Au Petit Salut, Harding Road

Hello June!

Harding Road is the cab driver's nightmare. To get the new Au Petit Salut, we had to drive through a mini labyrinth, that was thinly disguised by lush greenery, antique shops and so-that's-where-xxx-is restaurants. Beware, some cab drivers might not be very willing to drive all the way in.

On our way in, I kept combing the tip of my tongue against the back of my teeth, hoping to rid itself of the persistent gnawing feeling. My tongue felt battered and parched from last night's nightout at Post Bar Fullerton, where they had these seriously-addictive-darn-good sweet & saltish chips- it wasn't totally my fault, they kept replenishing the chips bowls...

Stupid stupid stupid M.E


Note: With the Harding Road outlet as their main restaurant, their 'sister' branch at Chip Bee Gardens has been relegated to "bistro" status.

The menu at Harding Road differs faintly from the former Chip Bee menu. Regular favourites ("onglet" and souffle) are still around but the new additions (denoted by ***) are a force to be reckoned with.



This being my second time at Au Petit Salut, I was determined to veer away from the usual suspects. I knew what I wanted but I also knew what OTHERS should order. After a less than subtle orchestrate of what everyone else should order (I'm a Leo, sorry it's in my blood the stars), I sat back and soaked in the ambience.


Baked Burgundy snails

Our sole hot entrée for the meal was the escargot, Burgundy snails baked in tomato and garlic butter splendour. The commonplace white baguette suddenly morphed into a gizmo, perfect for swapping those nooks in the plate clean. MMM oh yea


Salmon tartare (I was so taken with this picture, it actually inspired me to re-colour the dotted lines on my blog peach to match the green background.)

I love the fresh burst of Japanese sashimi flavour and the salmon tartare, served with mixed green salad, proved incredibly satisfying. The diced raw salmon, dressed in lemon and olive oil, was luscious and light (read: abused-tongue-friendly). How I would love to serve this at future dinner parties!


Vitello Tonato

Mum ordered the Vitello Tonato*** , thin sliced roasted veal with light tuna sauce. I winced at the uneasy alliance of veal and tuna but any misgivings I had vanished on first bite. The distinct veal and subtle tuna aroma conquered my doubts and made the dish an unexpected winner. One of the rare occasions where I don't mind being proven wrong...

Onto our main courses:


Pan-seared "Onglet" beef

One of our mains included the pan-seared "Onglet" beef, served with confit shallots and french fries. Hmmm, meat and potatoes. Like how hard can it be?

Well, overdone steak, boring splash of roughly chopped onions, unforgivable cold French fries- I could think of so many ways to screw up this dish. However, the chefs at Au Petit ensured proper delivery- the thinnish steak was tender and the lightweight crisp French fries were fantastic, as usual. The French have an incredible knack for making Meat & Potatoes look un-peasantry.


Crispy duck leg confit

The crispy duck leg confit with lentils stew and green salad, is a tricky dish to evalute as this is perhaps my third time trying it. Moist and flavourful, the kitchen brought out the best in the meaty duck leg; the bitter taste of lentils however was too jarring for my liking.


Duck Undone


Beek Cheeks

I have a hard time passing up beef cheeks when I see it as everything else on the menu fades into oblivion. Braised in Red wine, the beef cheeks were served with carrots, mushrooms and parsley potato. Inspired by the Argentineans and their pride of cutting steak with a spoon, I incorporated my very own Fork Test. Using the blunt end of my fork, I gently pressed into the flesh, only to witness first-hand le disintegration of le cheek.

I didn't chew on my beef cheek.

I didn't need to.


Cheekology

The cheek yielded on a gentle tongue/jaw massage, requiring minimal mastication. I felt incredibly spoilt. By the time I was done, I was ONE HAPPY DINER.

En route to Desserts:

With the soufflé and Crème brulée firmly on mon Petit resume, I opted for the mint-infused fresh fruit salad and lemon verbena sorbet.


Fresh fruit salad with sorbet

A dessert designed for summer, it was zesty, light and refreshing. The downside was that the sorbet was a shade too sour, against the milieu of green apples, watermelons and melons.


Choux buns

On entirely different tone, the choux buns, filled with vanilla ice cream, drenched in warm chocolate sauce and sliced almonds, would have you standing on the junction of Sin Avenue and Pleasure Lane.


Fruit Crumble ***

The fruit crumble, filled with apples and pineappple, striked a good balance between rich and light. Undoing the string was like unraveling a delectable parcel. As I love the deadly concoction of bananas and butter, I thought the crumble could have been more buttery.

Barely a week old, I was prepared to give the restaurant some leeway for error but that was unnecessary- the service was welcoming and smooth, food was excellent and ambience unbeatable; though there was a minor problem with the powerful central air conditioning. Despite the inaccessibility and lack of media attentions, this place was almost full at lunchtime.

Au petit secret, I doubt it.

The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha and his universal peace message to mankind, and the after a thoroughly enjoyable lunch at Au Petit Salut, I was beginning to feel I-T.

Au Petit Salut

parents returned from kuala lumpur late last night and to quote and unquote my dad, "never again".. which really seems to echo my bewilderment as to why people love to visit malaysia. i mean sure things are helluva cheaper over the causeway but it is also threateningly dangerous.. compared to singapore where road-snatchthiefs are literally unheard off.. and it is really ironic when a native kuala lumpurian recently remarked to my sister that, "bosnia is safer than kl"

i am not saying that upon arrival in malaysia, you are on a fast-track to hell/ heaven but cheap food & shopping vs your life- go figure.

anyway, mum took the day off to spend time with us and we especially went to au petit salut at chip bee gardens for lunch. i think this could be the first time i have actually had a proper sit-down french meal (kaya slathered over baguettes at delifrance doesn't count in the instance, right?) so i was pretty much excited over what au petit had to offer.

the restaurant was surprisingly crowded on a monday afternoon and it seemed like the place for girlfriends of various age groups to catch up and trade gossip greetings whatsoever. there was the option of either the executive set lunch or the set lunch, which the four of us had.

entrees, main courses, desserts.. bring it on!

gross as it may sound, i had S.N.A.I.L.S or escargots for starters.. guilty pleasure of mine and i sound as barbaric as a roald dahl villian but the snails were spongy, slicky, blackish.. and wayy-good. haha.. half a dozen of them baked with tomato and garlic butter arrived in a pipping hot holey-plate that was designed for one purpose only- to contain de-shelled escargots.

mum and yang had the soup of the day- clam and saffron. it was an interesting conoction that really didn't impress looks-wise but both of them enjoyed it..

jimmy's starter was a duck minced-patate-looking dish with greens on the side. personally, i do prefer hot entrees but he liked the quack (well, it was the second time in a week that he ordered it)

the mains: i had grilled escolar served on parsnip mash with wild arugula and nicoise vinaigrette.. very fancy- pants sounding huh? but essentially it was grilled fish with mashed potato and greens that were left pretty much ignored. i tend to order fish in restaurants as having had the unfortunate experience of preparing salmon for dinner once, i swore never to relive the iccky preparation of fish for myself everever again.

the escola was just great. soft texture? easy tearing of meat which indicated a high level of freshness? non of that fishy smelly business? -checkcheckcheck

mum and jimmy had grilled beef, topped with onions and shallots with fries.. and it was just amazing! a slightly charred outer layer surprised tastebuds with incredibly juicy inside .. fundamentally it was like what mum said, "keeping the juice in... incredible" .. erm, on a sidenote, i felt really guilty for enjoying the fries in a FRENCH RESTAURANT ..

but but... to give me some credit, at least i didn't ask the the ketchup.. hoho.

yang's order of the lamb shank (marinated in orange juice on a polenta) spelt t-a-s-t-y with little effort.. but having been wowed by ember's lambshank.. it was the beef and escolar that provided the wow- factor.

still here? alrights.. time for dessertdessert! i had to have the passion fruit souffle as au petit was supposedly well-known for it and how many places actually souffle that was devoid of chocolate or cocoa? slightly sourish but sweet and eggy, it was definitely an eye-opener but the icing sugar very-unglamourously made me choke a couple of times, so now i kind of understand why mum detests tiramisu.. *cough

jimmy had the creme brulee.. - smiles.

with chocalate sauce, vanilla ice-cream and crunchy almond bits, yang's ohoux buns were predictably yummy (oh chris- i felt like i just cracked a jack-mafarland-joke.. clever.)

i enjoyed mum's crepe suzette with peaches, syrup and vanilla icecream.. i am definitely a creppy person and this sat incredibly well with me.

i love chip bee gardens.. it is like a little secret hideout of fantastic restaurants, chic bookstores and interesting places to visit. very blissful.

Au Petit Salut
#01-54 Chip Bee Gardens,
Blk 44 Jalan Merah Saga
Tel: 6475-1976

Au Petit Salut, Harding Road

During the World Gourmet Summit, I was averaging 3-4 hours of sleep and basically operating in sleep-deprived half-trance. Saturday seemed like the perfect day to sleep in but I had more important plans - lunch at Au Petit Salut with a couple of girlfriends.

It’s been almost 2 years when I last visited their Harding Road / Dempsey outlet. Sitting in the restaurant that had tons of natural light pouring in, I could almost feel the week’s weariness temporarily lifted from my shoulders.



I’m surprised they kept this nondescript baguette slices. Funny how one can pay so much attention to entrees, mains and dessert but completely ignore the importance of a bread basket. Kinda like having a fantastic frock on but wearing it with unwashed-3-days hair.

Although we shared most of everything, the girls ordered the baked Burgundy snails and salmon tartare while I picked the pork terrine.



I’m someone guilty of going through food phases. I find a dish or snack that I love and I can eat for days and even weeks before moving the next flavour of the month.

I know pate / terrine is such an unlovely thing to be fascinated by but since Les Artists Bistrot, anything plugged with the words “pate” and “terrine” piqued my interst.

Note: By the time you read this, I’m into tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes). Dae han min guk!

But anyway, the pork terrine was good especially with a zesty shower of shallots, gherkins and capers vinaigrette.



For our mains, Pam had the braised beef cheeks while clowie went for the pan seared red snapper.

For someone who didn’t want to exert too much energy when eating, risotto sounded perfect. I mean, we are talking using one hand to hold the spoon, instead of two for the knife and fork… and I didn’t even need to use my right hand.

Up till now, I can still remember the creaminess of the spinach risotto punctuated with the crunchy carrots and cucumber. Delicious.



For desserts, I rekindled my love for citrus with the lemon sabayon tart, though the almond and honey yogurt ice cream was odd.



The chocolate-filled crepe came with coffee parfait and a sprinkle of caramelized almonds. Did you know that parfait in France just means custard while in the States, it is commonly known as a sundae, with layers of ice cream, sprinkled with syrup, fruits, toppings and whipped cream. That’s why French women don’t get fat – same word, totally different meaning.



Though I don’t usually fuss over crème brulee, I get some odd satisfaction from cracking the burnished caramelized top. Au Petit’s crème brulée, with specks of fresh Madagascar vanilla beans, reminded me of a sweet chawanmushi.

I don’t know what’s your hangover cure but mine happens to be a beautiful lunch with my girlfriends.

Au Petit Salut
40C Harding Road
Singapore 249548
Tel: 6475 1976

Here's a quite funny video of Ruth Reichl, famous for her makeovers featured in Garlic and Sapphires.

Bistro Petit Salut, Jalan Merah Saga

If Yixiao can't come to Paris, Paris will come to Yixiao.

In the form of a bistro. Oh well, that will do (for now).

My mum, sister and I have fond memories of Au Petit Salut but Dad was a new Convert- that's 'convert' with a capital 'C'. Just imagine we went back twice in a week, once over the weekend and the second time for Dad's birthday dinner.

Ever since Dempsey and Rochester wrestled over the 'See And Be Seen' title, Holland Village and Chip Bee Gardens regained its quiet, earnest vibe (phew thankyou!). When Au Petit Salut jumped onto the Dempsey bandwagon and moved to Harding Road, the owners converted their existing quarters to 'Bistro Petit Salut', a casual neighbourhood eatery.



Though I do prefer their lunch menu, the variety for the 3-course set dinner was good enough to get us going. But before that, we were served (refillable) baskets of plain white baguette with chilled butter slices. Though slightly pedestrian, the baguette slices were toasty warm. Give me toasty white over lukewarm artisan any day.



For one of our starters, three lobster raviolis sat pretty amidst sautéed spinach, tomato puree and light bisque emulsion. Save for the thick ravioli skins, this was pretty good. I could actually see the lobster bits (not like Who Shrunk My Lobster?) and the tomato-bisque base moist the raviolis, without turning them into a soggy mess.



The warm millefeuille of vegetables, cured salmon and couscous salad, tarragon dressing was something unexpected. I was thinking of puff pastry layers like the dessert pastry; instead the cured salmon and vegetables came wrapped in a filo parcel.



A French classic, the traditional bouillabaisse was a robust fishy soup filled with prawns and squid. Seafood soup is really not my thing but you would have probably expected something like that if you knew what you were ordering.

Onto the mains



Mum's whole braised lamb shank drew looks of envy from the rest of the table and deservingly so as it was so tender, you could have removed your dentures and massaged it slowly with your gums. The lamb was served with homemade tagliatelle that, like the ravioli, was a little too thick. Maybe I'm getting it all wrong but do the French normally prepare thicker pastas?



I had the veal loin wrapped with grilled vegetables (hardly noticeable) and bacon, served spinach and mashed potato. I really enjoyed it; of course this isn't exactly a revelation as you can wrap anything in bacon (see: asparagus) and it would taste good (yes, even asparagus!). The mashed potato proved to be the unsuspecting dark horse.



Remember the episode of Friends where Ross asked Monica if she could "make the mashed potatoes with the lumps"? Well Ross would have balked at this as the mashed potato at Bistro Petit Salut was incredibly creamy, almost as if it had been given a good whip.

Sorry Phoebs, they don't add peas and onions.

As you can tell, I've been catching up with my Friends re-runs.



Dad had the “Papillote” fish of the day, a slice of sea bass topped with julienned vegetables and fresh herbs, oven-baked in parchment paper. It was an incredibly light dish that caused Dad's glaze to wonder over to the lamb shank. I'm sure it was tasty for Dad polished it off but let's just say, he had no trouble cleaning out Mum's lamb shank thereafter either.

Done and Ready For Desserts



The fresh fruit and citrus sorbet platter proved ideal for not-big-on-desserts Dad. I'm not about to suspect if I was adopted or anything as I definitely inherited his *ahem* temper. Haha.



The chocolate tart fondant reminded me of the milk chocolate tart I had at Spitalfields Market, except the biscuit crust was harder and less buttery. It wasn't bend-over-in-ectasy intense, good for those who bend over for the wrong reasons after awfully rich desserts. The berry coulis and (store-bought?) pistachio ice cream went well together but when you throw in the chocolate tart fondant, three's definitely a crowd.



The choux buns appears on both Petit Salut's lunch and dinner menu, which should be an indication of how popular they are. Stuffed with vanilla ice cream and smothered warm chocolate sauce, they would have easily satiated anybody's sweet tooth but I wasn't entirely convinced. Though I did help to finish them, I couldn't help but think they tasted 'store-bought', as in you know frozen choux buns, in-house brand ice creams etc

Service at Bistro Petit Salut was friendly and our waiter, who gave us more than his two cents' worth, was assertive but in a friendly 'wise sage' manner. The only thing that threatened to split some hairs was a bunch of kids who treated bistro as their backyard.

Must. Remain. Calm.

There's much to revel in at charming Bistro Petit Salut - just leave the Fine Dining Dummies Guide at the door or with the kids.

To Cut The Long Story Short

Last updated: July 2010

1. Type of Cuisine

Belgian
Chinese
French
German
Indian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Singaporean
Malay / Indonesian
Mexican
Scandinavian
Thai
Vietnamese
Western
Middle Eastern

2. Name of Restaurant

2am Dessertbar
7atenine

ABOF (closed)
Aerin's
Akashi
Ah Teng's Bakery
Al Divo
Amande
Amici
Astons Prime
Au Petit Salut
Auntie Kim's Korean Restaurant
Awfully Chocolate
Axis Bar at Oriental Hotel
Azabu Sabo
Absinthe

Bab Noodle
Bakerzin
Banana Leaf Apollo
Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood
Barracks Cafe
Blue Basil
Blue Ginger Restaurant
Botak Jones
Borders Bistro
Brewerkz
Brussel Sprouts
Buono
Buko Nero
Bedrock Bar & Grill
Bella Pizza
Brotzeit

Cafe Rosso (closed)
California Pizza Kitchen
Carnivore
Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie
Cappadocia Café Restaurant
Cedele Bakery Depot
Central
Cha Cha Cha
Chalk
Coffee and Toast
Coffee Bean
Coffee Club
Coriander Café
Crystal Jade La Mian
Crystal Jade Macau
Cuvee, Raw Bar (closed)
Chihuly Lounge, Ritz-Carlton Millenia

Da Paolo Gastronomia
Da Paolo Pizza Bar
Dino Cake House & Cafe
Din Tai Fung
Don, Your Personal Pie Club

El-Sheikh Restaurant
Ember Restaurant
E-Sarn
Epicurious

Fish and Co
Frujch (closed)
Fiftythree
Finalmente Gastronomia
Fine Cuts!
Flor Patisserie
Food For Thought
The French Kitchen by Jean-Charles Dubois

Gangnaroo Korean Restaurant
Garibaldi
Graze
GOTO
Gunther's
Graze

Haagen Daaz
Hachi
Hanabi
Hong Yuen
Hong Kong Street Restaurant
House of Hunan (closed)
Hu Cui

Ikea
Ice3 Cafe
Ichiban Boshi
Iggy's
Ikoi at Hotel Miramar
il Lido
Imperial Treasure Noodle and Congee House
Island Creamery
Ivins

Jaan
Jang Shou Korean Charcoal BBQ
Just Noodle

Kaiho Sushi
Keyaki
Kia Hiang Restaurant
Kim’s Family Food
Kith Cafe
Kenny Rogers
Kuriya
Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant

Lao Beijing
Lazy Gourmet (closed)
La Nonna
Lawry's The Prime Rib
Le Figue
Lei Garden Restaurant
Lemongrass
Le Bistrot
Le Papilion (closed)
Leung San Hong Kong Pastries
Les Artistes Bistrot
Les Bouchons
Lei Garden

Magic of Chongqing Hotpot
Maharajah
Manhattan Fish Market
Marmalade Pantry
Marui Japanese Restaurant
Matsuo Sushi
Mellben Seafood
Michelangelo
Minori Dining & Sake Bar
Mirchi North Indian Restaurant
Miss Clarity Café
Modesto’s
Moomba Tuckshop
Morton’s of Chicago
Muthu’s Curry
My Mum's Cuisine

Nadaman
Nicolas Le Restaurant
Noble house
Novus
NYDC
Nagomi

O Brien’s
Obolo
Oiishi
Olive Tree Restaurant
One Rochester
Oomphaticos
Oscar’s at Conrad Centennial
OTTO Ristorante
Out Of A Pan
Oriole Cafe & Bar

Paisley & Cream
Paradise Inn
Patara Fine Thai Cuisine
Patisserie Glace
Paulaner Bräuhaus
Peperoni Pizzeria
Peach Garden
Pho 31 (closed)
Pierside Kitchen and Bar
PK Express
Pow Sing Restaurant
Princess Terrace, Copthorne King's Hotel
Prive Bakery Cafe
Prive
PS Cafe Dempsey Road
PS Cafe Palais Renaissance
PS Cafe Paragon

Ramen Marutama
Relish
Restaurant Da Valentino
Ristorante De Parma
Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge
Rice Table
Riciotti
Riders Cafe

Sabar Menanti
Sakuraya Sashimi House
Saint Pierre
Sage
Santaro
Sarracino (closed)
Sakae Sushi
Savoir Bistro (closed)
Saybons
Secret Recipe
Shanghai Eats
Sichuan Court
Shang Palace
Shibaken French Cuisine
Shimbashi Soba
SICC Pastry Corner
Simply Bread
SMU (school food)
Spizza
Spruce
Something To Go
Summer Frost
Superdog @ Vivocity
Sun With Moon
Sushi Tei
Sushi Yoshida
Sin Heng Claypot Bak Kut (Koot) Teh
Satsuma Shochu Dining Bar

Tampopo
Taste Paradise
Tatsuya
Tetsu
Thai Noodle House
Thanying Restaurant
Teahouse (Tung Lok) (closed)
Tip Top Curry Puff
THIOS Raffles (closed)
Tom Ton
Tomo Fine Dining
Tong Ah Coffeeshop
Town Restaurant at Fullerton

Wacha (closed)
Wah Lok
Warong M Nasir
Warong Nasi Pariaman
Wasabi Tei
Wild Rocket
Windows on Bukit (closed)

Udders

Zambuca

3. Travels

Belgium- Brussels, Ghent, Brugge
Denmark - Copenhagen
France - Cannes, Nice, Provence, Monaco
Germany - Munich, Stuttgart
Greece - Athens, Santorini, Mykonos
Hong Kong
Indonesia - Bali
Italy - Amalfi Coast, Milan, Naples, Tuscany (Siena, San Giminano, Voltarre, Rafaello),
Japan - Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto
Korea - Seoul
Spain - Barcelona, Madrid
Sweden - Malmo
Thailand - Chiang Mai, Bangkok
USA - New York City, Boston
UK - London, Durham
Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City

The Memorables & Mentionables" 2007 Grub Round Up

My my, isn’t 2007 in a hurry to go somewhere esle? At the end of 2006 and still reeling from the after effects of travels, I’ve always thought of 2007 as nothing more then just a prelude to 2008. How could it possibly top 2006 in all its Euro-hopping glory? Well, I was wrr … wrrr …–deep breath- WR-ONG.

In 2007, a silver of fame tinged this blog. I took food writing more seriously and became a writer cum Assistant Editor for SMU Gourmet Club’s magazine***. I met many amazing people, heard their stories and diverted from my career plans so much so that it now resembles a chanterelle-shaped mind map. Of course, I have great memories of my birthday party at Pitch Black. I wouldn't change anything about 2007... Okay perhaps remember to bring mosquito repellent to Bali but other than that, nuttathing to change. Sure, I could have erased some people and "incidents" from memory but without 2007, how else would I know to avoid them in 2008 onwards?

The end of the year usually means it's time to reflect on the good deeds we have done (shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes), our sins (make that ten, no fifteen minutes) and unresolved New Year resolutions (I guess we could pretty much skip that last part since there’s always next year). Better to move onto "The Memorables & Mentionables" 2007 Grub Round Up.

The highlights of 2007 made for sweet memories that linger on like the perfume of a lady who has just sashayed by. When I revisited my archives, memories of who did what, who said what when and what took place remain defiant against the aging process (arh, must be the omega-3 from all that sashimi). I also chose to leave out restaurants overseas because the playing field is different altogether.

This year's wrap up is a little different from last year. Items on this year's list aren’t confined to restaurants because
1. I haven’t had the luck nor buck to plunge into most menus.
2. I’m not incredibly proud to say this but I’ve an attention deficit disorder to most food items which means I can’t go through 10 bites of any dish without assuming the persona of a casting director- "NEXT!!!" As a result, against doctor’s recommendation, snacking about is how I usually get by.

It’s a long list, are you ready? Highlights of 2007.



Encore-worthy performances

Le Bistrot is without a doubt my favorite restuarant of the year. Just about anyone who has asked me for a recommendation has been pointed in its direction. Who would have thought this little enclave hidden within Stadium Walk could exude such charm and warmth?

Another restaurant that was more than a pleasant surprise is Brassiere Wolf at Robertson Quay , which provides a lovely spot for quiet lunch.

Otoro and Uni from Akane. Some say the first time is always the most memorable. Yeah, I figured just as much.

The slick-as-hell sashimi from Tatsuya made me weak in the knees. Correction, 'makes me weak in the knees' because I'm still reminiscing about it.

Brunch at Marmalade Pantryis an oldie but goodie. It's been around even before brunch became de riguer for any self-respecting yuppie. Seriously, I have no idea how the crazily delicious must-I-share sticky date pudding managed to stay out of my radar for so long. Well, not anymore for Target: Delicious Gimme More is well in sight.

Morton’s. Great food (duh it's cooked in duck fat!). Awesome service. I think it’s funny how people rave about Morton’s onion loaf but did you know you can get an awesome mini onion loaf at Vila'ge at The Heeren, where Marche used to be? Fluffy, soft and sprinkled with onion bits… what more can you ask for? Oh yeah, breathe mints. In fact, I think Vila'ge’s pretty neat bakery is one of Orchard Road’s best well-kept secret. Every time I pop by for my onion loaf fix, the muffins, glistening under the glare of the spot light stare back at me in a love-forlorn manner, like sad kittens waiting to be adopted.

There's nothing 'petit' about their new pad at Harding Road and while the cute cosy factor may be somewhat diminished, the food's still dependable, so say a big hello to Au Petit Salut.

Most gelatos these days are missing that WOW quotient, those looking for a brief respite from the usual chocolate and er- chocolate concoctions will find solace in the olive oil and tomato gelato from Riciotti.

I'm pretty much hooked on fish pie from Pierside Kitchen and Bar Dunk a fish in pie? Why don't people do this more often? Why just put two or four legged land animals in pies? I know I sound grotesque but why why why?

I know Da Paolo Gastronomia at Cluny Court is not the most comfortable place to hang out. You are at the mercy of Singapore's erratic weather, where it can either get stifling hot or just plain wet wet wet and when the roads get busy, you are accosted by a whammy of carbon monoxide. Despite so, I love hanging out here. Must be the presence of Tupperwares.

Hey come on, the fact that I lived on PB&J sourdough bread from Simply Sandwich during my internship is enough to warrant a spot on this post. As you can see the trans-fat fiasco hasn’t exactly taken me off a bread-heavy diet.

I normally don't think much of bakery chains and I refuse to categorize Swissbake as 'one of them'. Have you checked out their chocolate croissants? How can some chocolate croissants wannabes call themselves ‘chocolate croissants’ when they only contain sinewy chocolate trails? Swissbake's is gorged/ jammed/ stuffed end-to-end with chocolate, making this the Queen Bee of chocolate croissants.

You are the Weakest Link

Admittedly, I haven’t come across any disturbingly horrible experiences that beg a restraining order. I think its also because I’m uber particular about the places I visit, making sure I have done enough “research” on them before visiting.

[When Bad Stuff Happens To Good People] Botak Jones’s Burger. The whole 'ginormous portions of good food at you-sure-i-heard-you-right prices' concept has tugged at the heart -and purse- strings of most people but the burger's dry beef patties aren’t getting’ any lovin’ from me.

[When Bad Stuff Happens To ERM-Ok People] Roast Beef Sandwich from PS Café. This is the epitome of a BLARRDY waste of calories. You either blessed with jaws of steel or empty gut to eat this- guess I had both on that day.

The 'Naughty' List

Argh, the next few restaurants aren't bad! They don't call for the need to pick up plaque cards, stomp down City Hall and holler 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Diner'. I mean, they might even be on your Default Dining list. The food isn't necessarily inedible but there was something about the service, ambience and/ or SOPs that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now I do feel bad about blacklisting these restaurants but I do think a silent customer is the most dangerous customer. This is neither a power trip nor malicious ha-i-gotcha rant. I genuinely hope that these restaurants can ever so tweak some faulty cog so that they can go onto conquer the hearts, minds and guts of their customers and instill world peace! Er hello, world peace is so 2006? Please tune your ‘IN’ frequency to Global Warming.

Le Papilion. Less can be More.

Peperoni Pizzeria. Less Talk, More Toppings.

Shiraishi: I can't get you out of my head- just so that I will never make the same mistake.

Croissants from Canele. Such tragedy.

Slow service at Shanghai Eats. Too little, too late.

Novus. Novelty at best.

And this year we have a tie for 'What’s the Big Fuss' award
Donut factory & Marutamen ramen
The last time I witness such fervor, queue and hype was at an immigration centre. Does food taste better only after you have queued for it?

Restaurants to try in 2008
(as of 31 December 2007)

Au Jardin
Les Bouchon Rive Gauche
Relish
Nogawa
Old School
Tomo

As of today, my blog is 3 years, 1 month and 11 days old. We’ve come a long way, babe. And finally to you my dear readers, best wishes for 2-0-0-8!

*** I have taken over as Publications Director so you are interested in dining on someone else’s expense writing, holler back! Sorry, but this is only applicable to SMU students.

Je.. Je.. Jaan

As per the finesse of plastic surgeons and artisits, any dish that passed through the kitchen doors of Jaan was impeccably prepared and presented. But it was like a beautiful painting best admired from afar, behind bullet-proof triple-laminated glass… or the high school crush that you never got to know for fear of disappointing reality.

Before and during the meal, the bread parade consisted of something for both carb whores (baguette, onion roll and ciabatta) and foes (parmesan cheese and squid ink straw sticks with eggplant puree and olive oil).

Remember how our mums would never let us have snacks or sweets before proper meals? Clearly, Mama Chiang told her son something else.


AMUSE BOUCHE

We snacked on 3 intriguing amuse bouches - chicken skin, bamboo ash and sakura ebi brittles; dijon mustard dip masquerading as a furball; and crispy shrimp heads and baby radish in chocolate soil. Quite a festive sight, no?

The fat-flavoured chicken skin delighted but bamboo ash and sakura ebi only bore a smidgen of flavour - if I concentrated hard. Also, I had trouble with the fragile brittles which often broke off and stuck to the dijon mustard dip. Well, the dip was delicious so if I were them brittles, I would probably want to be with the dip forever and ever, XOXO. The highlight for me was the dijon mustard furball but the servers cleared away before I was done with it. Sad.

While adorable, I couldn't make the connection between shrimp and soil ... or chocolate for that matter. Very very weird. I would have thought a Fat Duck-eqsue “edible sand” would have been more appropriate. Of course, that wouldn’t be terribly original but would have at least strengthened the sea-sand-shrimp connection. Or remove the shrimp heads… focus on the garden theme…

Ok, I’m starting to ramble.


CITRON SOUS VIDE

The lemon “sous vide” as one of my favourites for the evening though I don’t know why it was served so early in the meal, instead of a pre-dessert of sorts. It came from a lemon that had been vacuum-packed for 2 month. A smooth gelatin wrapped around a mild sweetish lemon marshmallow made almost to resemble its maker above.


CITRON SOUS VIDE



Compliments of the kitchen, we each had Shizuoka tomato, prepared four ways -
confit, chip, sorbet and fresh – with a dash of basil coulis. Insert big smile.


GAMBAS ROSE DE MEDITERRANEA L’ ESCABECHE

The Mediterranean red prawn “Escabèche” was such an extremely pretty dish.
I loved the mélange of flavours between the vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and garlic "ice" But once again, I had no idea what role the prawns played. Though sweetish fresh and amaebi-like, it was well appreciated on its own rather than part of the team.


PRESSÉD E FOIE GRAS, PEDRO XIMENEZ

Another highlight of the meal was the pressed foie gras coated with Pedro Ximenez. Accompanying it were apple "lapis", crips and fig compote. Oui, so lovely.


TARTE TATIN AU CAVIAR

I was really looking forward to the caviar tarte tatin but was quite disappointed that the ‘tart tartin’ was a small forgettable tart disc hidden beneath the caviar and mashed golden apples. I scooped up the accompanying mashed golden lube and edible flowers, without registering a blimp of satisfaction.


BARRACUDA SAUVAGE, ARTICHAUT FUMÉ ET BLÉS TORIFIÉES

By now, I was ready for some real food. While one proclaimed the chargrilled wild baby barracuda be his favourite dish of the evening, my barracuda could have stayed on the grill a little longer. But I loved the toasted Brittany wheat – who knew that nutty bubble wrap could be this enjoyable?


WAGYU JAPONAIS, TRILOGIE DE POMMES DE TERRE ET FOND D’OIGNON CORSÉ

Next up was another stunning plate - Japanese Wagyu A5, with wild potato done three ways - mousse, medallion or panfried - and burned onion broth.


WAGYU JAPONAIS, TRILOGIE DE POMMES DE TERRE ET FOND D’OIGNON CORSÉ

The Japanese Wagyu A5, fatty and medium-rare, was superb; but it was the supporting role, a plebian wild potato, that rang the horns and bells.


PRÉ DESSERT

Campari grapefruit espuma and black cherries


DESSERT DE LA SAISON

The Dessert of the Season was milk marmalade ice cream, chocolate ganache, chocolate soil and cookie that reminded me of a Kambly butterfly biscuit. The flavours aren’t foreign (chocolate is always ‘in season’ for me) but it was a lovely dessert.



A darling sampler of petit fours – milk chocolate with pop rocks, white chocolate popsicles berry sorbet (delectable), vanilla macarons and buttery-with-crisp-edges mini Madelines.

Tasked with introducing Singapore to "Nouvelle Cuisine", Chef Andre Chiang has been receiving much praise for his art. I heard he’s really decent nice guy, so I feel quite awful not pinning the ‘I <3 badge.="" br="" jaan="">
I thought Jaan was interesting and fun, akin to opening box after box of tiny trinkets and charms. While I can’t critique their technique without having a sledgehammer flung in my direction, the taste and flavours fell short of mind-blowing.

That being said, I’m really glad I got a chance to try Jaan. It’s odd that though I found some parts of the meal disconnecting, I’m intrigued by what else it has to offer. I certainly hope Chef Andre hangs around long enough to defy naysayer with a powwow performance.

Jaan Par André
Swissotel The Stamford
2 Stamford Road
Tel + 65 6837 3322