Setting
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| The main dining room @ Joel Robuchon Restaurant |
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| The winter garden @ Joel Robuchon |
Enough’s been said about Joel Robuchon, the world’s most decorated Michelin-starred chef, and his pair of Singapore eateries – L’atelier de Joel Robuchon and Joel Robuchon Restaurant – at Resorts World Sentosa.
Two years after its debut, both outlets continue to dish out fine French classics to Joel Robuchon’s exacting standards.
There has, however, been a sea of change on the floor.
Diego Requena, the affable restaurant manager of L’atelier de Joel Robuchon, has been plucked from Singapore to develop new markets for Robuchon.
At Joel Robuchon Restaurant, the Pierre-Yves Rochon designed neo-Deco grand dining room still boasts the same gargantuan Lalique vases and stunning Italian-made crystal chandeliers while the green-swathed Winter Garden remains a clear favourite among returning regulars. However, the no-nonsense former Maitre d’, Guillaume Anglade, has been transferred and replaced by Thomas Raguzzi, who is joined by newly-installed sommelier, Fabien Duboueix, a Saint Pierre alumnus, and the pair of French gentlemen is injecting a much-needed air of liveliness to the once-stuffy ambience.
What to expect
Befitting the grandeur of the experience, first time diners will want to opt for the Le Printemps degustation menu (S$488++ per head) but bear in mind that the 14-course dinner marathon could well span 4 (or even 5) hours, depending on how the meal is paced.
The Menu Appetit (from S$120++ for 4 courses to S$320++ for 8 courses), on the hand, is a lighter – and more gratifying – alternative to savour the highlights of Joel Robuchon’s gastronomy without creating a dent in your appetite (or credit card). With this, diners opt from an Appetit menu of hot appetizers, cold appetizers, main courses, cheeses and/or desserts; not forgetting the trollies of breads, cheeses and mignardises (depending on your choice from the Appetit menu) that are wheeled over to tickle your fancy.
We chomped our way through a delightful Menu Appetit dinner peppered with heaps of amusing conversations with Raguzzi and Duboueix and here’s our experience:
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| Amuse bouche – Vodka granite with apple jus pearls (Average) |
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| The bread trolley (Excellent) |
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| Cold appetiser: Maine lobster with tomato jelly, guacamole and spring vegetables (Excellent) |
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| Cold appetiser: Lemongrass foam crowned with French caviar flanked by French green beans topped with minosa salad (Good) |
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| Cold appetiser: Crusty eel mille-feuille layered with smoked foie gras (Excellent) |
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| Cold appetiser: Sea urchin and green asparagus with warm mousseline sauce (Good) |
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| Hot appetiser: Soft boiled egg in puff pastry with Comte cheese and iberico belotta in mousseline sauce (Good) |
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| Hot appetiser: Pan-seared scallops topped with mimosa salad alongside Ratte potatoes crowned with caviar (Excellent) |
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| Mains: Duo of duck breast with seared foie gras with candied ginger and cherries (Excellent) |
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| Mains: Spiny lobster in green curry broth with wasabi crisp (Good) |
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| Mains: Kagoshima beef ribeye with tempura lotus roots and potato fries in vegetable bouillon (Excellent) |
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| Mains: Turbot with mushrooms (chantarelle+matsutake) in mushroom-scented pork bouillon (Excellent) |
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| The cheese trolley (Excellent) |
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| Desserts: Ladybird ivory chocolate shell with fromage blanc tinted with rhubarb (Average) |
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| Desserts: Strawberries punch with corossol sorbet and emulsion of yuzu and Tahitian vanilla (Good) |
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| Desserts: Reversed apple pie with caramel ice cream on spicy crumble (Average) |
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| Desserts: Chocolate souffle with passion fruit sorbet (Good) |
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| Birthday cake – mango and passion fruit ice cream cake (Excellent) |
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| From the mignadises trolley (Excellent) |
You may also like: Best French restaurants in Singapore.
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