When I reserved a table at Fleur De Sel, I was only thinking of just enjoying some nice French food at a modern setting, and oh boy, this restaurant brings so much more onto the table. I'm totally impressed since I enjoy the complete set of classic French hospitality here: complimentary Bread with French butter, the Canapés, the pouring of sauces over the dishes in front of the patrons (I miss this nice little gesture so much, my last experiences with this were at Odette and French restaurants of such caliber many years ago), the French palate cleanser and the Petit Fours.
Best of all, I get to enjoyed these without costing an arm or a leg. And yes, lots of videos ensured to capture the pouring of sauces. Feel free to request the friendly and patient staff to hold on for a while while getting the video mode ready. By the way, the service here is exceptional. It really takes me to the days of dining at classic French restaurants that achieve perfection in service.
The setting of the restaurant is contemporary and classy, with the colour white as main theme. I can really feel that I'm in a fancy French restaurant here (the French songs playing in the background helps with that), but without the dining-is-serious-business vibe due to the modern feel of the place. So I feel very ease here actually and loving it lol
Canapés of Sea Bass Mousse, Quail Egg with caviar and Parmesan Cheese biscuit, and Lamb Mousse. My favourite is the Quail Egg with Caviar since the taste is more complex due to the flavours from essence of ocean in the caviar and parmesan cheese. Lamb surprisingly tastes okay here as I'm really aversive towards the strong taste of lamb. These are more for a pretty start rather than to impress actually.
And I like the cute cat holding up the platter.
Besides the French butter, there are Lemon salt and Tomato salt to go with the bread too. Best to combine the butter and the salt to eat with the bread.
The real show begins when Le Crabe is served. The rich-in-flavours ingredients really work their magic here. Briny fresh crab, buttery n grassy avocado and refreshingly, mildly sweet balsamic sorbet work so well together. I love this creamy treat.
Le Homard is Boston lobster bisque poured around lobster tartare decked with chives, garlic croutons and Avruga caviar. Watch the video for the pouring of the rich umami-laden lobster bisque into the dish. The soup itself is so good that I can be happy just sipping this. The pure refreshing essence of the ocean packed in Avruga caviar elevates this soup to be a luxurious unforgettable treat. Chives and garlic add the nuanced pungent goodness to the soup to make it even better. The only thing is I can't really taste the lobster tartarte because they are too finely diced and got lost in the sea of bisque.
The awesome dining journey continues with La Saint-Jacques. The seared succulent plump Hokkaido scallop has this amazing pan seared surface that is slightly crispy and carries an iota of smokiness, Butternut squash purée adds the earthy sweetness while Parma ham introduces bits of excitement into the taste.
Le Porc features 3-hour sous-vide and seared Berkshire black pork loin, which is tender and juicy. The cauliflower purée is mildly sweet, and pungent seed mustard sauce does very well to balance the meaty flavour of the pork. A well-executed dish.
I decide to indulge in a bit of French cheeses prior to dessert. They are very good.
Lychee granita: this is one of the best palate cleansers I have. I love the sweet floral taste of lychee and the minuscule bites of lychee gives a nice variation in texture.
Le Baba is oh-so-good. In fact, I heard the patrons at a neighbouring table swooning over this.
The service staff will slice the baba cake in half in front of the patrons. And the cake actually jiggle a bit when the knife slice through it: a testimony to how fluffy it is. And a look at the interior proves it. Next comes the Bailey's. The staff will enquire on the preferred amount of Bailey's to be added prior to adding it in. Lastly, the generous amount of light and fresh creamy Vanilla cream is added onto the Baba. This hits the right spot in both taste and texture. The cream and the tart taste of passionfruit glaze juxtapose so well with the herbal bitterness of Bailey's.
This is a must-try here.
Sweet ending to the meal: Madeline, Raspberry Gummy and Dark Chocolate.
Lovely French white wine that is fruity and tastes sweet when paired with the courses.
I'm really surprised by how intricate the dining experience here, and I feel so pampered when dining here. By the way, there is no dress code, so one can enjoy fine French food in a relaxing ambience and clothing. This is one of the places I will recommend to experience the full extent of French dining while not over-stressing the wallet.
Thoughts: Lovely French Restaurant for Indulgence
64 Tras St
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar or Outram Park
