SINGAPORE (The New Paper) - Our Arts District is filled with hipster hawker stalls and cutesy cafes, but in the midst of it is the stylish restaurant and wine bar Ginett.

Located at the new Hotel G in Middle Road, Ginett is run by the team behind the Scarlett restaurants in Bangkok and Hong Kong.

It offers European cuisine in a relaxed setting.

The relaxed part is ably aided by the huge range of French wines - currently 70 labels - with some going for as low as a $6 a glass.

You will hear laughter and clinking of glasses all night long.

One way to take advantage of the friendly wine prices is to order a 1 Meter Board ($54) with five cheeses, five cold cuts and one pate. That should keep you occupied as you throw back a few glasses.

If you want a proper dinner, Ginett does that well too.

CHOICES

There are many French choices on the menu.

Do consider the La Joue de Boeuf ($32).
The braised wagyu beef cheek is tender and retains all the flavours. The mashed potatoes it came with could have used a touch more butter, though.

Another beef option comes from the Charcoal Grill menu. We ordered the Australian Angus beef rib eye ($42 for 300g). The accompanying wedges looked uninspiring, but they were actually crispy and fluffy.

Based on what I read on the menu, the roast chicken ($34) looked promising - it was not. The meat was too dry and barely flavoured.

Since escargot is typically French, I thought ordering the Burgundy Snails ($18) would be a good idea.

But this was under-seasoned and more garlic would have lifted the dish.

The delicious Scampi ($26) benefitted from a great seafood sauce that highlighted rather than hid the scampi. Get this if you are looking for something light.