La Cantine – taking perfection to new heights

PUBLISHED October 17th, 2012 02:50 am | UPDATED March 30th, 2016 05:34 pm

The minute you walk into La Cantine, you know that something different is going on here. With a fabulously unique interior featuring rooster and churches inspired by the Montmartre in Paris suspended upside down from the ceiling (unique from the start!), it is indeed a fitting residence for Bruno Menard, the first 3 Michelin Star Chef to be permanently based in Singapore.

The inspiration behind La Cantine, the latest offering from the Deliciae group, (the kings behind L’Entrecote, Le Petite Cancale, Sabio, and who also snapped up Forlino), is the traditional French brasserie…but not as we know it. Because there are some interesting twists hiding throughout almost every dish.

Expect a perfectly executed menu, with an emphasis on balance – of textures and flavours, top class ingredients, spot on presentation, and faultless service. Can you tell this is going to be good?

So let us begin. The uniqueness begins with a simple dish – Salade De Tomate ‘Momataro’ ($16). You may be wondering how on earth these fantastically sweet and juicy Japanese tomatoes found their way into a French brasserie. Well, that is thanks to Chef Bruno’s three years in Japan, and indeed where the 3 Michelin star magic happened for him. This dish is a wonderful marriage of the sweetness of tomatoes, herby flavours and unbelievably smooth, rich French goats cheese. An excellent start.

My eyes almost popped out of my head when I first saw the Cevennes Onion Soup ($24). This is certainly no ordinary Soupe a l’Oignon. Oh no sir. Blended to a beautiful creamy froth (yet the only cream you will find here is the dollop of truffle scented Chantilly cream atop), laid upon fois gras, with tiny crispy croutons thoughout. This really is the epitomy of the wonderful play of textures and flavours that are ever-present throughout the menu, that will leave you wanting to eat this dish every day of your life from now on.

The Steamed Pacific Cod ($30) makes me reluctant to eat cod anywhere else again because it is totally sublime! So unbelievably soft that it falls apart at the touch of your fork, it is perfectly complimented with the vegetable and olive oil emulsion, silky smooth parsnip puree and salmon roe. Just fantastic.

If you are a beef lover, as I happen to be, then I absolutely insist you try the beef flank or La Bavette ($36). Served with probably the best caramelized onions I have ever tasted and with Chef Bruno’s famous BBQ sauce (legend has it that it is made entirely out of vegetables – how is this possible!!?), the juicy beef is cooked to absolute perfection – the picture below speaks for itself.

Married with the beautiful sweetness of the caramelised onions and BBQ sauce takes the meat to new heights and then served with Royan ravioli gratin making this one grand dame of a dish

I am also a self-confessed salmon addict, and the Soya Scented Steamed Scottish Salmon ($28) here has only made my addiction worse. Imagine a wonderful fillet of salmon, steamed so expertly that it almost has the sensation of eating the best possible sashimi that melts in your mouth like butter. And there you have it. Again, the beauty of this dish is that the supreme tenderness of the salmon is balanced out by the subtly crispy garden vegetables and soya sprouts.

Before I move onto dessert, here’s a hot insider tip for you all. Although not on the menu, those in the know call up one day in advance to order the Oxtail…..don’t ask, just do, because apparently it is out of this world!

The desserts here are really something. I was pretty much ecstatic to try the Traditional Baba Au Rhum ($14)…pour the rum and lift up to your nose…what a wonderful aroma! The impossibly soft, light texture of the cake soaks up the rum just beautifully and then add the flavours from the vanilla and well…need I finish? Just fantastic.

I have said before I am not a huge fan of Macarons but have eaten my words on one occasion recently, and now this is my second. The Warm Chocolate Macaron ($12) is like no other kind of macaron you will have ever tasted. The texture is soft and light, fabulously chocolatey and served warm so that it almost reminds me of one of my favourites –Lava cake. Yet again Chef Bruno manages to add a nice twist by balancing out the softness with this time, sugar crystals which adds a lovely crispness to this sinful delight.

I have to say, usually I’m not one to make a fuss over restaurants with a Michelin star chef at the helm – they can be sadly overrated and disappointing at times. However, thanks to Chef Bruno and La Cantine, I am the happiest convert in the world. Everything about La Cantine is 5 star – from the concept and interior, to the food and service. Other restaurants in Singapore should sit up and pay very close attention because this is one very fine specimen indeed and an example of how things should be done from cradle to grave.

La Cantine is located at 01-01 Asia Square Tower 1.

On this occasion meal compliments of La Cantine