NEW RESTAURANT White Marble #01-09 Orchard Rendezvous Hotel 1 Tanglin Road Singapore 247905 Tel: 9772 9434 Open Tues to Sun: 11.30am to 10.30pm

WHITE Marble is a restaurant to suit your mood, depending on which direction you enter it. If you're happy and glad to be out and about, then come in from its Cuscaden Road-facing alfresco side so you get the full sunny patio effect it tries to achieve.

But if you're all mumbly and grumbly - like if your boss said you can't work from home anymore - then go in through the carpark and ground floor of the Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, where hope, optimism and most people have been sucked out of its old and tired premises.

As one of the new restaurants - there's also a new sushi place next door - brought in to liven up the hotel's retail and dining area behind the slightly more cheerful lobby, White Marble has a tough job ahead.

It's tucked away like a relative you're embarrassed to introduce to a new love interest, in a dark corner of a passageway past an almost empty old Chinese restaurant. It's especially sad on a weekday evening, although it apparently perks up on weekends.

White Marble is a sister of Black Marble in Holland Village, a suburban eatery with a stronger meat and seafood-centric concept. It had the stamp of hotel stalwart Otto Weibel and so does White, which shows some Mediterranean aspirations but is generally a Jack of all cuisines and master of none.

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More good cafe than great restaurant, the cooking is agreeable enough but is standard hotel fare - or maybe a notch below some of the newer hotels which have ramped up their all-day dining fare.

The menu swings from the Middle East to Greece to Italy or wherever the whim takes it, with plenty of room for convenient interpretation.

Spanish ham croquette (S$12) is a cross between thick chowder and Japanese croquette filling studded with peas, with an extra crunchy breadcrumb crust. No points for authenticity, but the crunch is fun and the spicy harissa aioli is a nice foil.

The mezze plate (S$34) is pretty. A salty creamy hummus, better smoked eggplant puree with lashings of olive oil and sharp quinoa tabbouleh come with dryish pita bread for dipping. Two discs of falafel could do double duty as hockey puck or quick snack for the goalkeeper. A serviceable chicken skewer and sweet-sharp fattoush salad round off this so-so platter.

When we're there, service is pretty non-existent so we're left to our own devices over what to order. No one recommends the seemingly popular tagine but one helpful server suggests the signature skewers, so we go with the chicken and mushroom.

It makes an impressive appearance - a tower of hefty chunks of meat which stay juicy and uncomplaining despite being rolled over hot coals. Mushrooms and peppers are friendly companions on the stick. A trio of dips - garlicky yoghurt, red pepper and aioli - complete this simple but satisfying main.

We also like the linguini vongole (S$26) which should be named the other way around because there are more clams than pasta. We're not complaining even if they're tiny. The pasta is sauteed in a lot of olive oil, chilli and white wine - a standard recipe, but it hits the spot.

We have to wait an awfully long time for our fig and almond tart and when it comes, someone apologises and says it's just fresh out of the oven. A quick poke makes us wonder which oven in which universe this tart just came out of, because it's barely lukewarm from its trip through the time portal.

At least it's fresh, with a soft olive oil cake texture, nutty from almonds and garnished with a few fig slices. The yoghurt ice cream on top is what makes it work.

Have no expectations at White Marble and it will sell you no lies. What you see is what you get - White Marble takes the Mediterranean route with a somewhat dated but reasonably priced menu, with cooking that fits the level it's playing at. Just make sure you come in from the outside and let your imagination, if not the food, take you to the Mediterranean of your dreams.

Rating: 6

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

10: The ultimate dining experience 9-9.5: Sublime 8-8.5: Excellent 7-7.5: Good to very good 6-6.5: Promising 5-5.5: Average

Our review policy: The Business Times pays for all meals at restaurants reviewed on this page. Unless specified, the writer does not accept hosted meals prior to the review's publication.