Tag Archives: French
Bistro Petit Salut
As one of the restaurants in the less boisterous part of Holland Village in Chip Bee Gardens, Bistro Petit Salut is more commonly known as the no frills version of sister restaurant Au Petit Salut. While the bistro greets you with its minimalistic decor and plain dark oak-brown wooden walls and furniture when you walk in, it is anything but when it comes to the food. Bistro Petit Salut is certainly no nonsense and spares no compromise when it comes to serving good quality authentic French cuisine.
Al-fresco style seating arrangements are also available if enjoying the lush greenery and the humid weather is what you would prefer. Drivers need not fret for there is ample parking around the compound and estate without having to walk too far.
We came here for the Set Lunch at $28++ one Monday afternoon and there was a healthy stream of customers once more reaffirming the draw factor this French bistro holds especially since it was only the first day of the week.
Warm complimentary bread were served in a basket once we placed our orders. It was hard not to compare the bread with the one I had at Bistro Du Vin 4 days ago and unfortunately, this one did not quite match up but I dont usually turn down warm bread with good quality salted butter so the three of us polished off this basket quite easily.
For our Entrées, we decided on the “Salade Lyonnais” which was a fresh and delightful serve of greens mixed with croutons, tomatoes and a single poached egg.
Restaurant Week @ Bistro Du Vin (Shaw Centre)
One of the more popular little French bistros in Singapore, Bistro Du Vin by the Les Amis Group is not only widely known for their authentic French cuisine but also for maintaining the true charm of a real bistro in France with their setting and furnishing. This place has been on my radar for quite some time given the much raved reviews from many friends. Needless to say, we were psyched when we managed to snag two places which had been freed up at the last minute for Restaurant Week 2012.
As one of the restaurants along the stretch of Scotts Road, just opposite Pacific Plaza, the maroon-red painted doors were hard to miss. Stepping inside the bistro makes one feel like he/she has indeed travelled to France. Bistro Du Vin had done a great job in recreating a true French experience with the marbled table tops, quaint paintings lining the walls, a mini ‘cellar’ at the corner with a wide selection of wines to offer for accompaniment of the food and of course not forgetting the iconic striped red, blue and white French flag hanging from the ceiling. The vibe was casual and jovial, nothing too fancy.
Though the place was small, the mezzanine arrangement meant that more tables could be added without patrons feeling too cramped and I was amazed at how many people the bistro could hold at its full capacity though of course I was not too pleased at being able to reach across the next table. But who is complaining about the squeeze if the food is as charming as its setting?
Since this was my first experience with Restaurant Week, I was very fascinated with the A5 sized menus they had nicely printed on thick paper for us to choose from. The flip side of the page had a very French looking chef with his chicken who were both wearing a toque. It reminded me a tad of the Ratatouille movie back in ’07 and I was definitely feeling all ‘Frenchy’ after that and ready to order!
Before our food arrived, we were served with complimentary bread and my do the French definitely know how to make their bread. This baguette loaf was warm and oh so comforting to eat with a large slab of butter spread on it. Crisp on the outside but the holey and uneven center was soft and delightful. We were so happy with our bread, we decided to ask for seconds which the waiters kindly obliged.
db Bistro Moderne (Marina Bay Sands)
Together with two other celebrity restaurants- CUT by Wolfgang Puck and Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, db Bistro Moderne is the third celebrity restaurant in Marina Bay Shoppes that is located conveniently near the Sands Theatre where the likes of The Lion King and currently Wicked is playing. As such, these restaurants offer a great before or after theatre dining option. Servers are also considerate enough to ask if you are catching a musical so as to ensure that your food reaches you in time before showtime.
The original db Bistro Moderne which was set up by Chef Daniel Boulud in Midtown Manhattan is highly acclaimed and Michelin Chef Daniel has made a name for himself as having opened an unpretentious French-American bistro that serves food that is simply packed with flavour.
This branch at Marina Bay Sands has a very Parisian and chic feel when you first walk in. High ceilings, a stylish bar, smartly dressed waiters and an open window concept which allows diners to enjoy their food while watching the world go by, db Bistro Moderne is hardly modest in its setting and layout.
We arranged to meet here for Sunday branch and to be honest, this visit came tagged with many high expectations and much excitement.
The plan was to order a few mains and leave some room for dessert so we settled on the FRIED EGGS LYONNAISES $21 which was simply the star of the afternoon. The combination of the duck confit, mushrooms and bite sized potatoes was to die for. For starters, the duck confit was beautifully prepared and well-browned. The meat was moist and not overly salty, it was simply delightful. Potatoes were evenly cut and cooked to perfection that it was neither too hard or soft to the point of becoming mushy. Throw in a fried sunny side-up on the top, you’ve got yourself a winner.
Next to arrive was the TARTE FLAMBÉE $18 which was not actually on the brunch menu but on the dinner menu instead. We found out about this dish because we got curious as to what the person at the next table was having so we asked the waiter who kindly explained to us that it was not a brunch item but if we wanted, they could arrange to have it prepared for us. Gold star for initiative and service.
This modest looking flat bread was hardly eye catching but it was deceivingly oh so good. Bacon, onion and Fromage Blanc (creamy soft cheese) on dough was crisp, soft, salty and sweet all at the same time. The subtlety of the flavours were the perfect marriage and it was hard to believe that something so simple and flat could be so three dimensional in taste.
Paul Bakery
The downside of being in a tropical country is that you cannot really predict when it will rain, neither are weather forecasts actually reliant in predicting the weather. So when it started pouring suddenly on my way out after being all hot and sunny the whole morning, I decided to walk back upstairs to take my dslr out of my bag because there was absolutely no way I was going to get that precious thing wet. As such, the following images were captured with my trusty iPhone 4s which comes in very handy during such times.
So this post is on how I finally got to try the much esteemed French bakery and patisserie Paul Bakery which recently opened a branch on our shores last month. It is currently located at where Coffee Club used to be in Takashimaya on the 3rd floor. To be quite honest, my initial excitement and anticipation for this bakery was dampened by the many online reviews which complained about how this branch in Singapore did not quite live up to expectations compared to the original in Paris (which was founded in 1889) and how bad the service was.
But of course with all its rich history and tempting baked goods displayed on the counter, I knew I had to try this place out for myself before I could pass a verdict.
It is of course interesting to note that despite all the complaints and bad reviews, there is ALWAYS a queue at Paul’s. So we strategised to be there at 3pm- when the lunch crowd is leaving, before the afternoon tea crowd arrives. And my did our extra effort pay off because CHECK THIS OUT! NO QUEUE! The waiters however did keep us standing there for quite some time and soon a queue started to form behind us. Not quite a good first impression I must say…
Nevertheless, we were finally ushered to a two-seater in a cosy corner and a waiter serviced us promptly. We were initially quite keen on ordering one of the bread baskets but was persuaded otherwise by the waitress who said that the bread baskets were much fresher if we came in the morning instead. She then proceeded to recommending other dishes on the menu so this was what we finally decided on…
D’artagnan
Saturday night date with the housemates. An excuse to dress up, have dinner at a fancy restaurant and then proceed to end the night off on a sweet note with dessert. So the fancy dinner part saw us paying a visit to D’artagnan- a very pretty and cosy French restaurant in North Adelaide and a dimly lit too one if I might add.. But somehow the three of us still felt sort of like fish out of the water because laughing or talking loudly seemed inappropriate in such a place. So when dessert time came, it was an unanimous decision to move across the road to Chocolatree instead of ordering it here because we really wanted to just ‘let loose’ and enjoy ourselves without feeling too self-conscious.
Pan roasted orange glazed duck breast $16- with parsnip purée, brandy sauce, witlof and hazelnut salad
