Restaurant Review: Kingdom of Belgians Brings Belgian-French Cuisine to Robertson Quay, Singapore
PUBLISHED June 4th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED June 10th, 2021 12:44 pm
Opened by Chef-owner Emmanuel Stroobant, known for his two Michelin-starred modern French restaurant Saint Pierre and Shoukouwa Sushi Restaurant, Kingdom of Belgians is Stroobant’s latest casual concept. Sharing its space in Robertson Quay with French grocer La Petite Boutique (LBP), offering customers a chance to eat and shop their favourite foods. The Serangoon Gardens favourite now has its most popular selections at KOB, including Truffle Brie (S$22.40, 150g) and Coppa ham (S$17.90, 200g)
Decked out in colours of black, yellow, and red – in tribute to the Belgian flag – the restaurant is bright and open, which puts us in the mood to start on KOB’s delicious brunch offerings, that are available everyday from 10am to 3pm. We’re first served with a classic brunch choice: eggs. More specifically, Eggs Benedict with Salmon Gravlax on Brioche Bread (S$16++). The poached eggs are perfectly cooked, slicing open to reveal beautifully runny egg yolk. A large forkful of eggs with fluffy brioche bread and smoked salmon, and the meal makes for a gratifying meal.
Looking for something more filling? The Plat du Jour (S$18++) would definitely settle your appetite with half a roasted spring chicken drizzled with mushroom and bacon sauce, served with fries and salad. The clean roast roasting gives us a lot of opportunity to dip it into its creamy mushroom and bacon sauce. And although the salad serves as a healthy reliever (or rather, reminder), we can’t resist nipping at our side of Belgian fries, double-fried and crispy to crunch.
Other favourites include mussels, a staple of Belgian cuisine. KOB presents a classic version with their Blue Cheese Moules (S$24++ for starter/S$38++ for main), a generous bucket of steamed mussels tossed in blue cheese, cream and Shiitake mushrooms. The blue cheese is surprisingly mild, which can be a good thing for those who aren’t used to the acquired taste of this famously love-it-or-hate-it cheese.
But KOB also does a tasty Singaporean-inspired version of their signature with steamed mussels in a sauce of dried shrimp, dried chilli, and curry leaf. If you’re thinking these ingredients can be found in laksa, the Kam Heong Moules (S$24++ for starters/S$38++ for mains) does remind us of it. For dessert, it’s hard to go wrong with their delightfully light Spiced Apple Tart (S$14++). Served with Speculoos ice cream and caramel sauce, the caramelised apples are not too sweet and pair well with the satisfyingly buttery shortcrust pastry.
Kingdom of Belgians is located at 8 Rodyk St, #01-05/06, Singapore 238216, p. +65 6634 0500. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 10.30pm. Takeaway is available.
Top image: KOB x LBP Market
