The day has finally arrived. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon is finally opened for business in Singapore! The memory of my last meal at L'Atelier is still fresh in my mind, as I checked out his latest L'Atelier in Paris about a month ago. L'Atelier Etoile is the second outpost in Paris (located on Champs Elysées, inside Publicis) since the original concept opened in Saint-Germain in 2003.
L'Atelier is my favourite restaurant group in the world. The reason is simple. Consistently good food no matter which city I am in. My worry that the Singapore branch will fall short of my expectations was unfounded. It was an immaculate meal I had on Sunday, 28th April 2011. A monumental gastronomic experience!
What to expect? The same decor theme in red and black, with open kitchen concept. As well as a team of dedicated and passionate staff.4 pax for dinner, 17 different dishes. We were the last guests to leave at 12.30am! Here's a look at what we ate. Every dish is good, you just have to go back again and again to try them all. Or do what I did, get a few foodie friends so you can order more dishes to share.
Amuse Bouche - Foie gras custard with red Porto wine and parmesan foamEven a modest amuse bouche here will put many restaurants' main courses to shame.
From the "Menu of Small Tasting Portions"
Le Blanc-Manger - S$27Gazpacho of white and green asparagus
* I never thought gazpacho of asparagus could taste so good. It might not sound appealing, but it was light and delicious.
L'os A Moelle - S$23Bone marrow spiced up with a tint of mustard on a toast
* If you are a fan of bone marrow, this is a must-try. A generous portion to the point of overdose. I would recommend sharing this. The toast is crisp and not soggy at all. A dish well done!
Le Vitello Tonato - S$33Veal carpaccio topped with tuna sauce and served with heart of romaine lettuce
* My friend polished this off the plate. Enough said.
Le Burger - S$35* This is "The Burger"! This is the best burger I ever had. Sorry, DB Bistro, you have been dethroned. All hail Robuchon!
Les Encornets - S$33
La Caille - S$37
Free-range quail filled with foie gras, served with the famous mashed potatoes
* A rich and heavenly dish. We asked the chef in Paris what was the secret of making such smooth mash... you won't love the answer but you will love the mash. His reply was "more butter than potatoes".
L'Asperge - S$27
Green asparagus skewer with quail egg sunny side up, served with morels.
Les Encornets - S$33Squid and artichoke fried in Iberian flavours
* Tender pieces of squid. Makes a good starter if you wants to keep it light.
La Caille - S$37* A rich and heavenly dish. We asked the chef in Paris what was the secret of making such smooth mash... you won't love the answer but you will love the mash. His reply was "more butter than potatoes".
L'Asperge - S$27* Love the cute quail egg done sunny side up. Order this only if you love asparagus and morels.
L'oeuf - S$31Egg cocotte topped with light mushroom cream
* If a chef can make a simple egg taste this good, he/she deserves Michelin star(s). Oh wait, Joel Robuchon has 26 stars to his name!
From the a la carte "Appetizer" Menu
Le Foie Gras - S$35Seared foie gras with citrus gratin
La Poule - S$29Chicken broth with foie gras ravioli and fresh herbs
* This is the kind of chicken soup for my soul. Lol.
Le Homard - S$115Blue lobster salad with sherry vinegar dressing
* I do apologise for this bad quality picture as I have to snap the pic from 2 seats away. Also, I was not quick enough to snap a pic before my friend tucked in. This is the most expensive dish on the menu, and I would so order it again as it is the holy grail of lobster salad.
From the a la carte "Fishes and Meats" Menu
L'onglet de Boeuf - S$43Steak tartare with house fries
* I was not in the right condition to eat raw meat but my friends told me it was delicious... and the clean plate attested to that. It is a very generous portion. So do share it.
La Sole - S$47Fillet of sole with asparagus and morels
* A light and healthy alternative, a great choice if you don't eat meat.
Le Boeuf - S$95Beef rib eye steak with Sarawak black pepper
* We were so stuffed that we all heaved a sigh of disbelief when we saw the size of this piece of meat. Despite gorging ourselves to the point of being sick, this piece of meat still tasted amazing. It was the most tender piece of steak I ever had to date. It was almost like eating butter. Do share this dish as it is rather huge and too rich.
The Desserts
By this time, it was past midnight and I completely forgot to take down the details. I do apologise that I don't remember the prices or the actual names of the desserts.
Coconut foam with crumble* Complimentary dessert while they prepare the souffle
Strawberry panna cotta with basil*Seriously, I never thought strawberries will go so well together with basil. Genius!
Souffle with Chartreuse liquer and pistachio ice cream* The souffle worth waiting for. We had it for supper at 12.15am! Sweet dreams indeed!
It was a gastro-orgasmic experience at L'Atelier. I can proudly say that the Singapore branch is as good as the other L'Ateliers around the world. I would love to dine there every week but my doctor wouldn't approve. Go check it out before the reservation list grows too long. I should perhaps check out the fine dining sister restaurant Joel Robuchon for my next visit.
For more info, please visit www.rwsentosa.com
Posts
As I was researching for my French class presentation on Joel Robuchon, I am glad to stumble upon your post. But the more I read, the more I can't finish my homework as I am so hungry! Hence, I stop my homework and going to tell my classmates about your awesome post :) Merci for taking the time to share your experience! :D
ReplyDelete