Saint Pierre
Saint Pierre is going down as one of the best eats of 2015. The venerable French restaurant is fronted by Emmanuel Stroobant, a prolific chef whose shocking-platinium locks and muscular frame are perhaps toasted to as much as his food. I mean, the guy looks like Popeye, just blonder.
Saint Pierre's food is classic, exquisitely crafted and beautifully dished up. We had the Classic Menu ($128), relished over a languid 3 hour dinner that was mind-blowingly flawless, and absolutely smashing. I loved the genuine honesty about Saint Pierre's food, and I think, their philosophy of utilizing not more than 5 flavours is integral to its uncluttered, straightforward appeal, and maintaining the integrity of the produce.
Compared to its former CBD-fringed locale, this Sentosa reincarnation of Saint Pierre has a more relaxed, mellow ambience. Less austere and more accessible (in terms of price points), I feel. (Note there's still a smart casual dress code for dinners) Some say it's become a shadow of its former self, which may explain the lack of a full-house on a Friday night, but I think its reinvigorated menu should bring the long-timer back into the spotlight.
Dinner kicked off on a high note with a trio of Amuse Bouche, sitting pretty in a row.
The grapefruit-sided Chilled Shrimp with seaweed pearls and a fruity jam was clean, crisp and refreshing.
The Salmon Cream stuffed in a sesame-d cone was just scrumptious, the marine sweetness of the salmon was enlivened by the aromatic black sesame.
The opulence of the light-as-air Foie Gras Mousse was countered by the wine-soaked maraschino cherry and shaved almonds.
The dramatically presented Crevette Cocktail of poached sweet prawns amid an avocado herbed emulsion, globs of pineapple reduction, and blobs of thousand island ice was inspired, and tasted as good as it looked.
The Classic Foie Gras (supplement $20) pan-fried to a luscious melty perfection, and paired with a piquant caramelized green apple compote, flaky pastry puff, and aged port sauce, walked the fine line between the fruity, sweet, and savoury
The Japanese-styled Cabillaud au Miso, a succulent black cod marinated in white miso and swaddled in a daikon wrap, was served alongside a mushy jade eggplant, kinome rice ball, sauteed spinach and poached shitake, and drenched in a delicate dashi consomme. I love the restrain displayed here.Who said you'd have to be Japanese to make Japanese food?!
The Boeuf "36 Heures", fork-tender short ribs painstakingly braised for 36 hours was contrasted against a chewy honeycomb tripe. A smear of pink garlic, pureed green tea, black salt sprinkles, and velvety beef jus lent complementary accents to the sticky honeyed glaze, while charred heirloom carrot, green asparagus, and grenaille potatoes, lent crunch and texture.
Although we were stuffed to the gills, we couldn't resist sampling from the expansive Cheese Trolley (supplement $20).
We got shavings of a delicate nutty mimolette and a more robust, funky camembert, paired with fresh honeycomb and plain table crackers.
The finale was the Chariot de Desserts, a dessert trolley replete with plating service.
A signature, Grandma Stroobant's Famous Flourless Belgian Chocolate Cake, with vanilla ice-cream and creme fraiche lived up to the hype. This was glorious and rich and nuanced.
The Mango Eclair was at once fruity and sweet, served with a mango cheesecake and strawberry sorbet.
The Salted Caramel, coupled with a chocolate ice-cream, was as decadently sumptuous as you'd expect, but surprisingly finessed, so this was finished without a sugar headache.
No meal at a French restaurant is complete without filling up on bread, and the Sourdough and Walnut Breads were addictively good, especially with that silky fragrant smoked butter.
Saint Pierre has as extensive a wine list I'd ever seen, and what better to pair French food than with a bottle of French red? At the sommelier's recommendation, we got a 2003 Chateau Saint-Pierre ($180), a Bordeaux blend medoc hailing from the Saint-Julien appellation. The smooth plummy notes made this an easy-to-drink wine.
Saint Pierre
Quayside Isle #01-15
31 Ocean Way
Tel: 6438 0887
Open for weekend brunch from 11.30am to 2.30pm;
Dinner daily from 5.30pm to 9.30pm
Website: www.saintpierre.com.sg
Saint Pierre's food is classic, exquisitely crafted and beautifully dished up. We had the Classic Menu ($128), relished over a languid 3 hour dinner that was mind-blowingly flawless, and absolutely smashing. I loved the genuine honesty about Saint Pierre's food, and I think, their philosophy of utilizing not more than 5 flavours is integral to its uncluttered, straightforward appeal, and maintaining the integrity of the produce.
Compared to its former CBD-fringed locale, this Sentosa reincarnation of Saint Pierre has a more relaxed, mellow ambience. Less austere and more accessible (in terms of price points), I feel. (Note there's still a smart casual dress code for dinners) Some say it's become a shadow of its former self, which may explain the lack of a full-house on a Friday night, but I think its reinvigorated menu should bring the long-timer back into the spotlight.
Dinner kicked off on a high note with a trio of Amuse Bouche, sitting pretty in a row.
The grapefruit-sided Chilled Shrimp with seaweed pearls and a fruity jam was clean, crisp and refreshing.
The Salmon Cream stuffed in a sesame-d cone was just scrumptious, the marine sweetness of the salmon was enlivened by the aromatic black sesame.
The opulence of the light-as-air Foie Gras Mousse was countered by the wine-soaked maraschino cherry and shaved almonds.
The dramatically presented Crevette Cocktail of poached sweet prawns amid an avocado herbed emulsion, globs of pineapple reduction, and blobs of thousand island ice was inspired, and tasted as good as it looked.
The Classic Foie Gras (supplement $20) pan-fried to a luscious melty perfection, and paired with a piquant caramelized green apple compote, flaky pastry puff, and aged port sauce, walked the fine line between the fruity, sweet, and savoury
The Japanese-styled Cabillaud au Miso, a succulent black cod marinated in white miso and swaddled in a daikon wrap, was served alongside a mushy jade eggplant, kinome rice ball, sauteed spinach and poached shitake, and drenched in a delicate dashi consomme. I love the restrain displayed here.Who said you'd have to be Japanese to make Japanese food?!
The Boeuf "36 Heures", fork-tender short ribs painstakingly braised for 36 hours was contrasted against a chewy honeycomb tripe. A smear of pink garlic, pureed green tea, black salt sprinkles, and velvety beef jus lent complementary accents to the sticky honeyed glaze, while charred heirloom carrot, green asparagus, and grenaille potatoes, lent crunch and texture.
Although we were stuffed to the gills, we couldn't resist sampling from the expansive Cheese Trolley (supplement $20).
We got shavings of a delicate nutty mimolette and a more robust, funky camembert, paired with fresh honeycomb and plain table crackers.
A signature, Grandma Stroobant's Famous Flourless Belgian Chocolate Cake, with vanilla ice-cream and creme fraiche lived up to the hype. This was glorious and rich and nuanced.
The Mango Eclair was at once fruity and sweet, served with a mango cheesecake and strawberry sorbet.
The Salted Caramel, coupled with a chocolate ice-cream, was as decadently sumptuous as you'd expect, but surprisingly finessed, so this was finished without a sugar headache.
No meal at a French restaurant is complete without filling up on bread, and the Sourdough and Walnut Breads were addictively good, especially with that silky fragrant smoked butter.
Saint Pierre has as extensive a wine list I'd ever seen, and what better to pair French food than with a bottle of French red? At the sommelier's recommendation, we got a 2003 Chateau Saint-Pierre ($180), a Bordeaux blend medoc hailing from the Saint-Julien appellation. The smooth plummy notes made this an easy-to-drink wine.
Saint Pierre
Quayside Isle #01-15
31 Ocean Way
Tel: 6438 0887
Open for weekend brunch from 11.30am to 2.30pm;
Dinner daily from 5.30pm to 9.30pm
Website: www.saintpierre.com.sg
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