Toast the Festive Season Up Until the New Year With Singapore's Oldest French Restaurant L’Angélus

The charming atmosphere of L’Angelus enveloped my entire being as I entered this oldest single-location traditional French restaurant. Since 1988 many have known this brand as a restaurant that lives up to its reputation for consistent top-quality authentic fare.

A festive 3-course menu awaited me but I couldn’t help myself, walking around to take photos and videos of  beautiful artefacts on the walls. One most unique accessory on the wall as I entered was a large wooden box with many pigeon holes holding napkins of L’Angelus’s regular patrons.

I took some time to observe names engraved at each pigeon hole thinking it would be a reason for me to come back, if my name were there. A magnet of sorts I would be up for this personalized service. A cut above. So French!

A glass of Haut Bertinerie Sauvignon Blanc to get the show on the road, this festive menu only available for December was a steal at $98. My choice of starter the poached Foie Gras with black Truffle artichoke velouté was to die for.

Other diners who had a bite off my plate felt too that it was an excellent entrée. Not being a beef tartare fan, I skipped over that option though lovers of this raved at the hand-cut Black Angus flavour.

The other option of starter Hyogo oysters, Hokkaido scallop and cucumber & shiso jelly was also one I loved. Having a bite off my friend’s plate (so not French etiquette) this would certainly be one for seafood lovers.

I don’t know what it is about French music and ambience, it puts me in a celebratory mood. Romantic and sensory-based in every way, the French certainly know how to languor over a meal, cutting out all pressures of life for that moment.

Totally experiential, I was transported to a light spirited mood with great company around the table. As mains were served I looked forward to the Miso glazed deep sea Australian toothfish with Murasaki Uni butter. Paired with a yummy Louis Alix Chardonnay this was a good recommendation.

For some, being in a traditional French restaurant might call for a traditional Magret de Canard a l’Orange. The slow cooked U.S. short rib was also on the mains list for hearty meat eaters. This was held in high acclaim by others on the table as it was served with marrow, vegetable dumpling and beef broth.

Of course the 2016 Chateau Guibeau Bordeaux was a great accompaniment to these meat mains, served effortlessly by service staff who seemed to have become part of the L’Angelus brand.

Not my usual pick for dessert as I usually do a minimalistic one but felt a unique experience for an old dessert I remembered as a kid, I chose the Baked Alaska. Flambeed by the table with a robust dark rum, one bite into it and I felt it had rum all over.

Wow it was like having the richest dessert ever but hey, this is a festive menu and that’s what it’s meant to inspire. Indulgence at year end! For traditionalists, a tray of French farm cheeses and a large portion too, were on offer. To pair of course with a Pineau des Charentes dessert wine this added a silky touch to complete the meal.

A lovely trip to a Parisian restaurant was my take on L’Angelus even if it were to have a drink before dinner at the cute bar. It would be a mood accentuator to get the party rolling.  

The L’Angélus Restaurant report

The L’Angélus Restaurant, located at 85 Club Street, is easy to find, although parking on this small street can be challenging. Stepping into the restaurant, you immediately know it’s French, with the French art deco posters lining the length of the restaurant’s side and rear walls. There’s a fantastic, fully-stocked bar with a few counter seats that I would have lived to be seated at, but as this was a lunch affair and not evening happy hour, the white-linen round table would be fine.

L’Angélus will be launching a new set menu in December, and today, I was lucky enough to experience the pre-launch tasting of the menu. The set price is $98++ and includes choices for three courses and a wine pairing with five different wines. Depending on your food choice, you will get a glass of either Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc for starters, Chardonnay or a robust Merlot blend for your mains, and finish with a beautiful dessert wine, with some familiar flavours reminiscent of a solera sherry. All sounds a bit rich for lunch, but it is superb value if you ask me.

Now to the food choices. To start the meal, you have three options. A Tartare de Boeuf comes with N25 Baerrii Caviar and is an $8 supplement, but there’s a generous amount of caviar. The scallop and oyster medley with shiso jelly and parsnip puree will delight if you are after seafood. The third choice is a poached (not pan-fried) foie gras atop a delectable artichoke velouté and finished with a few shaves of fresh autumn black truffle from Italy. The poached foie gras was intense, and the flavour unmistakable. It was the first time for me to be served poached foie gras. The artichoke velouté was like a thick mushroom soup, and I would have been a happy chappy if it had been served up as a soup. No graces here; the bread roll was an ideal way to scoop up the velouté. Amazing flavours!

Your choices for the mains or Plat Principal are A miso-glazed pan-fried Australia toothfish and a de-constructed short rib Pot-Au-Feu accompanied with a marrow and vegetable dumpling all in a dish of beef broth, which is a $10 supplement. There’s also the Canard à l’Orange, a crispy skin duck breast in an orange reduction and a celeriac puree. The skin was indeed crispy and served sliced and beautifully pink. The orange reduction is a perfect accompaniment.

You can choose three desserts from the menu. Either a selection of unpasteurised French farm cheeses, a Baked Alaska that is flambéed tableside or a Mont Blanc comprising a white chocolate and chestnut mousse sitting on a Joconde biscuit base. The Mont Blanc is perfectly light, and the chestnut flavours are subtly highlighted.

The L’Angélus Restaurant is the oldest single-venue French restaurant in Singapore, and given my penchant for French cuisine, it is a wonder why it has taken me until now to find out about this place. Definitely and must-do for the next date night.