PUBLISHED June 25th, 2014 01:03 am | UPDATED May 22nd, 2017 02:53 pm
Casual mid-priced Western cafes or restaurants are a dime a dozen in Singapore. The menus read all too familiar -– a cream-based soup, a grilled or roasted meat main course and no surprise that molten chocolate lava cake is a safe bet on the desserts list. In this respect, Le Cuisine, a recent opening in Chinatown Point fits the bill. But short from stereotyping it, Le Cuisine has managed to distinguish itself from the pack with its East-meets-West cuisine – fusing ingredients featured in Chinese dishes with Western cooking styles with most dishes cooked as casseroles – deftly infusing a blend of flavours. Prices are wallet-friendly too with most mains hovering around the $10 to $15 range – kept deliberately so to make the food more accessible for the older demographic in Chinatown.
The 90-seater is co-owned by Chef Daniel Koh, who is a familiar face on television cooking shows and competitions. At his peak of his career in the 1990s, the affable chef cooked for Michael Jackson and the late Pavarotti, and was linked to a string of Chinese restaurants in hotels. The menu at Le Cuisine, helmed by a team of seven chefs, does not differ much from his most recent venture – the now-defunct Chef Daniel’s Kitchen at Bugis +. Chef Daniel hopes for more diners to step out of their comfort zone, and change their stodgy mindset to try fusion food. Styled after a street-side bistro complete with trellis lined on the walls and faux lamp posts, the café also has a 12-seater private dining room for customised menus.
In a recent tasting, the meal started off with Six Sense Mushroom Soup ($6.80). The mishmash of six types of mushrooms, which includes enoki, shitake and king trumpet, is a chewy and creamy treat, but was a tad too salty for me. The Crabmeat Burger ($13.50) was rather forgettable. The bun-less creation featured a plump pan-fried patty chock full of small prawns and crabmeat. However, the crabmeat flavour was not strong nor its sweetness apparent.
The Oven-baked Spring Chicken ($15.50) fared much better. Don’t expect to see a half-chicken. Instead, it is presented in four chunky roulades. The chicken has been de-boned and rolled with scallions. I loved the texture and the springy meat, which was drenched with a soy sauce-spiked chicken broth, and garnished with mushrooms and roasted potatoes.
The Braised Lamb Shank was the favourite. At $15.50, it is one huge hunk! Instead of the usual red wine reduction marinade, rose wine permeates through the fork-tender meat, which is dyed to a dark red hue, thanks to being slow-braised and simmered for three hours. The sweet taste borders on having a caramelised flavour – redolent of roasted Char Siew. A switch from polenta or mashed potatoes, the shank is served with kidney and white bean ragout. No surprise that the café has sold 1,300 shanks since it opened!
For desserts, the Aloe Vera Ice Jelly ($5.50) is refreshing to douse the meaty fumes. The judicious jelly lumps and aloe vera bits are studded with mint leaves and mixed berries, from strawberry to gooseberries, which gives a tart twist. However, the other two desserts (both $6.50) were disappointing. The Pear Tart crowned with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, didn’t leave much of an impression – the crust was dry and the fillings of pear and walnuts were quite measly. The Molten Chocolate Cake – like any other lava cake – was decent and forgettable, as one cannot go wrong with it.
The strength of Le Cuisine lies in its affordable prices – given the refined plating, and relatively complex pairing of fusion ingredients and cooking styles, which gives the meal quite a bang for its buck.
Written by MyNoshPit
On this occasion the meal and photos were compliments of Le Cuisine
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