226 330
WINE&DINE
226
November14
French
Splurge
Nicolas Le Restaurant
10 Teck Lim Road
6224 2404 | restaurantnicolas.com
The Cuisine:
Traditional French, with Mediterranean
influences inspired by international produce
sourced from Provence, Spain, Italy and even
Japan. The menu changes every two weeks
according to the season, and Nicolas uses
no cream; rather, he creates natural jus and
emulsions for flavour.
The Chef:
Nicolas Joanny founded the restaurant in
2007 after years of experience working
in Michelin-starred restaurants in France,
Italy and Singapore; he is a graduate of the
Culinary Institute in Burgundy. Hailing from
southern France, he was raised in a family of
food lovers, and moved to Asia 15 years ago.
The Signatures:
The quality ingredients in the eight-course
set menu shine, and paired with Nicolas’s
cooking, are a gastronomic treat. The
Ibérico
presa
is his signature: the small Spanish pig
is raised on acorns, and the result is unusually
red flesh that is best servedmedium-rare, after
being seared and then lightly oven-baked in
hay. Another highlight is pigeon breast from
Brittany with
provençale
-stuffed ravioli, which
is satisfyingly moist and flavoursome.
The Others:
The seafood entrées deserve a mention for
their delicate emulsions: both the Spanish
prawn in saffron and the
masago
-crusted
codfish are delicious.
Fromage
-lovers will
find it difficult to select from the expansive
cheese platter, and those with a sweet tooth
will revel in a trio of desserts that includes
redcurrant ice cream.
The Outlay:
Choose from four ($78), six ($98) or eight
($128) courses, but do splash out on eight
at least once. The French are renowned for
their sophisticatedwine-and-food pairings, and
Nicolas’s 400-bottle cellar does justice to the
combination and price ($188). A three-course
lunch is $42; five courses is $68.
Katie Roberts
Attention to detail
is obvious in the
delicate presentation
of every dish