French restaurants are a dime and a dozen in Singapore but we’ve yet to come across one that sets itself apart from the rest by way of the cuisine and wines of Burgundy.
Enter Gaston at Keong Saik Road by vino-loving Burgundian General Manager and partner, Geoffrey Daurelle,who curates the 300 or so labels of mostly French wines on offer, of which about 40% are from his hometown of Burgundy.
While Daurelle looks after the wines, he leaves the kitchen to the capable hands of ex Spago head chef and one-time Joel Robuchon Singapore chef, Julius Soo, who doles out small plates of mostly Burgundy-esque French plates for sharing.
Highlights include not one but two poached egg dishes. Burgundy style poached egg in red wine sauce with chunky bacon cuts, whole shallots and sauteed button mushrooms is deeply savoury and moreish but if you’re tempted to have seconds, try the other Burgundy favourite of poached egg in a rich and pristine-white epoisses sauce with the same thick-cut bacon and whole shallots, with crunchy cubes of sour dough bread crotons to boot.
If you’re looking for an excuse to indulge in Burgundy reds, order a serving of beef burguignon, which is prepped using a recipe from Daurelle’s mother and served with mashed potatoes so buttery that one wouldn’t be surprised it were a Joel Robuchon recipe. The classical French beef stew dish from the Burgundy region is hearty and lacking nothing more than a pinch of fleur de sel.
It’s no secret that the affordably priced wines are the bistro’s biggest draw – about 16 types of wines and champagnesare available by the glass and priced from $14 to $31 a glass.
To go with your glass of Chablis, Daurelle suggests a plate of not-so-Burgundy tartare of locally farmed barramundi dressed in a spicy and sharp calamandi dressing spiked with chilli and decorated with crispy rice paper. A dish that, Daurelle admits, Soo creates for a small part of the mostly rustic Burgundy-style menu where he has a free hand.
25 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089 132; bistrogaston.sg; +65-6909 8120
BIBIK GOURMAND 