Taratata Bistro – Fine food, French and Phwoar!
PUBLISHED September 7th, 2012 03:18 pm | UPDATED March 29th, 2016 02:47 pm
Not sure about you, but I don’t like fancy restaurants for two main reasons: 1) I always leave hungry and 2) Things that are supposed to be hot, like soup, get served cold. Taratata bistro specialises in hearty, comforting, French food that makes your belly warm and loved in a way that you thought only your Mum could fill it.
Singapore does Singaporean takes on other cuisines very well. Italian, Thai, Indian.. they’ve covered them all. However, if you’re looking for something French, as opposed to French inspired, then Taratata is the Bistro for you. With two French chefs from wine regions of France, who also own the joint, you may as well be in a true French Bistro in Parisian suburbs. Their extensive culinary expertise and extremely generous portions will undoubtedly leave you leave both content.. and full.
We went along to try a spread of their best tasters and were not disappointed in this quaint little find. There’s a sense of something in the air, aside from the smell of decent onion soup, which echoes a romantic and intimate vibe, making this golden nugget of a find appropriate for most occasions. The curb side set up and the beautifully homely design has that ‘we’re warm and friendly and want to fill you up’ approach.
Taratata has been open over a year and packs out fast, so we advise you book to reserve your spot. The service is impeccable and the food sizzling and scrumptious.. what more could you ask for?
First off comes the staple French onion soup ($14), piping hot and as oniony as can be. It might not look stunning, but I’ve never seen a pretty onion and the taste will not dishearten. A perfect starter to set your senses at ‘French’, in case the cosy décor didn’t quite get you there.
Next is a personal Christmas time favourite.. Pate! This version is home-made Chicken Liver Pate complete with crisp breads and crunchy pickles.($14). There’s a lot that can go wrong with Pate, especially if the texture is a little too gravelly. This consistency was pretty much perfect and spread a little too well over those gorgeously crusty crisp breads. The pickles had just enough bite and are probably the best I’ve had around here. A well balanced, comforting dish with complimentary flavours.
Which French restaurant would be truly complete without mussels on the menu!? Obviously we gave them a taste and ended up finishing the bowl, sauce and all! Juicy mussels, perfectly cooked complete with a creamy sauce – my kind of dish! These steamed mussels in white wine sauce come served with French fries ($34).
The delight of the day comes in the form of Burgundy style beef simmered in red wine sauce. This is actually beef cheek, which has an incredible succulent melt in mouth texture. The beef absorbs the sauce like a mini sponge and just the oozes flavour all over your tongue. Moreish and rustic, this dish gets a massive thumbs up from us! ($37…inclusive of satisfaction).
With eyes bigger than bellies and bellies happier than ever, we just about left an inch of room for desert and we were grateful of our greedy actions! The chocolate pudding and lavender ice cream ($15) is dream-like. The ice cream has a unique taste. If you closed your eyes and guessed the flavour, I doubt whether you’d arrive at lavender (I guessed pineapple and walnut). Once you realise, all you’ll taste is refreshing, flower flavoured desert. The warm, leaking, chocolate mingled with the perfectly silky smooth and velvety ice cream is just wow. Try it! Regardless of how much room you have.
A highly recommended bistro! Advice: wear baggy pants and don’t eat too much before this epic sitting. Please note, Taratata have a great August Special – ‘A la Bonne Franquette’ every Tues & Wed night in August (3 courses for $68++ including 2 hours of free flow wine).
Taratata Bistro is located at 35A Keong Saik Road, Singapore.
On this occasion the meal was compliments of TaraTata Bistro
