and the price is also quite reasonable. The fact that you can have many different dishes and types of cuisine all within one roof is a great concept especially when you are dining in big groups as everyone can gather with their own personal favourite dishes. While over the years, the service level has dipped compared to when Marche first got introduced in Singapore, it has not deteriorated to a terrible standard. You might just find the occasional lapse in insufficient utensils, slow cleaning or tables but the staff do always try to carry a smile as they worked.
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk, #03-14 VivoCity, Singapore 098585
Operating hours: 11 am to 10 pm ( Sat till 11 pm)
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