Located in the strip of colonial black and white houses that comprises the Rochester Park restaurant precinct, you will find Les Bouchons, one of three outlets in Singapore. There's also one across the waters in Johore Bahru.
The Rochester Park branch opened in January this year and is the biggest of the venues in Singapore. The reception and indoor and alfresco dining areas are on the ground floor. Going upstairs, you are greeted with wall-to-wall wines from France, beautiful French posters, pieces of art, and another outdoor dining area. Les Bouchon has a special menu curated for the festive season, and I was here to taste the fruits of Head Chef Nelson Chua's culinary magic.
I had the Mousse de Foie de Poulet Maison a la Confiture de Figues for my starter. A mouthful to say, but what a mouthful to savour. A chicken paté with a light, creamy mousse texture topped with confit fig jam, served in a small mason jar. Delicious by the mouthful. The freshly-baked, still-warm bread rolls were the perfect accompaniment. There's a lot in that little jar, but don't you worry. It was all gone when the plates were cleared for the next course. Chef Nelson makes all the cold cuts, rillettes and patés in-house.
There are four choices for the main course; lamb, duck, prawns and steak. I chose the Piece de Paleron de Boeuf Grille Wagyu MB6/7, which is 300g of the grilled oyster blade with a high-fat marbling score. The steak was tender, flavorful, and buttery without being overwhelmingly rich. Served with free-flow pomme frites, of course, and McFries, these were not! I like how different mustards and horseradish are served with the steak—condiments galore and made for fun tastings.
I was here for a 3-course lunch, so bring it on. The sweet ending for me was not sweet dessert but cheese, Brie a la Truffe Maison, another in-house creation of mascarpone and truffle paté, sandwiched inside a piece of brie. The accompaniments were a bit typical; dried apricots, prunes and water crackers. However, that took nothing away from the piece of dynamite cheese exploding with these flavours and textures. Maybe I'll bring my water-thin crackers next time and perhaps ask for some of that fig jam, too.
I didn't spend time looking over the wine list but going by what I saw on display throughout the restaurant racks, I'm confident there's something for everyone.
Chef Nelson spent time in France as a chef, and this grew his passion for doing cold cuts. I like how the chef came out to speak to diners and check on the food and experience. A second visit is on the cards as I spied an Assiette de Charcuterie on the regular dining menu highlighting the in-house cold cuts and pork rillettes.
If you are searching for a French place for dining, make sure you put Les Bouchons on your list.
a. 60 Robertson Quay, #01-02, Singapore 238252 (Robertson Quay)
You May Also Like
