Fleur De Sel Le Restaurant - Little Thoughts that Count

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

Nicholas Le Restaurant - Amazing and Authentic French Cuisine

Of all the French Restaurants in my wishlist, Nicholas Le Restaurant is on the top of list. There's Something About Nicholas that appeals to my gastronomic senses. I guess it's the menu, the charm of an intimate setting of the place and the passion the chef has for in his restaurant. And these gastronomic senses of mine directs me to here to savour amazingly good and authentic French food at this restaurant.

I love every dish of the Tasting Menu that is cooked to perfection, holds a myriad of subtle flavours and has dimension in textures. And Chef Nicholas even goes the extra mile to search through his stash of wines in the walk-in wine cellar and wine cooler to get one to pair with my meal. In fact, he does this for every wine-ordering patron in the restaurant. Now that is passion. So if here, order some wines for the personalised service of wine selection.

Organic Hen Egg 'A La Coque' is perfect match with Iberico Ham. The smooth, half-boiled, jelly-like egg white, the runny, creamy egg yolk, the paper thin, slightly chewy, flavourful Iberico ham and the broth create a delicious juxtapose of complex flavours and textures.

Clos de Jaug from Margaux is the wine specially selected for me.

Even the bread here has that variation in textures, distinctive in the dishes here. The exterior is baked until super crispy while the interior is super fluffy. I enjoy munching on them, paired with the creamy French butter, of course.

Vichyssoise Soup and Crunchy Pastilla of Obsiblue Prawns both blow me away with how delicious they are. The soup is creamy yet light at the same time, packed with lots of wholesome flavours. The prawn is firm and full of briny sweetness, accentuated by the slightly zesty creamy sauce. And an excellent play on textures to wrap the thin crunchy pastilla over the juicy prawn.

I add on the optional dish of Scallop since I like scallops. Very plump and succulent, the taste of ocean contained within the scallop  goes so well with the seared surface of the scallop, the foamy broth and the secret hidden beneath the broth: beans. The different textures featured here also works wonderfully together.

Pan Seared Otoro with Linguine and Clam Sauce looks simple, but the taste is complex and full of umami. I'm so surprised by how good it tastes. In addition, the linguine is al dente 👍.

Iberico Pork is so tender that it is unbelievable for pork steak. I love the variety of sauces, plus pan fried chopped garlic, to go with the pork. All are so good. I also try dipping the mashed potato into the sauces, and my verdict is "Go for it!"

Lots of different French Cheese to choose from and enjoy.

Since I prefer soft cheeses, the service staff recommend two types of cheeses to me. Both are good choices. One is a bit like Brie, with nuttier flavour. Another is Mont d'Or Lait de Cru, a type of winter cheese, which is very creamy. The sweet accompanying homemade eggplant jam goes very well with the cheeses.

Complimentary Petite Fours of Caramel Chocolate.

Dessert is another fine example of good balance of flavours, such as sweetness and tanginess, nice play on textures between the chewiness, creaminess and fluffiness. A nice one to end the meal with.

The interior of restaurant is of classic French style with red plush sofa, dark wooden furniture and hanging lamps. The place feels very intimate and cozy, perfect for a romantic date or a nice gathering with friends to enjoy good food. The open kitchen shows the chefs in action, which is cool. Service is outstanding: very professional, polite and knowledgeable about the food.

The food here is really amazing, where the focus is on skilful preparation and right combination to bring out the best of the ingredients. I can't wait to be back again to enjoy authentic French food prepared with lots of passion.

Thoughts: My favourite French Restaurant

10 Teck Lim Road

Nearest MRT: Outram Park