PUBLISHED October 16th, 2012 12:43 am | UPDATED May 17th, 2016 04:45 pm
Peeking through the white lace curtains that line the windows of Balzac Brasserie, you will find the quaintest French bistro. Beautifully furnished with rustic dark teak furniture and mosaic tiled flooring, Balzac recaptures the ambiance and character of traditional Parisian cafés.
Food-wise, Chef Jean-Charles Dubois’ choice to stick with simple, unpretentious French cuisine rounds up the warm, homely experience without the fine dining stuffiness. With the menu offering a decent range of choice, we ordered quite a number of dishes to put the Chef’s skills to the test.
The bread basket came in a very, very rustic, country-style basket – loved the presentation. The bread looked hard (like the crisp breads common in European countries) but they were actually the soft kind. Supposedly baked in-house, but they tasted slightly burnt and would have been better appreciated if warm. But bread was accompanied by a small dish of salmon rillettes, which added a nice touch.
Dubois’ Lobster Bisque ($16). The Chef’s signature soup, served with a side of sautéed mini organic black Qweli Mozambique prawns, was arguably one of the best lobster bisques I’ve had. It was oh-so-sinfully-rich and flavorful without being overly salty or creamy. Texturally it was a silky smooth delight, with the crunchy baby prawns and mound of froth adding a little fun.
Foie Gras De ‘Castaing’ ($24). A sizeable knob of homemade foie gras terrine served with seasonal fruit compote, farmer’s toast and petite salade. A classic French dish, Chef Dubois’ foie gras terrine was a delight to eat. Like slicing through butter, you smear a little piece on toast; top it off with the fruit compote which had whole raisins in it, and mmmm – a mouthful of heaven. Best dish of the day in my opinion. Only feedback would be that the compote could have been slightly sweeter and/or tarter to cut through the fattiness.
Heirloom Tomato Salad ($18). The salad was ordinary. Baby spinach coated in olive oil, topped with pale tomato slices and nuts that could have used some toasting. Salad portion was huge though; I guess it’d be a good dish to order for sharing to get everyone their daily dosage of greens.
Escargot De Bourgogne ($14 for ½ dozen, $22 for 1 dozen). Gratinated beure Provençale style with parsley, garlic and butter; the escargots arrived bubbling hot and smelling lovely. Like the salad though, it was nothing spectacular. Perhaps outshone by other establishments that do their escargots better. But the flavours and textures were decent; it would certainly do the trick should you have snail cravings.
Beef Cheeks A La Cuillere ($26). Though not the best I’ve had, Chef’s 48 hour slow-cooked wagyu beef cheeks were done pretty well – fork tender and moist, the way beef cheeks should be. I liked the bordelaise sauce; savory and full-bodied that gave the dish oomph. The bed of mash is meltingly smooth – a good thing, but it soaked up all that robust sauce, which left me mopping the plate searching for more. More sauce please!
Pan-seared Cod Fish Meuniere ($24). Again we see Balzac Brasserie’s Chef’s simple homely cooking style, with the black cod served in a rustic meunière sauce of brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon. The cod was fresh and well cooked, but even as a fish fanatic, I wasn’t terribly excited about this one. Portions were teeny – and teeny portions are not exciting! Because we already had mash for the beef, the carbs on this one was changed to pomme frites. And oh the fries! Thinly hand cut and deep-fried to a perfect crisp, these would get a thumbs up from any fry-fan.
Rack of Lamb ($34). This was the least French dish, and unfortunately, also the least impressive. The doneness was satisfactory, but the chops could have used more a more impactful marinade. For its price, the lamb does not win for value. Better off sticking to the traditional French menu.
Balzac Crème Brulee ($9). Balzac’s crème brulee is good. Rich Tahitian vanilla in thick velvety custard beneath a beautifully browned sugar crust, you can safely order this dessert and leave with a smile on your face.>
Tarte Au Citron ($9). This dessert is the Chef’s unique rendition of a lemon tart topped with meringue tubes. Quite an amusing presentation I must say, though I’ve already seen the tube trick used by quite a number of other chefs. Taste-wise it was slightly tart and not overly sweet, and had a cheesecakey texture to it. A good choice to end off a delightfully rich meal.
Balzac Brasserie breaks out of the snobbish French dining stereotype, and instead, offers a down-to-earth gastronomic experience that will satisfy the palate without breaking the bank. And nestled in such a convenient location (just minutes walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT), you don’t have to travel far to enjoy a little piece of Paris.
Updated March 2016: Balzac Brasserie has since moved to 5 Cox Terrace, B1-08 Fort Canning Arts Centre, 179620.