Les Bouchons – Champions of Steak et Frites

PUBLISHED October 1st, 2012 11:47 am | UPDATED May 31st, 2016 03:11 pm

Back in the day, before Marina Bay Sands, before all these new great meat-themed places opened up around town, my friends and I would often debate over which of the two steak-et-frites titans was number one….and it always came down to Les Bouchons vs. l’Entrecote. Personally I was always a firm supporter of Les Bouchons.

Since the ‘olden days’ I’ve been a busy Nomad rambling around town and  have dined on a plethora of superb steaks. It’d been over a year and a half since I’d been to Les Bouchons and earlier this week was presented with the perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself with their outlet on Ann Siang Road; a guys night out.

Yes, in true Barney Stinson style, 9 of us suited up and prepared for a legendary night of steak, wine, whisky and cigars…

Arriving at Les Bouchons, it felt like going a little back in time. Nothing had changed since my last visit; same decor, same seating…I even recognized the same manager and waiting staff outfits from my last visit in December 2010.

In case you’ve never had a chance to visit this institution of a steakhouse, let me give you the down-low. The concept of Les Bouchons is simple. The menu is one page and the theme is steak; sirloin, ribeye, filet or l’entrecote (for 2 pax). Each main comes with a side salad and the famous free-flow of their fries. There are also some appetizers and desserts to choose from but don’t expect a huge selection on a one-page menu ;-).

Being a total snail-freak I had to order the Burgundy Escargot ($18, 9 pieces) to start. It came out piping hot in a wrought iron skillet with the garlicky butter vapours powerful enough to drive any vampires away, and drive my nose to dive in. I’ll say straight up, whilst being good, I’ve definitely had better elsewhere. What is irresistible is the sauce left over once the escargot have gone. It cries out for you to take that bread roll on the table and soak up the juice.’ Go on, do it…you know you want to!’ Well who am I am to argue with a talking plate of food?

As for the steak, I decided to go with my old favourite, the 200gram Filet steak at $40, whilst being less weighty than the 300gram ribeye and sirloin ($32.90), all I wanted was that medium-rare fist-sized tender loin to be on my plate….and then in my belly.

In the meantime, we scoped out the wine list and were pleasantly surprised to see that you can order a bottle of Laurent Perrier or Perrier-Jouet Champagne (2 favourites of mine) for a very reasonable $88. Champagne lovers, put down the Veuve and the Moet – try one of these bottles and you’ll never go back to the ‘clubbing champagne’. We also ordered a gorgeous 2006 Gevery-Chambertin Burgundy wine to pair with the main event at $105. A fantastically smooth Burgundy red, but packing just enough punch to take on some tender steaks.

….Which I was relieved to find as tasty as I remembered from 2010. I do like consistency. My filet steak was perfectly cooked, evenly pink in the middle, a little blood for flavour and crisp chargrilled on the outside. Simply delicious. It’s a very lean cut so even though it’s only 200g, you can actually eat all 200g of it. I did also have a chance to sample the ribeye, though despite being tasty, I was happy I’d ordered the filet.

And the condiments…yes! This is how it should be in every steak joint. A perfect selection of Dijon mustard, grain mustard, bernaise sauce, mayonnaise and creamy horseradish (you can also ask for ketchup if you’re so inclined). Personally I love a bit of everything on my plate but definite favourites are the horseradish with the steak, and dijon and grain mustard for the french fries.

Speaking which…the french fries.. you will be pleased that it’s free-flow because frankly they are just damn tasty! Thin cut, not too oily, crispy on the outside and tender inside. I could happily demolish at least a couple of baskets of this. There goes the diet…again.

To polish off the meal we ordered a couple of creme brûlée to share which aside from being excellent value – they’re very generous servings – are excellent. Crispy coating and a well blended flavour of orange zest and vanilla in the creme. Dee-Lish! Well, well recommended.

So, does Les Bouchons still have it going on? Well let’s put it this way – there’s a very good reason why you have to reserve your table well in advance. Yes, there are now plenty of other great options for you meat-lovers out there but Les Bouchons should always remain hovering near the top of any foodie’s list when craving steak. I’ll be back again soon, and this time it won’t take me 18 months to return!