Cafe Le Chateau has kept well below the foodie radar since it opened in 2009, offering a myriad of French and European dishes. While the restaurant itself is pretty new, a seasoned hand helms the kitchen, none other than Head Chef Foo who hails from the now defunct Marco Polo Hotel and a certain restaurant at Funan.

You would find classic favorites like the French onion soup, which is served steaming hot and tastes wonderfully satisfying. Then there are the mandatory escargots if you like that sort of thing. Personally, the sight of escargots gives me the willies, but I have always wondered what they taste like. Anyone?

Baked Florentine
SGD15.50++ for half dozen

A must-try is the baked oyster Florentine. It comes in a half dozen, covered in cheese and mornay sauce, and sits on top of a bed of poached spinach. Creamy, rich and tasty, this is something I enjoy tremendously. I believe the right word to use here is “Shiok!”

Prime French cut lamb rack
SGD28.50++

The lamb rack is well seared and juicy. On its own it’s rather bland, so you would need to pile on the sweet and sour mint sauce.

Traditional classic oxtail stew
SGD20.50++

For something more novel, beef eaters can go for the house specialty braised oxtail stew. We don’t readily get oxtail in restaurants, but it is gaining popularity. I read that back in the day, people did not want to waste any part of the animal, and would thus cook the tail as well. Eventually, the oxtail fell out of favor, and butchers would throw it away without a second thought. But in recent years, the oxtail has returned to fashion, emerging at dinner tables in posh restaurants as an exotic-sounding dish.

Over here, preparing and slow cooking the oxtail is truly a labor of love that can take half a day. The end result is a hearty red wine stew and tender meat that falls off the bone easily. Taste wise, it comes close to brisket.

Apple pie
SGD9++

For a sweet finishing, the Chef’s Special apple pie is a clear winner. This is served hot from the oven, with a soft and fluffy pastry texture. Upon hearing my comment that the vanilla ice cream goes perfectly with the apple pie, restaurateur Desmond Lai revealed that he had painstakingly sought out pairings with various ice cream brands before deciding on this one.

So the next time you are craving for a nice European meal, do give Cafe Le Chateau a try. This new kid on the block should impress you. Don’t forget to take advantage of the SGD9.90 daily set lunch that comes with a soup and main course!

Have Your Say!

Have you ever eaten oxtail before? How do you find it? Share with us below!

Cafe Le Chateau
Valley Point Shopping Centre
491 River Valley Road #01-16
Singapore 248371
(65) 6737 7897
Service:

Bus services: 14, 32, 65, 139, 970
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru

Opening hours: 11:30am – 2:45pm, 6-10pm (Closed on Mondays)

Posted by Veron under Dining | Tags: French, Valley Point, Western

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Boulangerie at Festive Hotel is a patisserie located at the lobby. It is instantly recognisable by the distinct colorful lanterns hanging from the tall ceiling.

Over here, you can get quick bites and small desserts including French pastries such as macarons, sandwiches and gelati. The range is small, but fortunately we have already had a bellyful of food and desserts (with bird’s nest!) from The Dining Room at Crockfords Tower Hotel.

Satin
SGD6.40++

We sample the pretty pastry with an equally pretty name, “Satin”. This is some sort of a coconut crumble, heaped with freshly shredded pineapple and flavored with lime. The sour tang from the fruit complements the coconuty sweetness nicely.

Choco-Nut-Tarte
SGD4.80++

Chocolate fans can indulge in the Choco-Nut-Tarte, a simple milk chocolate tart with a crunchy hazelnut base. The chocolate is rich, creamy and smooth. Although, our favorite when it comes to chocolate is still Nama chocolate.

Gelato
SGD2.20++

The gelato scoop comes in a small bowl. Not much to the presentation here. We have the tiramisu flavor which is nice but not particularly memorable.

When it comes to paying the bill, something bizarre happens here…

Bizarre Incident #1: Instead of the waitress bringing us the check, everyone has to queue at the counter to make payment. That’s despite the fact that there’s a 10% service charge here.

Bizarre Incident #2: The waitress at the counter amusingly gets us to recite to her what we have ordered, while she keys it into the cash register at the same time. Suppose someone were to “accidentally” miss an item, he basically gets it for free!

Bizarre Incident #3: Their one-price-for-all-beverages policy. Our regular black coffee costs $6++. The guy before us in the line pays $6++ for his tall glass of chocolate cookie iced latte and cappucino, too. Needless to say, we feel kinda cheated, especially since there isn’t any kind of menu that we can peruse before ordering.

This is also a good example of when the 10% service charge should not be mandatory. What do you think?

Have Your Say!

Now, the Resorts World at Sentosa is still new and I’m pretty sure all the Bizarre Incidents won’t be here to stay. If you have visited Boulangerie, please drop a note below. We’re curious to know if things have changed!

Boulangerie
Resorts World Sentosa
Festive Hotel, Level 2
Service:
Website

Opening hours:
10:00am – 6:00pm (Mon – Fri)
8:30am – 6:00pm (Sat, Sun, PH)
8:30am – 10:00am (Continental Breakfast – Sat, Sun, PH)

Resorts World at Sentosa

Check out what you can expect at the rest of Resorts World at Sentosa. Plus, a review of The Dining Room at Crockfords Tower Hotel.

Posted by Veron under Dining | Tags: bakery, café, dessert, French, Sentosa

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Here, I’ll give you a hint: they come in a plethora of irresistible colors and flavors!

Okay, just one last clue. They are French!

If macaron is the first thing that pops in your mind, my, you must have a sweet tooth!

When I first laid my eyes on the macarons at Bakerzin, I fell in love with these sweet pastries. Just toss in a cup of joe and you’re all set for a delightful teatime snack!

Macarons (not to be confused with macaroon or macaroni) are made with egg white, almond powder and icing sugar, with creamy butter cream and ganache.

Macarons (assorted flavors)
$1.60 $1 each for February ’09

On first impression, I would have thought that the green one is matcha (green tea), but it’s actually pistachio with white chocolate! The pretty one with speckles of pink is “scarlet”, a mixture of vanilla and strawberry. It’s heavenly! But my favorites are, hands down, the chocolate ones.

The bakers here really know their chocolate. You get your chocolate macarons with a touch of lemon, brandied cherry, whiskey, coffee butter cream and even banana! The chocolate ones are really the best of the lot.

After whetting your appetite, I feel it’s only right to share with you this: Bakerzin has slashed the price of these babies from $1.60 to a dollar each. The promotion is valid only in the month of February. So hurry!

(last month, they slashed the price of their phenomenal warm chocolate cake to $4.80. I’m looking forward to another great promotion next month!)

Posted by Veron under Dining | Tags: bakery, café, French, pastry, promotion

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The conventional degustation meal consists of multiple courses, with each course fixed by the chef. But in Dozo’s case, with the exception of the chef’s platter for starters, diners can select from a few dishes for each course. The menu is chiefly Japanese with a deep infusion of French and European influences, similar to the design of the restaurant.

The restaurant is elegantly designed with a luxurious ambience and soft lighting. In some ways, it’s almost like a club, complete with a bar area! Upon entering, you would be led through a dark corridor to the communal dining area, or the private rooms if you have a bigger party (no additional charges!).

One of the segregated private rooms is a ladies’ room with floral motifs on the walls and chairs in plum and purple.

Once you’re ready to start your six or seven-course meal, waiters would take your order for all the courses. No worries if you’re feeling lost as to which dish to pick. The waitstaff who are well-acquainted with the menu would be most eager to help.

Chef’s Seasonal Assorted Platter
Course: Starter

The meal kicks off with the chef’s seasonal assorted platter. It serves three canapés on a long dish. The canapés change from time to time and in this case, it was foie gras with bread, scallop with cream sauce and greens, and smoked salmon wrapped in avocado.

The waiters informed us that there’s a specific order to eat the three which, if I remember correctly, would be the scallop first, foie gras second and salmon finally. My favorites are the scallop, which is plump and fresh and goes well with the light miso cream sauce, and the salmon, which comes with a little tuft of cream with a sweetness that complements the fish nicely.

Side dishes follow next, for which I had the tempura soft shell crab and my partner had the steamed egg custard.

Tempura Battered Soft Shell Crab on Galette of Mash
Course: Side dish

The soft shell crab was deep-fried to a light, perfect crispness. Eat it alone or dip it into the delicious dark sauce of a sweet, sour and spicy combination. I didn’t exactly care for the accompanying mash and other tempura and only focused on enjoying the crispy crab bit by bit.

Steamed Egg Custard with Scallop and Foie Gras topped with Caviar
Course: Side dish

The egg custard with scallop and foie gras was really nothing to shout about. The plating was excellent though, a testament of the importance that the restaurant pays to aesthetics and presentation of food. I always appreciate such attention to detail, and thought the little yellow chrysanthemum flower too pretty to be thrown away.

Seafood Bisque
Course: Soup

For soup, the seafood bisque is clearly a winner, and easily the best seafood bisque I’ve ever had. It has the most robust flavors of the ocean, with bits of seafood in it such as crab meat and scallop. I finished every last bit of it.

Notice the little chrysanthemum flower and real crab claw by the side? Whether it’s the taste or the presentation, this dish is just perfect. I simply can’t find any fault with it. With each slurp, I just want more!

Infusion of Cepes Mushroom and Truffle
Course: Soup

While enjoying the wholesome seafood bisque, I felt guilty that my partner had to go for the cepes mushroom cream soup. A little slice of truffle is served on a spoon by the side with a brilliant purple orchid. The layout looked beautiful, but the soup itself was pretty much forgettable.

Beef Tenderloin on "Pu Ye" & Granite Hot Stone
Course: Main

The restaurant is particularly proud of its beef tenderloin main course. I can see why. It certainly has that wow factor. Slabs of raw beef are served over a sizzling hot granite stone. The idea is that you can decide how well-done you want your meat.

Notice that the meat is laid out on a “pu ye” leaf to prevent overcooking. The aroma of the leaf also seeps into the meat. It comes with a tasty dark sauce dip and pebbles by the side as decor. The whole shebang.

This leaf-shaped thingy in light yellow comes with each main course. I missed out the part where the waiter explained what it was as I was busy digging into my food. Does anyone have an idea?

Gratinated King Prawn completed with Risotto
Course: Main

Yet another winner is the king prawn with risotto. The prawn is baked in au gratin style with browned breadcrumbs and butter, giving it a nice crunch.

I really loved the fragrant and fresh prawn, with its loads of precious sweet flesh.

Even though the food portions are designed to be small and go easy on the stomach, I was surprised to find that at this point, I was already feeling full. It was just as well anyway; there’s only a drink and a dessert to go!

Iced Grapefruit Glory
Course: Drink

Iced fruity drinks are served in cute glass teapots and dainty cups. The grapefruit drink is a strong citrus drink that’s great for digestion, despite tasting a little weird. Then we looked into the pot and saw these:

Pretty little flowers! I’m not a tea drinker. Are those tea flowers or something? It was a little unexpected to see them floating around in a fruity drink.

Iced Fruity Refresher
Course: Drink

The iced fruity refresher fares much better. It’s an assorted blend of honey and various fruits such as lime, peach and apple. In fact, chunks of fruit can still be seen in the drink. It was refreshing alright.

Japanese Mochi Ice Cream with Red Bean
Course: Dessert

Desserts are served last. The red bean mochi ice cream is wonderfully arranged and practically art on a plate. It has a wonderful texture and tastes good and delightful with a slice of strawberry on top. Certainly something that girls would enjoy.

Freshly Baked Warm Chocolate Cake served with Ice Cream
Course: Dessert

But my all-time favorite dessert has to be the warm chocolate cake with the gooey molten chocolate center. It’s been god-knows-how-long since I last had this dessert (I’ve been keeping myself from all the calories). But once it’s presented to me on the menu, I just can’t resist!

The cake is freshly baked and warm throughout. It warms my heart just to eat it! This particular one even comes with white chocolate melted and hardened onto the plate. So you can scrape it off with a spoon and eat it with the vanilla ice cream and chocolate. Marvelous combo!

Well, I was almost sad to see the meal come to an end. It had been extremely satisfying and I felt as though I had tasted and loved every flavor of the dishes. Plus, the ambience and service were both excellent. If the menu changes frequently enough, I wouldn’t rule out returning for another degustation meal!

Dozo
Valley Point Shopping Centre
491 River Valley Road #02-02/03
Singapore 248371
(65) 6838 6966 | Website
Service:

Bus services: 14, 32, 65, 139, 970
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru

Posted by Veron under Dining | Tags: fine dining, French, Japanese, Valley Point

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But some weeks back, out of exasperation that I had run out of restaurants at the mall, I decided to take a quick tour around ma maison. Very unexpectedly, I found myself loving the place! Within seconds I was so entranced by the decor, I took their card so that I could save it for one of those special occasions!

The special occasion came when I gave my friend a farewell dinner. Out of sheer coincidence, he suggested ma maison too. Man, it must be really good!

The thing I love about ma maison is its charming English cottage theme. The floor, tables and chairs are all wooden. Ornaments, old clocks and posters can be found on the walls. Windows are fringed with curtains. You can even see racks on which plates and crockery are arranged neatly, as though it were a real kitchen in someone’s home!

With dim lighting in the form of candles and vintage table lamps, the restaurant feels extremely homely, perhaps even romantic. Throw in some cushions and sofa seats, ma maison would be almost too cosy to resist.

(of course, the dim lighting also means that I couldn’t take any good pictures of the place with my lousy camera. You guys should really see it for yourselves.)

French food with a Japanese twist is served here. The chef and some of the wait-staff are Japanese. In fact, when I called up the restaurant to make a reservation, a Japanese person answered in Japanese. For a moment there I thought I had somehow dialed up the ma maison restaurant in Japan!

Oh, just in case you’re into snails, they serve escargots too.

Spring Rolls
SGD7.80++

We started off with spring rolls, rather unusual looking ones I might add. I couldn’t quite tell what went into the spring rolls, but I do remember this being my favorite dish of the night. The following main courses we had didn’t quite make the cut.

Scotch Egg
SGD16++

Scotch eggs are basically hard-boiled eggs with their shells removed. They are then coated with a layer of meat and a layer of breadcrumbs before being deep-fried. I think the meat used here was beef. I got a taste of it and didn’t like it one bit. Well I don’t eat any meat other than chicken and seafood. Beef makes me kind of queasy. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like the scotch egg.

Chicken Steak with Garlic
SGD15.95++

As for the chicken steak, it looked really yummy on the plate with that juicy looking slab of chicken and the thick sauce. The potatoes that came alongside were pretty good. Unfortunately that was it. I didn’t like the sauce at all. It tasted all salty and was essentially monotonous.

An interesting bit about ma maison: what appears to be a large and heavy brass key is placed on every table. This key is labeled with the corresponding table number so that when diners are done, they would bring this key over to the counter to make payment.

We were also charged for two bowls of clam chowder that we never had. It was then refunded to us without much hassle.

So am I the only one who doesn’t like the food here? My dinner partner was certainly raving about it. Business appeared to be really good too. I really like the cottage look of the place and its overall concept but boy, am I disappointed by the dishes. I guess I won’t be saving it for any special occasion after all.

Ma Maison
Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
#02-51 Singapore 188021 [map]
(65) 6338 4819
Service:

Posted by Veron under Dining | Tags: Bugis, French, Japanese

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Located right next to the fountain, with part of the place lying beneath the skylight, out of the pan offers casual dining pseudo-alfresco style. I’m not too crazy about crêpes, nor do I get what the big deal with crêpes is, but I decided to make a meal out of seafood crêpe anyway.

Seafood Jungle
SGD15+++

I probably should have gone for a dessert crêpe as that would have been a safer option. The seafood crêpe I had was on the boring and bland side. The taste was monotonous and certainly didn’t excite for a dish that’s named “seafood jungle”. But I guess all healthy food tend to taste boring!

One thing noteworthy about the dish was the generous number of shrimps that had been stuffed within the crêpe layers. But that was it.

Coffee Oreo
SGD5+++

Anyhow, the number of calories that I saved by eating that healthy dish instead of a regular high-fat meal was undone when I washed it down with a tall glass of coffee oreo. Well I had no idea when I placed my order that it would be two feet tall. It also didn’t help that it was mostly milk and oreo chocolate rather than coffee.

All in all, out of the pan is a place for casual dining or a late afternoon tea session with friends. The service and food is nothing to shout about. And with such stiff competition going on at Raffles marketplace, I would likely give this place a miss in future.

Out of the Pan
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road #B1-45
Singapore 179103
(65) 6431 6103
Service:

Posted by Veron under Dining | Tags: French, Raffles City

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