PUBLISHED October 8th, 2013 12:28 am | UPDATED June 6th, 2016 02:51 pm
Chef/owner Alexandre Lozachmeur, who has spent five years in Paris working in the kitchen of Michelin three-starred Alain Ducasse and seven and a half years in Singapore at places like the Harbour Grill (Hilton Hotel), Au Petit Salut and Brasserie Les Saveurs (St Regis), has decided that it’s time that he too, steps out into the fray and captains his own ship.
Curiosity begets the question of why he would choose to set up shop next to fellow Frenchie Brasserie Gavroche. Rather than seeing them as competition, he believes Fleur de Sel offers a different concept – classic French restaurant versus rustic brasserie, and in fact the two establishments get along pretty happily as complementary neighbours.
Two pots of Fleur De Sel salts are served with the breadbasket; flavours of rosemary and truffle are infused in-house. The restaurant is so named after the salt hand-harvested from the sea; and to Chef Alex, represents the final sprinkle of seasoning that finishes each lovingly made dish.
The amuse bouche of seared lamb loin cubes with cherry tomato and egg salad came as a nice surprise because seldom do you find meat served as an amuse bouche.
Le Crab (crab seasoned with tartar sauce, crushed avocado, herbs salad and balsamic) – was a light refreshing palate cleanser to start off the meal.
Le Foie Gras de Canard (seared duck liver, apple tatin, petite salade and duck jus vinaigrette) was not melt-in-your-mouth but pleasantly firm. The duck just rightly accentuated the richness of the liver; though the apple on short crust pastry felt a little bit disjointed.
Les Saint-Jacques (pan seared scallops, pumpkin purée, parma ham and chicken jus) was seared to no less than perfection, and the Chef’s simple but clever use of chicken jus gave it a different flavour dimension.
Le Lapin (Arborio rice risotto, shredded braised rabbit, mushrooms, olives, tomato and rabbit jus) initially came across as muted. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the blue cheese crumbled atop the risotto threw my palate off a little bit. But the combination of gamey, mushroomy, cheesiness grows on you.
Le Canard (slow cooked and seared duck breast, braised figs, mashed potato, and cherry jus). The meat is sous vide to tenderness, but portions are a tad small. Two small slices will not feed the hungry boys.
But the true piece de resistance? The cheese trolley! With a decent range of hard/soft, cow/goat and blue cheese, paired with fig jam, apricots, pineapple chutney and walnuts, I’m a happy diner.
L’Ananas (Sarawak pineapple roasted with rum coriander, vanilla ice-cream) was the most memorable dish of the night. The caramelization on the pineapples was incredible, the saccharine juices within the fruit intensified by the grilling. Happy little sweet nuggets of grilled pineapple, in combination with the rum and vanilla ice cream; like a pina colada on a plate.
Though a tad pricey at $88++ and $108++ for a 4-course and 5-course dinner, customers will love the personable service that Chef Alex takes pride in. No matter how busy the kitchen, he makes sure every diner is constantly attended to – making his rounds, striking up jovial conversation and entertaining his guests. With such a lovable personality, it’s easy to see why he has his loyal following. Personally, I think it’s because he looks like the French version of Adam Sandler!
The interior of the restaurant is simple yet classy, the open bar/open kitchen layout works to their advantage. Think a perfect location for a corporate cocktail events.
And speaking of cocktails, cocktail buffs would be interested to know that their concoctions were specially curated for them by 28 Hong Kong. And if you ask nicely, your drink might even be prepared by Chef himself.
Written by M.
On this occasion the meal was compliments of Fleur de Sel