While The French Kitchen was conceptualised as a place to serve comfort food – alike that which the chef had while growing up in France – the setting is not quite like the stereotypical French farmhouse. Lit by dim chandeliers, dressed with plush black carpeting and decked with tables draped in crisp linen, it has more uptown elegance than rustic charm. Nevertheless, it is without the formality of fine dining establishments and their diners present that Saturday evening we visited – ranging from men in t-shirt and jeans to well-coifed ladies in silk and satin – all seemed at ease.

Three five-course menus were available: the TFK degustation ($78), the Tradition Dubois Degustation ($68) and the Menu du Jour ($58). The last consisted of mainly familiar bistro fare such as onion soup and confit of duck leg; while the other two offered more contemporary and perhaps more luxe dishes, such as seared Hokkaido scallop with Bayonne ham, scampi oil and balsamico vignaigrette, and lobster bisque with tiger prawn beignet and leek custard. It was interesting to note though, that all three menus of the same course length — by doing so the management had cleverly eliminated the challenge of having to pace the serving of meals of different course lengths to the same table.

While the complimentary breads arrived at our table very promptly, the starters to our dinner – we had opted for the TFK and the Tradition menu – took a considerably long time to be served. The dish of soft poached hen’s egg en cocotte with farmer’s bread emulsion and artisanal brioche was much welcome when it finally came to the table. Taken by the comforting warmth and unctuousness of the dish, we looked forward to the second course, which was served promptly. The dish of pan-seared duck liver with ragout of cep mushrooms on the TFK menu was a slight disappointment — while delightfully tender on the inside, the duck liver was charred and leathery on the outside. The lobster bisque offered on the Tradition menu, though inviting in fragrance, was a little less robust in flavour than expected and lacking in depth. Following a palate cleanser of fruit granite, we sat waiting for the main course to be served — for close to half an hour. This seemed to be a common occurrence at degustation dinners, and we had experienced the same lull just before main course even at such fine dining establishments as Santi by Santi Santamaria. Perhaps it is the restaurant’s way of helping the diner build up an appetite. In any case, we were grateful for the generous portions of the pan-fried Angus striploin with sauteed ratte potatoes and bordelaise sauce; and veal cheeks served with homemade French fries. While both meat dishes were a little more done than desired, they were comforting in flavour. The meal was finished in two and a half hours. Though the waiting time in between some courses felt a little too long for our hungry stomachs, the experience was comfortably paced, and accorded us a perfect excuse for sitting down to meandering conversations and just enjoying the evening at a leisurely pace.  7 Magazine Road. Tel: 6438 1823

Email to a friend

Recipient email address:


From:


Your email address:


Message: