Singapore sommelier pairing prices and non-alcoholic pairing cost on a tasting menu
5 min read
On a set dinner menu, the pairing is a priced line item, not a free extra. Marguerite's Signature menu PDF prints the menu at $288++ and the sommelier pairing at $98++ for three pours, $138++ for four and $198++ for six, alongside a note that all prices are subject to service charge and tax. Divide those tiers by their pour count and the choice stops being a matter of taste alone. [1]
What each matched drink actually costs, what the '++' adds at the till, and whether the restaurant's published corkage suits the way you drink are all answerable from the venues' own pages, which is where the figures below come from.
What the printed menus say, and what they leave out
The shorter Discovery menu is printed at $188++ with 'Sommelier – $98++ | Temperance – $48++', the same service charge and tax note, and service in the evening Wednesday to Sunday. The '++' is put into figures by Gardens by the Bay's listing for a separate four-course lunch experience at $148++ per person, available Thursday to Sunday: prices are subject to 10% service charge and 9% GST. [2] [3]
Also printed on the Signature menu: a $38 course upgrade, and the terms that it runs for dinner Wednesday to Sunday and lunch Thursday to Sunday, with menu and prices subject to change without prior notice. Course counts are what these menus do not give — the PDFs list dishes without numbering them — so the seven-course Signature and four-course Discovery descriptions come from Time Out's review rather than the restaurant. [1] [4]
Per pour, and what the ++ adds
Divide each tier by its stated pour count and the three land within a couple of dollars of each other: about $32.70 a pour for three, $34.50 for four and $33 for six. A bigger pairing buys more matched drinks, not a cheaper unit. Measured against the $288 menu price, before service charge and GST, the entry tier is about 34% and the top tier about 69%. [1]
Hypothetically, take a table of two where each diner orders the Signature menu with the six-pour pairing. At the 10% service charge and 9% GST the park's listing publishes for this restaurant, a $198++ pairing becomes about $237 and the $288++ menu about $345, so food and drink for the pair comes to roughly $1,165. Taking the two pairings alone gives about $475. Rates are this venue's, so check the terms that apply to the room you book. [1] [3]
What the alcohol-free pairing is, and where the sources differ
The cheaper option is a different product rather than a discount version of the same one. Marguerite describes its non-alcoholic programme as clarified juices and fermented teas, sitting alongside a curated list of premium wines. On the Discovery menu, the Temperance pairing at $48++ is roughly half the $98++ Sommelier pairing printed on the same page. [5] [2]
On taste, the evidence is thinner and personal. Time Out's review, dated 28 September 2026 and rating the restaurant three out of five, reported liking most of the house-made alcohol-free pours built with lemon myrtle, bush honey and native elderflower, while finding one — rosella with cacao nibs and aniseed myrtle — much too acidic alongside the beef. That review quoted the alcohol-free pairing at $48 for lunch rising to $98 for dinner; the current Signature PDF lists sommelier tiers only. [4]
When corkage is the better line on the bill
Corkage is a fee, not a bottle price, and that decides the comparison. Marguerite's reservations page states: 'Corkage is at $150++ per bottle, or 1-for-1 policy.' You buy the wine yourself and pay the fee on top. Two diners each bringing a bottle would pay $300++ in fees against $396++ for two six-pour pairings — cheaper on the fee line alone, before whatever those bottles cost at retail, and no bottle or glass prices were published in the material used here. [6] [1]
Other venues publish half the picture. Odette states that listed prices exclude GST and service charge, and charges a corkage service fee of SGD200++ per 750ml for the first two bottles and SGD300++ for each additional bottle; Restaurant Zén lists a SGD450++ lunch menu and a fixed SGD620++ dinner menu and says a pairing, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, is available without printing a figure. The decision is arithmetic you can do before booking: divide a pairing price by its pours, add the venue's published charges, and weigh that against a corkage fee plus the bottle you would buy. Confirm current figures on the venue's own page, since Marguerite states that menu and prices can change without prior notice. [7] [8]
Sources
- Signature Menu
- Discovery Menu
- Marguerite New Four Course Lunch Menu
- Marguerite: Michelin-Starred Modern Australian Dining In Gardens By The Bay
- About – Michael Wilson and Marguerite Restaurant
- Reservations – Marguerite Restaurant
- Reservations – Odette Restaurant
- Restaurant Zén
BUTLER Magazine Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-06. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.
