SINGAPORE — The first things I looked for when I decided to dig into a three course meatless lunch at recently opened Joie (pronounced ‘joy’) Restaurant were the same pragmatic pleasures I look for in any meal: It has to taste good and provide adequate sustenance.

And given the culinary spoils of today’s creative interpretations, there is much more to enjoying vegetarian fare than musing about mock meats. Joie’s take, for instance, is said to focus on “uplifting and innovative natural fare” and features contemporary dishes with Japanese-European sensibilities, prepared with the freshest vegetables, fruits and herbs. Its prix fixe six- and seven-course lunch and dinner sets hinted at a filling meal and dishes dubbed Awakening and Elixir sounded enticing. It looked even better artfully plated on customised earthenware from Taiwan.

For the first course in my six-course lunch set (well, five because the amuse bouche technically doesn’t count as a course; S$38.80), I went with a safe choice of button mushroom gratin, cleverly served in an escargot dish. So it’s not the most inspiring pick, but the accompanying sweet Tennessee heirloom potato puree with Belgian endive poached in maple syrup helped perk the dish up. It would have been a fine start if not for the overly sweet endive. Still, my interest was adequately piqued and I was looking forward to this unique blend of Asian and European sensibilities.

The dish of Taiwanese snow pear and Napa cabbage consomme (following a course of spring vegetable terrine) served as a good example. Made with a light yet flavoursome double-boiled vegetable stock, it was a delightfully restrained ensemble with the addition of a few Chinese almonds for a hint of sweet, nutty flavours. Pity the sweet pear wasn’t poached more tender.

The next course, though, didn’t have that problem. A garden variety of root vegetables such as golden baby beetroot and baby carrots were artfully arrayed, alongside Japanese eggplant and zebra tomatoes from Holland. These were nestled in a little truffle mash and drizzled with a little butter-garlic sauce. It was an easy dish to love — except the aubergine (which in pan-fried), all the vegetables are sous-vide until half-cooked to seal in its flavour, before they’re place in a “butter bath” of water, butter, salt and pepper to finish. (However, I couldn’t help but note that the highlight of my meal was at best a really good salad.)

Dessert options were disappointing. I get the appeal of a well-stacked trolley of sweet confections, but rather than tempt me with decadence and thoughts of sinful indulgences, the cart struggled to impress with frozen macarons and an overly sweet tiramisu cake among other colourful, though conventional, sweets. It made me crave a homemade chocolate-avocado mousse or even a sweet potato pudding. Don Mendoza

Joie Restaurant is at 181 Orchard Road #12-01 Orchard Central. Tel: 6838 6966. Opening hours: noon to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm daily