Le Saint Julien (closed)
PUBLISHED May 31st, 2012 11:14 am | UPDATED February 2nd, 2016 06:46 am
With so many new fine dining restaurants opening up all over the city, we sometimes forget that the oldest venues are still around for a reason.
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting one of these ‘old boys’, the famous Le Saint Julien restaurant, located at the iconic Fullerton Boathouse.
I’d actually visited here around 3 years ago and whist being impressed with the quality of the food, I did leave somewhat hungry and with a huge hole in my pocket. Nonetheless, the past is past and I was keen to see if my opinion had changed…..
It had, and with a resounding YES. Now let me explain why.
Arriving here for lunch with a friend of mine, we were lead to one of the beautiful set tables at the window. Superb view of course and friendly service along the way.
As for the food, it was actually better than I remembered…
After our delicious amuse bouche, we were treated to our first course, marinated salmon served with orange juice marmalade, an oyster tartar dressing and a small scoop of lime sorbet – all with some caviar thrown in. Despite sounding otherwise, this was actually a very light dish. Immensely fragrant, the combination of the sour sorbet melted superbly with the oyster/salmon teaming.
Continuing to the second round, came a dish of Slow-cooked eggs with smoked salmon emulsion, topped with French Baeri Caviar. Again, the theme here is light and balanced and it’s quite artistic. Almost like tasting a good wine, you can actually differentiate the intricate flavours as they dance around your tongue.
Being a fan of Escargot, I almost lost control when the next dish arrived…especially after I lowered my head and breathed in all the aroma. WOW! A parsley-garlic-butter topping mixed with the tomato confit in red wine sauce, I rest my hand on my heart declaring this is the best escargot I’ve had in Singapore. Fact.
And for those of you on the hunt for fantastic duck confit (which seems to be a never-ending stream of failures), just see below. Chef Julien prepared his famous Medley of Duck platter (Assiette de Canard de Challans ) – sliced duck breast, duck leg confit and rillette. Elegant, succulent meat cooked to perfection. It’s really something.
If you are fan of cheeses, it would be a crime to pass up the cheese platter offered at dessert. See below and cue mouth watering. Select up to 5 cheeses (in quite generous portions) and take your taste-buds on a journey across France.
And as an example of the sheer creativity of the Chef, below is the Caramelized and chilled apple tart with almond ice cream and Nyons olive oil. Subtle sweet taste. A perfect ending to any meal.
As I mentioned at the beginning, one thing that put me off when I first visited Le Saint Julien was the high prices, and I think at this point I am ready to at least nibble on my words after such a fabulous meal.
Le Saint Julien has now reduced their dining prices quite dramatically. Yes, it is still an expensive restaurant to dine at. Even without wine, you are looking at spending around $100-150 per person on dinner (appetizers at $36, mains at $56-60 and dessert at $18). But then again, compared to other fine dining establishments around Singapore which can easily run into the hundreds per person, this is comparatively good value, especially when you consider the effort, thought and design gone into you meal. And if you are coming to lunch, at $46++ for a three course menu, it’s a bargain, to which I shall be taking up again quite soon.
The food here is exquisite. The atmosphere is sophisticated with a superb view over the Marina and the service is unparalleled. But it’s a very quiet place so it’s not exactly suitable for a guys night out or big dinner party. Best for a business lunch, intimate dinner or a special date.
Simply put, when it comes to French fine dining, Le Saint Julien remains a formidable player and will continue to be so for many years to come.
Written by The City Nomad
On this occasion, the meal was at the invitation of Le Saint Julien.
