Bon Appetit ... The French Kitchen

My wife and I had a really great dinner last evening (without the kids) in this really nice french restaurant, The French Kitchen, located in the former site of Saint Pierre restaurant in Central Mall. The restaurant is a joint venture between Emmanuel Stroobant of the "Chef in Black" tv series fame as well as the owner of Saint Pierre and Jean-Charles Dubois, the former Chef de Cuisine of Raffles Hotel.

The restaurant is in an unassuming part of Central Mall,located in a extremely low traffic mall in the central business district, and sited next to a furniture shop with an almost obscured tiny doorway entrance. Blink and you will miss it. As such, the place is definitely not targeted at causal passer-by diners but for individuals who appreciate fine food.

We were greeted at the door by the very warm and friendly Maitre'D cum Sommelier, Jan, formerly from San Marco restaurant. The decoration and table settings was simple and functional such as white washed walls with some sketches hanging on the wall, "modern" chandeliers and a "see through" kitchen separated from dinners by a large window. What caught our eyes were the cordless electric table lamp from an Australian company called Neoz, it create a warm soothing ambience reminiscent of candle light. I was toying with the lamp when I heard Jean-Charles joking telling us not to destroy his lamp.

Jean-Charles looked more relax than his former suit and tie role in the Raffles, as energetic and warm with a ready smile as when we last met him. He suggested some specialties dishes that were currently featured on his summer menu including the uber-licious Lobster bisque which we still fondly remembered from his menu while he was at his former place. Can't wait to get started!

Starters, we had ...

Bisque De Homard
traditional lobster bisque with tiger prawn beignet and leek custard
The bisque was fantastic! Jean-Charles uses whole lobsters, instead of just heads or shells, to make the bisque which gave it full bodied flavour. And of course lots of quality butter and cream. I was not too sure about the leek custard and prawn tempura combination and would have preferred it served with some pieces of lobsters and possibly garnished and lightly flavoured with either chives or parsley. A definite must try nevertheless.

Jan paired this with a nice fruity Champagne by Bollinger. What can I say, Champagne goes with everything.

Vol Au Vent De Ris De Veau
crispy sweetbread with creamy morel mushrooms in home-made puff pastry
For those new to this dish, sweetbread is the gland of the thymus of either lamb, beef or pork, and in the dish we had it is beef sweetbread. Sweetbread has an acquired taste as the flavour bordered between rich liver and strong meat with a texture a bit like tofu. We had past experiences with sweetbread that were not very pleasure but we were game for this as this is a traditional French dish and we trusted Jean-Charles recommendation. The verdict ... super yummy! The sweetbread was cooked to perfection with a crispy outside and nice soft texture with slight bite resistant and a complex taste layering from the savoury crust and the rich meat moist interior; and together with the slight earthy pungent of the morel combined with the nice buttery sauce ... it was heavenly! The puff pastry was topped with some sauteed vegetables and was alright ... but it's the main events on the plate that scored for this item. Don't miss this dish!

Jan paired this with an Australian Riesling, can't recall the label, with a mild floral bouquet, slightly dry and is a closer relative to the Riesling from Alsace than from the Rhine. The wine was just right to "cut" through the savoury of the dish.

Asperges Blanches Et Vertes
white and green aparagus with poached hen's egg, tomato confit, Fourme d'Ambert cheese and Bayonne ham
This dish was alright for me. Not really spectacular but nice nevertheless. I find the asparagus a bit tough, would be nice if it's slightly softer and possibly introduce something with a bit of tart, like a touch of balsamic reduction, in the combination.

This was paired with the Riesling.


Mains, we had ...

Cabillaud En Nage
steamed cod fish fillet with shellfish bouillabaisse fumet, warm salad of red onion, artichoke and crispy farmer bread croûton
You can't go very wrong with cod and in this case, it was done really well. The accompaniments were just the right combination of flavour and texture; and the bouillabaisse fumet has a slight hint of the lobster bisque, taste like it could have been from the same base stock.

This was paired with a white that I did not have much of an impression.

Wagyu Cote De Boeuf
roasted Wagyu beef prime rib with gratuin dauphinois, summer truffles and shallot sauce
This was the main event! The Cote De Boeuf was served medium rare upon request and it was done to perfection. A great feast for meat lover! All I can say was it was sensational!

Jan paired this with an equally sensational red from Chateau Cantemerle, vintage 2006. Well balanced and full bodied with a hint of acidity; length of linger on the palate was just right for the pairing. A gem of a wine.


Desserts, we had ...

Reblochon En Fondue
fondue of Reblochon cheese with thinly sliced Bayonne ham and baby romaine salad, walnut vinaigrette
This is as the name implied, a fondue or melted cheese dish, which for me seems like a starter item rather than a dessert due to the savoury nature of the dish. Jan explained that it was listed under desserts because the French would traditionally include a cheese dish prior to sweets. It was alright for me, maybe because I was still savouring the lingering flavour of the Wagyu Cote De Boeuf.

Creme Brulee
milk chocolate crème brûlée with homemade Lady Grey ice cream
This was alright for me. I think I am still a fan of the traditional vanilla custard version. Had a nice double espresso with it.

Peche Melba
poached peach with homemade vanilla ice-cream and raspberry coulis
My wife had that and by then I was up to my eyeballs in la grande cuisine to want to give it a taste. Jan explained that the Peche Melba was prepared traditionally based on the recipe by Escoffier.

That's What I Call Bon Appetit!

At the end of the meal, Jean-Charles came out of the kitchen to chat with us for quite a while trading industry insights and gossips with my wife. The restaurat really made us feel at home and the meal was just marvellous.

A must visit for any gourmet!

They can be found at this website: http://www.thefrenchkitchen.com.sg/index.html and their location and contact details:

The French Kitchen
7 Magazine Rd (off Merchant road)
#01-03, Central Mall
Singapore 059572
Tel: +65 6438 1823