Bar-A-Thym Restaurant by Francois Mermilliod - Lovely French Omakase

French cuisine served in omakase style definitely sounds attractive to me. Since I always love Japanese omakase, where there is anticipation and excitement on what the chef will serve. More often than not, I totally enjoyed these omakase sessions. In addition, French Omakase is really something new for me.

I love the omakase dishes here, they are unique and feature transition in taste profile from the appetite-whetting starters to blissful sweet dessert. An awesome dining experience here because of the food, the modern chic decor and attentive, friendly and professional service.

By the way, there is also set lunch available with many great choices at pretty good price.

Whole Chilled Boston Lobster Tail wrapped with Vietnamese paper as Ravioli, decked on top of shredded Guava, Chervil, surrounded by a ring of Lime Sabayon, plus a scattering of Ikura and Hazelnut, is amazingly good. And I had never tried such unique and refreshing ravoli before this. The lobster is so tender, and its umami enhanced by the tangy sabayon, refreshing crispy tart guava and pungent chervil. The neutral tasting Vietnamese paper is a good choice for this ravoli to let the delicate umami shine through while adding a stretchy texture and carbo element to the dish. This is a must-try from the ala carte menu.

Fluffy bread slightly toasted and served in a cute sack. Very nice and I finish all three slices lol

I'm always up for some nutty, fleshy, fresh oysters drizzled with special vinaigrette here.

The White Asparagus from Holland is seasonal item and has this wonderful crisp, clean, sweet taste. The slightly salty ham and the creamy tangy yuzu sauce add hints of excitement to this delicious veggie. One of the best asparagus dish I have.

Royans Ravioli with Foie Gras mixed with Sautéed Mushrooms, Spinach and Hazelnuts smells awesome with its earthy aroma. This is pure good comfort food with lots of flavours.

Pan-seared Halibut has excellent texture: being pliable, slightly creamy and has crispy seared top. Taste very good with the sauce.

Nice Coffee Mousse Cake that tastes great when dipped in the Berry sauce or eaten with the slightly sour berries.

Nice Pinot Noir to go with my omakase.

A nice of contrast of sleek dark wood frames and white walls, plus the stylish hanging lamps, make for very modern chic ambience. The black overhead fans at the outside give a touch of European influences to the place. A great place to enjoy good food. Service here is a winner too.

I want to be back for more French surprises in the form of omakase ... maybe for the lunch set instead at times since some items in there look good ... and I need to give my wallet a break also 😆

Thoughts: I love French Omakase!

18 Gemmill Lane

Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer or Chinatown

Le Binchotan - Exciting and Simulating

Closed

There is simply something exciting about visiting restaurant bars. I do love fine dining, but dining at restaurant bars has that extra element of adventure. Maybe it is because of the ambience, daring designs of the interior and the food at such establishment tends to showcase simulating and bold flavours. And Le Binchotan has the ticks on all these aspects.

The setting of this restaurant has this futuristic yet cosy vibe due to the curved corners of the ceiling that make the place feels like the interior of a posh train. Shelves of alcoholic drinks occupy the wall behind the bar counter to emphasize that this is the place to chill out while enjoying the buzz and action happening all around. I like the rough stone surface of the bar table top because it feels edgy and simply for the novelty.

First up are the breads and a curious home-made butter spread that has charcoal, mashed carrot and Japanese spices added. Points given for daring to opt for something different, and I appreciate the mild, subtle flavours of the spread. But the bread does not do justice to the spread, being dry, hard and not warm. Though take note I am fussy about quality of staples, such as breads and rice, so others may like the bread here.

House-smoked Salmon gets the thumbs up from me. Well, this is recommended by the staff after all, and an excellent recommendation at that. The smoked salmon is bursting with flavours, not only from well-prepared salmon, but also from the sesame, finely chopped spring onions and sea salt sprinkled generously on top of the fish. It tastes great when eaten on its own and goes very well with the mashed purple potato that introduces sweet earthy flavours to the appetizer.

Uni and Caviar got to be the standout dish of this restaurant due to sheer amount of flavours packed into this appetizer. The strong nutty briny taste of the generous helping of uni—the fresh uni served here is golden in colour and is of the less sweet variety, the intense, explosive flavours of the sea stored in the caviar and the mild sweetness of the grilled corn mousse complement each other perfectly and definitely do not shy from grabbing the attention of our taste buds. The corn mouse does well to add a touch of sweetness to the uni and caviar, and this custard with pudding-like consistency also tastes great on its own. Recommended to try it both ways. This creation is very creamy, so it is best to share it with that someone special or one’s BFF.

Sakura Ebi cappellini is a great follow-up as the mains to the flavourful, umami rich appetizers. Yes, more umami! Thanks to the sakura ebi and kombu added to this dish. And every fine strand of capellini—my favourite pasta, by the way—is coated with umami goodness of kombu. Sakura ebi not only adds the extra punch to the taste, its crunchiness also gives an extra dimension to the texture. This is something that separated this pasta dish from its counterparts.

Coconut Pudding is like the natural choice of dessert for me due to my love for anything coconut. And I am happy with my choice. The coconut pudding is so rich, smooth, creamy and is full of nutty goodness of coconut. The richness of the coconut pudding is balanced by the refreshing bitterness of matcha powder and the sourness of freeze-dried raspberry chips. It is perfect combination. And the raspberry chips are crunchy to add different texture to the dessert, so it is not just about pudding only.

Service is friendly and spontaneous, which is the type of service perfect for restaurant bar establishments. Just do not expect fine dining detailed style of service here, and all is good.

I like this restaurant a lot because not only the food features bold flavours, the chef also adds ingredients that create varied texture in the dishes. This is one of my recommended places to hang out with friends as the rich dishes are perfect for sharing.

My Thoughts: Impressive!

This restaurant had shifted to Neil Road and rebranded as Iko Restaurant.