CRUD in vf page linked to a custom object

Hello,

We have a need to store few attributes of a entity in a external DB and link to a custom object in salesforce.The data can be created/updated using a restful service. What would be the best UI pattern for this? Embed a visual force page and use apex call outs? Lighning connect being a licensed product, I plan to keep the option out for the time being.

Thanks