French food has undoubtably spread to all corners of the World and has had a tremendous impact on global cooking. It therefore shouldn’t surprise you to find a French chef opening a French restaurant in Singapore. It also shouldn’t surprise you that it it would end up getting 3 Michelin star and topping the list of best restaurants in Asia in both 2019 and 2020. A true testament to the powerhouse that is French cooking and the talented chefs such as Julien Roryer they produce.
Odette is located in the beautifull and grand building that is the National Gallery in Singapore. The restaurant is bright and is designed in soft pink and white colours, the tables are covered in white table clothes and if you are lucky you sit in comfortable booths. Elegant, feminine and a space where you feal comfortable and happy spending a few hours.
I am a big champagnlover so starting our experience with the choice between 3 exceptional champagnes will always put a bit smile on my face.
Quickly following that three small snacks would arrive at our table in the form of 3 very different but delicious snacks a “shrimp taco” with lots of flowers and freshness from yuzu kosho, an umami rich bun filled with soft cheese and pork belly gel and finally a croustade with dashi foam and coffee powder. 3 snacks which were all perfectly executed and filled with lots of flavor.
Following this would be a snack of saboyenne crème with a rich mushroom tea. Both elements filled with umami but in two very different ways which complemented each other very well. This soft mushroom “soup” would be served on the side of a brioche tarte with shaved raw mushroom which naturally had much more subtle umami flavors.
The first dish of the menu would be a raw Sicilian prawn in a mussel foam and topped with Kristal caviar. To stay in the luxurious ingredients from the sea it would be served together with a toast with Hokkaido seaurchin. For me the Hokkaido seaurchin are incredible as they are very soft in flavor and texture. They are just perfect for a small delicate toast.
With the next dish that would for the first time have an elaborated presentation and technique. The dish in it self consisted of brown crab, zucchini, mint and a delicate horseradish “ice creme”. As the horseradish was cold its flavor wouldn’t dominate the dish but just support the soft delicate flavors of the dish. The smallest ingredient on the dish was however probably my favorite. Finger lime. I loved this for two reasons. The first is texture and the other is acidity and this was the first time I realized how Julian would incorporate Asian flavors into the menu and also how well they goes together. The acidity made this and so many of the other dishes so much lighter and more refreshing than I think they would have been had they be made in France.
The next dish however would be classic France with a very rich and delicious flavor. A langoustine was topped with what felt like an endless amount off truffle. Again a bit of shiso would balance the dish. It was still mostly about the truffle but more balanced than had it not been there. Then again can you ever get too much of a good thing???
The menu holds a lot of the classic luxurious ingredients you find on a French menu and the next one would have another one of these in the form of foie gras. It was once again served “The Odette way” which means that fresh yuzu would once again cut through the fattiness of the foie gras while abalone and shitake provide a different umami level to the dish. A dish that used foie gras in a completely new way and made it work.
The next two dishes would feel more classic old school delicious which I absolutely loved. The first main dish would be blue lobster with a bit of miso and a beurre blanc based on sake just not to make it too classic and an endive kept the dish from being all about butter. Simply just delicious and comforting.
The last main course follow the same pattern. A beautifull pink piece of pigeon was served with a cherry and amaretto sauce and a bit of black garlic. A classic combination but the executed was spot on so one could almost hear the angels sing of joy.
A Danish Prince (original from France) said that a meal is not a meal without cheese and in that spirit we would have a few artisanal French cheeses. All delicious but to me they didn’t show anything from the kitchen so if I had the choice I would gladly have skipped the cheese and substituted it for another sweet dessert. Especially when the pastry chef is one of the best in Asia.
Her skills we would try with the first and final dessert before finishing with petit fours. The dessert was based on Yamanashi peach, a bit of blackberry and verbena. A dessert that had it all from presentation to flavors and textures. One more please.
All in all I absolutely loved our lunch at Odette. I loved how they found their own approach to updating and adapting traditional French food to Singapore. French food can easily be too heavy and rich but I thought that the Asian influence really brought balance and a whole new feel to the menu despite being very protein heavy.
Being 3 Michelin star the execution of all of the dishes are spot on and I cant’ say that any of the dishes missed the spot. True to the style of 3 Michelin star the menu had a a good amount of luxury ingredients such as caviar, foie gras, truffles, abalone and Hokkaido sea urchin. It’s notable that the latter two are traditional Japanese luxury products which is just another example of how Odette brings together French and Asian flavors and ingredients on the plate.
The wine pairing merges perfectly classic wines with a few natural wines where it made sense with a bit more acidity in the flavor profile. I was also once again happy to see that the Danish producer Muri was to be found in the non alcoholic pairing.
So all in all it’s safe to say that I loved our experience at Odette. It is French but definently not classic and definently not safe but right in the sweets pot between comforting and delicious and new and exiting. This in a matter where you are always comfortable and impressed by the flavors because it has some twists on traditional flavors but on the other hand never experimental so that you risk being pushed away.
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